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Best/Coolest Looking Tuners
- Thread starter nailer
- Start date
Brian
An Old Geezer
While I do not equate best with coolest or funkiest, I'll go with best: in no order:
Marantz 10b (a no brainer)
HH Scott 4310 (round dials - absolutely beautiful - better looking than most women)
McIntosh MR77 (IMHO the best looking of the classic McIntosh - tube units are beautiful but today look dated whereas the 77 still looks less so and IMHO far better than the redesigned looks of the 78)
SAE VI
Sherwood SEL-300
Sherwood MICRO 100
Now for funkiest
Dyna FM-3 (can not make a more minimalist unit unless you knock out the attenuator and stereo/mono switch but you'd still have the power switch that on the 3 is also the attenuator and stereo/mono switch)
KLH 18 (looks so cool when direct feeding into a couple of big Krells driving a set of Mc XRT22s - no, not dreaming, have an acquaintance who did this while waiting for a preamp - he decided on an upgrades ARC SP3 and still today the KLH is his tuner of choice)
Later faced version of the Sherwood tube tuners such as the S3000V. Not sure if it is funky or best - just love the looks.
In consideration
Fisher TFM 1000, 300 (these are beautifully executed in looks and construction)
Philips 6731 (hey, this is my list and I own it)
Early Sony ST5000 with the brown plastic switch and smooth knobs (for any Sony lovers, it is worth getting Sony parts units with the smooth knobs just to retrofit to the later units with their knurled knobs that just pale in comparison looks wise)
Marantz 10b (a no brainer)
HH Scott 4310 (round dials - absolutely beautiful - better looking than most women)
McIntosh MR77 (IMHO the best looking of the classic McIntosh - tube units are beautiful but today look dated whereas the 77 still looks less so and IMHO far better than the redesigned looks of the 78)
SAE VI
Sherwood SEL-300
Sherwood MICRO 100
Now for funkiest
Dyna FM-3 (can not make a more minimalist unit unless you knock out the attenuator and stereo/mono switch but you'd still have the power switch that on the 3 is also the attenuator and stereo/mono switch)
KLH 18 (looks so cool when direct feeding into a couple of big Krells driving a set of Mc XRT22s - no, not dreaming, have an acquaintance who did this while waiting for a preamp - he decided on an upgrades ARC SP3 and still today the KLH is his tuner of choice)
Later faced version of the Sherwood tube tuners such as the S3000V. Not sure if it is funky or best - just love the looks.
In consideration
Fisher TFM 1000, 300 (these are beautifully executed in looks and construction)
Philips 6731 (hey, this is my list and I own it)
Early Sony ST5000 with the brown plastic switch and smooth knobs (for any Sony lovers, it is worth getting Sony parts units with the smooth knobs just to retrofit to the later units with their knurled knobs that just pale in comparison looks wise)
stephenwhitney
Stephen Daedalus
mhardy6647
Lunatic Member
Well, Brian, technically... you can go a little more minimalist (albeit in mono) with a super-regenerative FM tuner.
Yes, it's a spud (one tuber) FM tuner!http://www.somerset.net/arm/reprints/fm_tuner_1.jpg
If I ever get so into this hobby that I can write that a metal box is "better looking than most women"....
SHOOT ME! (Or get me to a doctor.)
As to this fixation about smooth Sony knobs being better than knurled ones, I don't understand - the knurling works so much better.
That said, I'll respect my mentor's view about the Philips but not endorse it.
SHOOT ME! (Or get me to a doctor.)
As to this fixation about smooth Sony knobs being better than knurled ones, I don't understand - the knurling works so much better.
That said, I'll respect my mentor's view about the Philips but not endorse it.
mhardy6647
Lunatic Member
"knurling" -- great word; I like that.
Sounds like an arcane Scottish sport.
Sounds like an arcane Scottish sport.
Interesting pic...the call letters KUVO are for 89.3 FM, an NPR station in Denver. While they broadcast an HD channel, their analog signal is one of the best in town for sound quality. Jazz, Blues & World music.Bigyank said:
Denver does have a station at 99.5: KQMT, aka "The Mountain."
Kinda like my FM-1000
It's a classic, of course, and the looks are something, too. It needs a really good clean-up, but mine is in pretty good despite it's age (pushing 50, I think).
Even the wood case has a custom raised section for the heat to escape, decorated with a "swept back" design. Real late '50s look to it.
The other thing that I've always found interesting is that it's only a tuner, yet has eight knobs, more than some receivers do.
Question for anyone who has replaced the brass "bright" for the knob-end: what did you need to do to prep it and what type of glue did you use? As you can spot in the photo, I just found a new bright for it (locally, but on ebaY). The old glue is still there, tough to tell what it is. I'm thinking I have to remove the old junk and use maybe just contact cement to put the new one on.
Any thoughts?
It's a classic, of course, and the looks are something, too. It needs a really good clean-up, but mine is in pretty good despite it's age (pushing 50, I think).
Even the wood case has a custom raised section for the heat to escape, decorated with a "swept back" design. Real late '50s look to it.
The other thing that I've always found interesting is that it's only a tuner, yet has eight knobs, more than some receivers do.
Question for anyone who has replaced the brass "bright" for the knob-end: what did you need to do to prep it and what type of glue did you use? As you can spot in the photo, I just found a new bright for it (locally, but on ebaY). The old glue is still there, tough to tell what it is. I'm thinking I have to remove the old junk and use maybe just contact cement to put the new one on.
Any thoughts?
Last edited:
smollett5
Well-Known Member
I have cleaned the plastic knobs on the old Fisher components by using a small jeweler's screwdriver to pick off the old glue on the flat surfaces and the grooves, and then used something like GooGone to prep the surface. Contact cement or Duco works well to afix the brass caps. I've not yet had one reglued cap fall off.
Your FM-1000 looks greatl.
Your FM-1000 looks greatl.
Twenty20Man
Is that you Michael?
I still miss my Kenwood 600T, beautiful and functional, just like my wife :yes:
