Tuners?

[Thumpy]

I am looking to buy a Very Good Old Tuner.
I need to decide between two tuners or maybe three:

Kenwood KT-8300 or Pioneer TU-9500II or Pioneer TU-9800

If somebody have good information about these tuners and pictures from inside and what is the best recommendation.
Kenwood is a 6 gangs fm
Pioneer is a 5 gangs fm
But, which one is more beautiful tuner, better sound, better design, better construction.
Thanks

Those Pioneer models are TX, not TU. With that noted, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so that's your decision. Some believe that the cutoff for high-end tuners is six gangs. I don't subscribe to that belief. The Pioneer TX-9500II and TX-9800 are very similar in design. I'd be willing to bet the sound difference between them is nearly indistinguishable. In their "shootouts" section, the TIC rated the sound of the TX-9800 and KT-8300 about equally. I own a TX-9800 and a KT-8300. They are both great tuners and I don't think you would go wrong with either one.

 

[doug s.]

I am looking to buy a Very Good Old Tuner.
I need to decide between two tuners or maybe three:

Kenwood KT-8300 or Pioneer TU-9500II or Pioneer TU-9800

If somebody have good information about these tuners and pictures from inside and what is the best recommendation.
Kenwood is a 6 gangs fm
Pioneer is a 5 gangs fm
But, which one is more beautiful tuner, better sound, better design, better construction.
Thanks

i can't comment on the pioneers, the only pioneer tuna i have heard is the digitally synthesized f91. (which is a wery nice sounding tuna, imo.) re: the kenwood kt8300, i owned one in perfect condition, and found its sonics to be only so-so. while it had excellent sensitivity, good extension and detail, the soundstage was two-dimensional. however, if you want to get one modded, it will turn into a sonic wonder. the slightly lesser kt7500, (which ranks near the bottom in the tic "shootouts"), is a stellar performer after mods; its only sonic shortcoming was slightly less ultimate quieting in comparison to other tunas i have owned. (fwiw, i would rank the kt8300 slightly ahead of mac's best sonically performing s/s tunas, the mr74 & mr77 - these tunas offer similar flat narrow soundstage, but do not have the detail & extension of the kt8300. the s/s mac tunas are way over-rated, imo; i owned one of each, the mr77 being refurb'd/aligned, the mr74 mint & never-serviced; they both ranked in the bottom five of ~100 tunas i have owned over the past ten years or so, w/the mr74 yust a tiny bit ahead of the mr77...)

if you want a fantastic sounding classic analog tuna w/no mods required, and don't want to break the bank, i would strongly urge looking at the sansui tu517/717, (wirtually identical, w/the 517 lacking a record calibration tone), or the somewhat less-similar tu719, which has a digital readout as well as the analog dial scale. careful patient shopping will nab you one of these for $200 or less... (these tunas have only four gangs, so total gang count will not always tell you what's best sonically, imo.) the tu517 actually is the bargain of the bunch, frequently selling for $100 or even less, as so many people don't realize it's so similar to its more talked about 717 relative. also, there are literally dozens of other tunas in the $100-$400 price range that will offer stellar performance, so cosmetics and ergonomics can easily play a part in your final selection. check out fmtunerinfo.com, a wealth of tuna info.

http://fmtunerinfo.com/

my fave reasonably-priced tuna, one that sounds great even stock, but will challenge even a modded refurb'd sansui tu-x1 after mods, (amhik! ), is the harman kardon citation 18, but these are not all that common. if you can find one, go for it, they typically sell for ~$200-$300, but can range from $100-$400, depending on condition, and how long it's been since one has been f/s on the market.

doug s.

 

[doug s.]

...I can even pick up ( I think thats what they are) HD stations but I get no sound. They are usually right next to a broadcasting station that has HD FM. At least that's what I think they are, just as strong and in stereo, dead quiet, but no sound. Ideas?...
Phil

hi phil,

while those who know me know i don't share your enthusiasm for the sonic capabilities of the s/s mac tunas, (tho you did right to get the mr74 over the mr78 - it will sonically outperform it, imo), i am a bit confused by this comment of yours. are you saying your tuna indicates a strong signal, w/stereo light, but no sound? have you tried another tuna tuned to these "stations"? afaik, there is no station broadcasting only in hd, w/o also broadcasting an analog signal. i have heard that strong hd broadcasts will make reception of low-power adjacents quite difficult.

you can look at this site, to determine if these are really stations you think you are tuning to:
http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/locate?select=city&city=baltimore,+md&x=0&y=0&sid=

regards,

doug s.

 

[JGMAF]

KT - 8300 vs TX - 9599II vs TX - 9800

All these three Tuners looks amazing.
BUT, when you open and look inside you can see a diferent construction.
I like to see a diference between 9500 II and 9800, I know that 9800 is a more clean construction inside, but some people say with poor components. I cannot say anything about, because i never saw one open.
I have before a long time ago a Kenwood KT - 9900, that I know now is the same like KT-8300.
When you look about beauty, which one looks more impressive?
After, which one have better construction inside?

 

[JGMAF]

KT - 8300 vs TX - 9599II vs TX - 9800

One stupid question that I like to clarifing:
About reception: Is better more or less. Some good tuners are 1.8uf, some others are 1.5uf.
and about AM, which one has better reception for AM?

 

[macman007]

Yes, I get "ghost" signals of the same power on the meter and locked in stereo but no sound and this happens on stations that I know have HD alternatives. Weird huh? I have no other analog tuners to cross reference this, perhaps it's a military frequency,airport locator, or some other sort of signal. I don't know much about radio, but I know my local stations, and this tuners telling me there are strong stations right next to strong stations on the dial that seem to broadcast silence in stereo. There are 2 tonight one is at 98 on fm dial above 98 Rock the other is above 101.9 Lite FM.Your location says Maryland so you know the stations I am referring to. Just above each of them is where this is happening tonight.

 

[Old_Tech]

One stupid question that I like to clarifing:
About reception: Is better more or less. Some good tuners are 1.8uf, some others are 1.5uf.
and about AM, which one has better reception for AM?

Less is better. The spec is really microvolts so its 1.5uv. 1.8 uv is sometimes a more conservative rating.

Look for Quieting and S/N. More is better.

 

[Old_Tech]

Yes, I get "ghost" signals of the same power on the meter and locked in stereo but no sound and this happens on stations that I know have HD alternatives. Weird huh? I have no other analog tuners to cross reference this, perhaps it's a military frequency,airport locator, or some other sort of signal. I don't know much about radio, but I know my local stations, and this tuners telling me there are strong stations right next to strong stations on the dial that seem to broadcast silence in stereo. There are 2 tonight one is at 98 on fm dial above 98 Rock the other is above 101.9 Lite FM.Your location says Maryland so you know the stations I am referring to. Just above each of them is where this is happening tonight.

Spooky! Sounds like HD has its side effects. Man you are really into it!
Cool.

 

[doug s.]

Yes, I get "ghost" signals of the same power on the meter and locked in stereo but no sound and this happens on stations that I know have HD alternatives. Weird huh? I have no other analog tuners to cross reference this, perhaps it's a military frequency,airport locator, or some other sort of signal. I don't know much about radio, but I know my local stations, and this tuners telling me there are strong stations right next to strong stations on the dial that seem to broadcast silence in stereo. There are 2 tonight one is at 98 on fm dial above 98 Rock the other is above 101.9 Lite FM.Your location says Maryland so you know the stations I am referring to. Just above each of them is where this is happening tonight.

i am on the south end of frederick, yust outside of town; these stations are 42 & 47 miles east of me. i am able to get them in quiet stereo, even tho my antenna is oriented sse, to get stations in dc. but, no ghost signals yust above these frequencies - perhaps i am too far away. the tuna presently in my rig, (i change them out frequently), is the onix bwd1 w/soap-2 p/s. i suspect what you are getting is the side-band interference from the hd broadcasts that can wreak havoc with weak adjacent stations, that i mentioned prewiously. have you tried w/the 74 set to narrow band? (altho the 15db narrow adjacent channel rating isn't all that much narrower than the 6db adjacent for the normal bandwidth setting.)

doug s.

 

[jhoyt]

if you want a fantastic sounding classic analog tuna w/no mods required, and don't want to break the bank, i would strongly urge looking at the sansui tu517/717, (wirtually identical, w/the 517 lacking a record calibration tone), or the somewhat less-similar tu719, which has a digital readout as well as the analog dial scale. careful patient shopping will nab you one of these for $200 or less... (these tunas have only four gangs, so total gang count will not always tell you what's best sonically, imo.) the tu517 actually is the bargain of the bunch, frequently selling for $100 or even less, as so many people don't realize it's so similar to its more talked about 717 relative. also, there are literally dozens of other tunas in the $100-$400 price range that will offer stellar performance, so cosmetics and ergonomics can easily play a part in your final selection. check out fmtunerinfo.com, a wealth of tuna info.

Hey Doug, I currently run a modded (per TIC) KT-7500, and should be bringing a TU-517 into the fold in a few days. In your opinion, should the 'Sui be competitive with the hot-rodded Kenny? BTW, I also use an Audio Dynamics T-200 with new output op-amps and bypassed output caps. It is indistinguishable, sonically, from the Kenny. If you can land one...look out!

 

[doug s.]

Hey Doug, I currently run a modded (per TIC) KT-7500, and should be bringing a TU-517 into the fold in a few days. In your opinion, should the 'Sui be competitive with the hot-rodded Kenny? BTW, I also use an Audio Dynamics T-200 with new output op-amps and bypassed output caps. It is indistinguishable, sonically, from the Kenny. If you can land one...look out!

if your sansui tu-517 is in proper operating condition, yes, it will be competitive w/the modded kt7500, imo. it may not be quite as good, but differences, if any, should be small. if i had to guess, i would say the modded kt7500 may have the edge in resolution. curious, if your kw's ultimate quieting is less than other good tunas you have; i understand that this is not unusual w/these. mine was refurb'd/modded by bill ammons, who does great work...

re: the audio dynamics, how does it compare, say, with a hitachi ft8000?

doug s.

 

[jhoyt]

The ADC (modified) just beat the Hitachi (stock) for overall sound quality, although nothing EVER touched the Hitachi for quietness.

 

[Cogito]

Nothing special here, but rarely used.

 

[MX117.MC7150]

Sony ST-5000FW (Punker X refurb'd), Sony ST-J75 (dr*audio refurb'd), Yamaha T-2 (Mark Wilson refurb'd), Yamaha TX-1000, T-85, CT-7000, MR75 (inside the MX117). All are terrific tuners. Likely will work my way down to the ST-J75, TX-1000, CT-7000 & MR75.

 

[Old_Tech]

So cool

Beautiful tuners fellas. Love them all! :yes:

 

[Shackman55]

Hadn't thought about it, but I have reached that magic number "5" Someone once said that once you have 5 of something it becomes a collection. Guess that means I have two collections of fingers and toes too.. Anyway of them the TU317 is my most pleasing over all it has the sound and the appearance although push comes to shove, the DH330 pulls em in better and maybe sounds a teeny bit better But it doesn't fit into my overall look I like.

Sansui TU317 (Just finished making it pretty)
Sansui t7
Marantz 2020
Marantz ST-440
David Hafler DH-330k​

Kenwood KT-7300 :thmbsp: added to the mix, and frankly The rest of them are going to go in the closet. As it sits it blows the others away. I think the Hafler might be a teensy bit better but doesn't have the look! Guess that makes me shallow, but I have a look that I like.

 

[Old_Tech]

My Sony

I have been enjoying the HD sound its really quite different although none of my vintage units are worse off for having HD in the house.

 

[edgy]

Pretty new to tuner collecting, and just have a few.

Technics ST-S505
NAD 4155
Carver TX-11A
Kenwood KT-9XG

Bought the Kenwood to match the amp I use in the bedroom, a KA-7X, but I'm using the Carver right now, and really like it.

Also have a Techincs ST-C01 that is part of this set.

 

[Old_Tech]

Pretty new to tuner collecting, and just have a few.

Technics ST-S505
NAD 4155
Carver TX-11A
Kenwood KT-9XG

Bought the Kenwood to match the amp I use in the bedroom, a KA-7X, but I'm using the Carver right now, and really like it.

Also have a Techincs ST-C01 that is part of this set.

Nice collection. I have the Carver PSB-11 and like it too. They are quiet and very selective. I've been looking at Kenwood but not much luck so far.

 

[Old_Tech]

New Addition

Here is a pic of my dbx TX1. I have had it for a few weeks now and have spent maybe 8 hours total listening to her. Side by side with the TU-717 the sound is very similar but with more headroom and clarity. It's synthesized so we all know the difference there but these two are very close. Nice auction find for 35 dollars. Its really a very rare tuner to find I was lucky that day.