KM-60 tuner is sweet!

[spaceman]

I just received this this morning, & spent a little time cleaning her up & looking for things that might have been tweaked off-kilter during shipping. The EM-84 tuning eye and it's housing were a little askew, but it was an easy fix, no tools even required. I just now plugged it in about 10-15 minutes ago, & WOW, I'm in love. Fisherdude, I've seen some of your old posts, praising this tuner, & I see why, it sounds great. :yes: Of course, I'm already thinking about rolling in some nicer tubes, it has a lot of different brands in it now. I like how the tuning eye dances around, it might get old after awhile, but right now I'm hypnotized by it, lol.

 

[spaceman]

Hmm, I found that there was a 6BK7 in the 6AQ8 socket, & apparently it works OK, but I found a Silvertone labeled 6AQ8, so put that in. The Silvertone says Made in Holland, Tested in U.S.A., lol, so I'm guessing it's probably a Phillips or Amperex. It sure seems to help the soundstage, & it definitely gets a little stronger signal. Also put Mullards in all the 12AX7 & 12AT7 sockets, not at the same time, & it sounds much better now. I have several different 6AU6s to try, but I'm just gonna listen awhile now.

 

[Fisherdude]

If there is a definitive "sleeper" in the world of tube FM Stereo MPX tuners, the Fisher KM-60 is it.

This tuner will blow away other models selling for double and triple what this one usually goes for.

If you have a chance to acquire one, don't pass it up.

 

[Skuker]

I just picked one up with a X-100 amp. Haven't given it a full once over before firing it up. Looks like I know what I'll be doing this weekend.

 

[spaceman]

Cool, I'm pretty sure you're gonna like it. :yes: I've been using a Pioneer TX-9800, which is pretty darn decent, but the sound of the Fisher is so much nicer, IMHO. Well, I didn't take a before pic, but after a day of cleaning & tweaking, I think she looks pretty good. I swiped the knobs off my non-functioning R-200-B, which look like the originals, other than I get a larger tuning knob. The chassis is pretty rough looking, but that's the beauty of having the cabinet. I'll eventually strip that paint & refinish it, but it's fine for now.

 

[Jailtime]

Now that's a looker! Nice simple design and basic features. Sometimes less is more. :yes:

 

[audiodon]

man, if you need more space, send that preamp my way! :thmbsp:

Beautiful setup.
Are those knobs the type that should be on that tuner?

 

[Tinkerbelle]

man, if you need more space, send that preamp my way! :thmbsp:

Beautiful setup.
Are those knobs the type that should be on that tuner?

From post #5 he used the knobs from his R-200-B (a hybrid SS/Tube). The original knobs are like the ones here.

 

[spaceman]

Yeah, I saw a few pics of the knobs with the little pointer protrusion, & thought they must have been the originals, but I'm not 100% sure about that. :scratch2: I can easily swap those back, but I like the larger tuning knob. BTW, I found a combination of McIntosh labeled Amperex & Daystrom labeled Mullard 6AU6s, that all look identical other than the labels, so the tubes are almost all Mullards now. The only "iffy" ones are the 2 that sit right by the main tuning capacitor, and that Silvertone I mentioned earlier "could" be. I'm not too worried about that, it works & sounds great, but I'll keep my eyes open, just in case I find them. :yes:

 

[Tinkerbelle]

AFAIK, the ones with the straighter (less angled) sides and pointer protrusion were introduced when Fisher went towards SS. In the end, it's whatever looks best to you. :yes: However, if you ever come to sell/trade it you might want to replace the original ones for those who want authenticity. Those newer knobs are very clean looking and are a closer match with the Marantz 1060 style that you have there.

It's great to see that tuner getting a new lease on life and dressed up with some real nice tubes too. :thmbsp:

 

[spaceman]

If I could just find a Marantz 7 pre cheap, it would match a lot better. Eventually, I'll finish up the Cit I & get it in the rotation, so matching components isn't too big a deal.