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Vintage digital/analog tuners questions

mrreality13

mrreality13

Active Member
hey gang im thinking bout getting a tuner and was wondering if for my 1st one what would be better a digital or anaolog? not too worried bout its looks(for now) but being new ive seen the term in refrence to digital tunners"drifting" if im correct thats when it wont hold a station?
What are some of the pro's/cons between the 2

for now ill run it through my sa-155 till i get 1 with more features(was goin to say better but the lil guy aint 1/2 bad)

i was thinking about getting a all in one (recever/TT/tape not sure of correct term) but compoannts always made more sence to me

Thanx in advance:music:
 
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A vintage "digital" tuner can be harder to repair. Some of the parts are now unobtanium.

The whole attraction of a vintage tuner is exactly whats missing from a modern craptacular digital tuner anyway, the analog tuning section. Having a tuner with a big honking knob and tuning scale is half the fun, not to mention many good vintage tuners kill just about anything you can buy today.

Not many modern tuners have a tuning knob, and those that do suck anyway.
 
Analog.

Joseph Chow of Components Plus/Audio Horizons:

And don’t be dazzled by the specs on the newer digital tuners. It’s true: the older analogue tuners will not have the signal-to-noise (S/N) of a newer digital tuner, or the dynamic range. But to these pluses of digital tuners one must add the following very big minus—an insufficient decay time that results in a crisp, dry sound that can not capture the flowing experience of actual music. Anyone who compares a quality LP played over a first rate cartridge, arm and phono stage with a quality CD played over a quality solid state transport and DAC will know exactly what I’m talking about. There is softness to the musical edges, and a perceptible flowing together of the music in the analogue system that can not be matched in the digital system.

One of the reasons we gravitate to tubes over solid state is precisely for this reason: tubes generate slower decay times than transistors and IC’s, which is a major reason why they sound richer and more musical.

The same is true of the older tuners. They’re just more musical.

http://www.audio-horizons.com/pages/upgrades.html
 
I am voting for analog as well. My favorite tuner to listen to right now is an older Technics analog tuner. It maybe doesn't have the "crispest" sound but it does sound very nice. I can't put my finger on it but I like the sound. Take a look around for something Yamaha or Nikko.

Digital tuners are great if you like to jump around between a lot of stations. I don't really do that. Nothing wrong with digital tuners but IMHO they just don't look or sound as nice.

There are always a ton of tuners available on the Bay and you can probably find a decent one for under $30 shipped.
 
For your first tuner, I'd suggest that you go with whatever you can get at a good price. Typically, I'd expect that to be a digital tuner from a major manufacturer. In this area, they appear to be pretty common and show up all the time.

I've found several digitals' at local thrifts that were in mint condition and only set me back $10/ea. One is a Pioneer TX-970 which is excellent and the other is a Denon TU-400 which is mediocre, but satisfactory. I also own a Yamaha T-960II that I bought new some years ago and a Sony ST-J55 that I was given. All of these tuners perform very well on the common wall-mounted dipole antennas, but IMHO the Pioneer and Yamaha seem to have the best sound quality of the bunch. In my experience, none of these units drift off frequency or have much of a problem rejecting interference from adjacent stations.

Comparing these digital tuners to several vintage analog tuners that I own feels alot like comparing apples and oranges. My analog units include a McIntosh MR-77, a Kenwood KT-7500(?), plus the tuners in several Pioneer, Kenwood, etc. receivers. In all cases, these analog tuners will drift off frequency upon occassion and do have some problem with adjacent frequencies, but all seem to have excellent sound quality. IMHO the McIntosh MR-77 is the best tuner I own and has both selectable stereo filters and selectable muting and superior sound quality.

Here in the Bay Area, FM reception is very easy to get, so tuner sensitivity isn't a real big factor. Also, there is a large number of FM stations here, so the big challenge seems to be selectivity, which most of my digital tuners seem to be very good at. While my analog tuners can drift off station and be a little bit of a challenge tuning in and isolating weak stations, the sound quality is excellent.

So, the absolute best tuner for you depends alot upon the state of FM broadcasting in your area and the challenges you'll face getting good reception and sound quality. I would again suggest that you go with something inexpensive for your first tuner to get your feet wet. With quality FM broadcasting become more and more scarce, you may well find that there is truly nothing of quality available to listen to.

Best of luck with whatever you chose! :music:
 
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Many early 'digital' tuners have analog front ends with digital frequency displays - and the current Production Magnum Dynalab tuners (AFAIK) are still so configured.
 
Magnum Dynalab tuners are some of the most over-hyped pieces of gear, ever.

OP, split the difference between cost and performance and track down of one of these:
TU-417.jpg

Sexy, sounds good, can be modified to sound better if you want. Your gateway drug, but will serve you well if you decide to not get hooked on collecting tuners.
 
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Agree about Magnum Dynalab tuners being overhyped. My HH Scott 312D early model and the McIntosh MR 74 are superior in every matter that counts.
 
Sansui analog tuners are common and (usually) quite good.
Be prepared to spend a few $$$ for the higher end (TU-9900, etc.) models.

FWIW: I have an '81 Optonica tuner that has analog & digital displays.
All metal construction, weighs a ton, and picks up stations like a vacuum cleaner.
Optonica is one of those obscure brands that is waaaay under the radar, so used prices tend to be VERY reasonable.


Steve
 
IMO, Sansui seemed to build really good tuners. Consider a Sansui receiver as they put the design effort there too, plus the price might actually be lower than a dedicated tuner. I picked up an old one and the tuner was the thing that impressed me the most. I've also got a Yamaha T-85 and though it's very good, it's just not the same as having a nice knob and flywheel to turn.
 
Please note - I wasn't endorsing Magnum Dynalab... just making a point.
I noticed recently on their site that they have an HD tuner now - I presume that one doesn't have an analog analog front end -- but who knows?
 
ConradH said:
IMO, Sansui seemed to build really good tuners. Consider a Sansui receiver as they put the design effort there too, plus the price might actually be lower than a dedicated tuner. I picked up an old one and the tuner was the thing that impressed me the most.
Click to expand...

True! Sansui 4000: excellent receiver with an excellent tuner.
 
However there are some excellent digital tuners, noted for their great sound and rf performances. e.g the Sony ST-J75 tuner.
 
thanx for replys so far guys,
im not looking to spend hundred's on m my 1st tunner so stuff from Magnum Dynalab will be out but a sansui could be workable.I was thinking keeping price round 75-125.
Didnt know enough to set a budget till i surfed a bit here and the bay.
And at some point latter this fall/winter i will want a TT.(or a more substantial amp)
thanx so far guys!!
 
mrreality13 said:
thanx for replys so far guys,
im not looking to spend hundred's on m my 1st tunner so stuff from Magnum Dynalab will be out but a sansui could be workable.I was thinking keeping price round 75-125.
Didnt know enough to set a budget till i surfed a bit here and the bay.
And at some point latter this fall/winter i will want a TT.(or a more substantial amp)
thanx so far guys!!
Click to expand...

Here, I'll try to save you some money: Magnum Dynalab tuners are grossly over-rated and heavily over-priced. They can easily be bettered for far less money. If you spend several hundred bucks on an MD tuner, do yourself a favor and don't look inside.
 
For that much money there are a ton of tuners on the Bay that you could get including some Sansuis, Harman Kardons and Yamahas. I think that Technics made some decent tuners as well. A nice looking Pioneer TX-608 as well. A Nikko NT-790 is available. I like the looks of the Nikko stuff.

I think that it matters what kind of area you live in and if you can get a decent amount of stations in clearly. I pretty much only listen to one local station so that is all my tuner must do. I prefer an analog tuner that looks good.
 
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