Listening to "Schwarzwaldradio" 93.0 MHz with a big tube stereo radio SABA "Freudenstadt" from 1962.
Who's listening to FM Tonight? What tuner?
- Thread starter Old_Tech
- Start date
Its not that initial $50......... its the follow-on $$.what do you need to learn, before picking up an older tuna? how to blow $50?budget some cash for one of bob f's modern mpx decoders, if you're wanting to sample a wintage mono tube tuna. and a lot of them sound superb, besides the usual suspects. try an eico hft-90. or a paco st45. or anything by pilot. (tho the pilots can be spendy, some times you see one at a ridiculous price.) all these are killer sounding tuna, imo...
Me? have any ideas about what to try? :lmao: what is your budget? what is your reception condition? do you want remote? old school? tubes? analog readout? digital readout, but still analog? digital & analog readout? the reality is that a really good tuna, modded and refurbed, won't be much different from another really good tuna, imo. at a certain level, you are starting to split hairs. your tu-717, for example. if you were to have it properly refurbed and aligned, then modded to the hilt w/all the tricks - like what's delineated on the tic site - it will sound so good. you might find something better, but it won't be by a lot. and it will likely be better in some small area, not likely across-the-board better.
however, i have never heard an accuphase t1100. from those who have heard it, especially when run thru a good dac (blasphemy?), it might actually be a definite cut above. it's hard for me to imagine, tho - the sound i get from my top tunas awreddy, is similar from what i get from my none-too-shabby redbook and winyl set-ups. people have on occasion walked into the house when the fm was playing, and asked what record or cd i was listening to; when i told them "i dunno - it's the radio", they couldn't believe it...
doug s.
Do agree about spending "real" money on something like an Accuphase T-1100. My 'full monty' T-106, T-85 & ST-J75 are so good that cannot make myself spend big $$ on something that 'might' be better. Think it would simply be splitting hairs at this point. But, should I run across an HK 14 or 18, will likely have to 'hear' what you are talking about.
Still tuned into WRTI, 90.1, all classical, all day on the ST-J75.
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doug s.
Super Member
well, i guess i have been lucky; almost every cheap tube tuna has been deliwered as represented. so, while they might sound even better w/refurb, they still sound damned nice as-is. and if you get a lemon, you don't have much inwested. the s-c sr443 was refurb'd when i bought it, as was one sherwood i own - an s3000v. every other tube tuna was as-is. (w/exception of one rare sansui fm-8 - it was "as-is", but nos, w/little if any wear. this is a sweet sounding, cool looking retro tuna if there ever was one!)Its not that initial $50......... its the follow-on $$.
Do agree about spending "real" money on something like an Accuphase T-1100. My 'full monty' T-106, T-85 & ST-J75 are so good that cannot make myself spend big $$ on something that 'might' be better. Think it would simply be splitting hairs at this point. But, should I run across an HK 14 or 18, will likely have to 'hear' what you are talking about.
Still tuned into WRTI, 90.1, all classical, all day on the ST-J75.
re: the hk's, don't sell the 15 short; in 95% of reception situations, it will likely perform as well as the 14 or the 18. to give you an idea of what i am talking about w/reception, i have one particular station, ~40 miles away, that's afflicted w/multipath. i used to run a cheap 300 ohm wire dipole antenna, ceiling mounded to a 2nd floor ceiling. this station would get noisy a couple times a week on all but two tunas i own - sony xdr-f1hd and modded refurb'd rotel rht-10. every other tuna i own had the same noise issues. including my modded refurb'd sony st-a6b (7 gangs), modded refurb'd sansui tu-x1, etc.... my hk 15, for example, was no better or worse than thes others i mention. the s-c sr443 was simply not usable at all, w/the dipole, stereo or mono. w/the4 fm6 a coupla feet higher, in the attic, i get no noise whatsoever, even w/the sr443...
doug s.
Cadillac Kid
Addicted Member
Kitchen rig. KVMR-FM on a Sony while my wife makes a Chinese dinner.
Great tribute set to U. Utah Phillips. Featuring: Emmy Lou Harris, Kate Wolf, Buddy Guy, etc.
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Jazz on WRCJ in Detroit on my new (to me) Revox B160. Finest sounding tuner I personally have ever heard; beautifully transparent, fantastic bass and soundstage, completely non-fatiguing in spite of the resolution. The character of each recording comes right through, as if the tuner just lets the signal come through without adding any character of its own. Listening through my CJ tube set. Jazz sounds wonderful this stormy night. Review of my new friend to come as soon as I have a moment to contemplate.
doug s.
Super Member
well, the stromberg carlson sr443 is finally getting a rest. next in rotation is the fisher 100-r. i purchased this tuna a couple years ago, but never even plugged it in, due to seller saying it needed some work, mainly the signal meter tube wasn't working. well i figured i'd simply keep an eye peeled for one before giving it a go. it became apparent that this tube - the 6g-e12 - is about as scarce as hen's teeth. i have never seen one for a reasonable price, w/o being attached to another tuna. and i have only seen two, both sold for more than i paid for my 100-r.
recently, i saw a 6g-e12a f/s at a reasonable price, and i got excited, but i realized it was not the right tube. so i said hell w/it, i am gonna fire this old thing up and see what happens. last night, i brought it up slowly on a wariac, and today i gave it a go. no signal. but before giving up, i started wiggling around all the tubes. one particular tube, the 6aq8 in the back corner at the antenna connection, when wiggled, gave an intermittent signal to the signal meter tube and the mpx decoder that was connected. yay! so, i pulled the underside cover off, then the tuning slug cover, and found one of the legs on the tube socket was barely touching another part of the chassis. no bad solder joints anywhere. i pulled the leg off the chassis, lubed all the tube pins, sockets, and pulley wheels from the tuning mechanism, buttoned everything back up, and everything works perfectly! am & fm both register on the signal meter tube; and music is happening!
so far, the sound is sweet, but i think i need to let it play for a few daze before making a final judgment. but meantime, i am enjoying jazz on 89.3 wpfw; last fund drive day! :thmbsp:
doug s.
recently, i saw a 6g-e12a f/s at a reasonable price, and i got excited, but i realized it was not the right tube. so i said hell w/it, i am gonna fire this old thing up and see what happens. last night, i brought it up slowly on a wariac, and today i gave it a go. no signal. but before giving up, i started wiggling around all the tubes. one particular tube, the 6aq8 in the back corner at the antenna connection, when wiggled, gave an intermittent signal to the signal meter tube and the mpx decoder that was connected. yay! so, i pulled the underside cover off, then the tuning slug cover, and found one of the legs on the tube socket was barely touching another part of the chassis. no bad solder joints anywhere. i pulled the leg off the chassis, lubed all the tube pins, sockets, and pulley wheels from the tuning mechanism, buttoned everything back up, and everything works perfectly! am & fm both register on the signal meter tube; and music is happening!
so far, the sound is sweet, but i think i need to let it play for a few daze before making a final judgment. but meantime, i am enjoying jazz on 89.3 wpfw; last fund drive day! :thmbsp:
doug s.
Sounds of Brazil on 90.9 WDCB. Yamaha T-1020 ($10 Craigslist find)> Nakamichi TA-2A> KEF 103.2.
And I'm now listening to it as well. Great show.
59volvo
Super Member
would like to hear this station - too bad they don't have an internet stream
Kitchen rig. KVMR-FM on a Sony while my wife makes a Chinese dinner.
Great tribute set to U. Utah Phillips. Featuring: Emmy Lou Harris, Kate Wolf, Buddy Guy, etc.
My then lady friend now wife and I got to sit at a table with him
at the Antique Sandwich in Tacoma, when he took breaks from
his show. My good friend in Chicago was the daughter of the
co-owner of Old Town School of Folk Music. He filed me in on
her live and fortunes. What hoot and honour.
I've had the pleasure of watching him Folk Life in Seattle several times.
Right now, listening to KPLU Seattle/Tacoma on my very cool little KA6000
Kenwood amp, from a silver face Luxman T-2 tuner to a/d/s 780's + a little M&K VX-7 8" sub. All listening with Antenna Specialists FM -4 yagi @25'. melody Gardot. "Quiet Thoughts, Quiet Dreams..."
Happy, feeling very fortunate to be alive.
Best of evenings to you all.
I have a 9500ii which I love too. Pretty handsome.
