Danamc said:
I would love to grab the 109 but it's way out of my price range. :sigh: The 109V, which must be an improvement on this 109, is top rated on fmtunerinfo site by a wide margin over the L-02T and TU-X1. I've talked with a guy who had a 109 upgraded by Joseph Chow who raves about the improvement, even though Chow likes the T100 better.
I did have a chance to own the T-108 a few months back, but wasn't impressed with the sonics, even after a spin at the Accuphase repair plant out west. A tad thin overall, though a VERY pretty face on the rack. I would put it second after the T100 I've owned for years. There's just something about Accuphase's first tuner that warms my heart.
Dana
dana,
are you referring to "joebone", who posted the mod results of his t109 over on joseph chow's website? i have also had email chat w/him about his tuna. he really does like it.
i really hope that agon t109 gets its price. it will yust mean that *my* chow-modded t109 will
*really* get a good price if/when i decide to sell.
but, before anyone makes an offer on that japan t109, i would first werify that it is a usa-spec tuna, w/88-108mhz tuning band, instead of the japan-spec 76-90mhz band. the only way i was able to afford my t109 is cuz i bought it on ebay, knowing it was japan-spec. therefore, it was priced way under normal market. i took a big risk - before i bid, i asked joseph chow about it, & he said he said he *thought* he could convert it. well, he *was* able to, but only because he knew someone in japan that could sneak him the accuphase module needed to do the conwersion. accuphase was extremely opposed to getting this thing conwerted - they absolutely refused to have anything to do w/me or mr chow when we approached them directly for the parts. my tuna sat at joseph's shop for almost a year, waiting for his connection to come up w/the right part.
in any ewent, it was certainly worth the wait, as this really is the best i have heard. i never heard a stock iteration, so i can't make any statements as to how the service & mods improved things. re: the t109v reviewed on the tic, it is my understanding that the particular t109v was a show sample, that was gone over by accuphase to ensure everything was spot-on. this could account for its exemplary shootout performance, as tunas are more sensitive to being in 100% proper alignment than are other electronics. also, i really question that the t109v is better than the top kenwood & sansui by a "wide margin" - in my experience, all the top tunas are in actuality, really quite close to each other in their sonic performance. even jim rivers will tell you this, careful reading of his shootouts will make it clear that he could be happy long-term w/many of the tunas he's reviewed. check out what he said about the pioneer f-91, which presently ranks 45th on his list. (which i also owned, & also found to be an excellent performer.):
"...In a large room, in a big sound system, I might choose this Pioneer over the L-02T..."
but, i am torn as to whether or not i should keep my t109, as it's really only a tiny bit better than my other faves. not sure it's really worth the premium, & i could certainly use the cash to fund other endeavors. :scratch2: but, it *is* the best, & i'm a tunaholic! oh, what to do! perhaps sell it & use the proceeds to mod my t100?
mr chow has also told me he prefers the t100/t101's to the digital accuphase tunas. i have not yet done a direct a-b between t100 & modded t109 to have an opinion about 'em. too busy also playing w/a recently acquired denon tu-850, & a scott 310d, which sounds mitey-fine, when connected to my fisher mpx100.
the scott/fisher combo, in preliminary comparisons to my t100, also recently acquired, actually seems to be an even match. i could actually have the funds to get the t100 modded,
and the scott 310d/fisher mpx100 combo modded, &
still have funds left over, if i sell my t109. hmmm... :scratch2:
doug s., so many tunas, so little time
