Is anyone still buying / using standalone FM Tuners (or integrated)?

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by TheVinylAddict, May 13, 2019.

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  1. Guth

    Guth Music Lover

    Location:
    Oregon
    Yes. I've been fortunate to live in markets with FM programming that appeals to me. I purchased a new Magnum Dynalab FM tuner almost 20 years ago and it has served me well. I lived in Austin when I bought it and there were a number of stations that I listened to back then. I still use it almost on a daily basis here in Portland. We have a jazz station that I'll tune in for background music most of the time. But there are some shows in particular that I'll occasionally take the time to just sit down and listen to. Sometimes they'll also feature live broadcasts. I'm not a big classical music fan but sometimes when I'm in the mood I'll also listen to the local classical station.

    All that said, I'm not exactly confident with regards to the staying power of FM radio. But at this point I've more than received my money's worth out of my tuner. I've listened to FM radio enough that I even purchased a well regarded vintage tuner years ago just out of curiosity. That didn't last long, but it wasn't a problem moving it on.
     
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  2. JNTEX

    JNTEX Lava Police

    Location:
    Texas
    Exactly, location to FM...I have some great low dial where I am (that I support)-5 stations! Jazz, Classical and 3 'varies' stations.

    Internet stuff needs to get washed by the daq first.

    Sansui TU-717
    Yamaha TX-85 (fun, decent sounding, small), think I paid 20 bucks for it.
     
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  3. Sane Man

    Sane Man Forum Resident

    Location:
    Bethlehem, PA
    McIntosh MX110Z
     
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  4. Gibsonian

    Gibsonian Forum Resident

    Location:
    Iowa, USA
    Think I'll always have an FM tuner in my systems.
     
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  5. bever70

    bever70 Let No-one Live Rent Free in Your Head!

    Location:
    Belgium
    Over here in Eu, lots of crappy stations with crappy sound and the same boring commercials every other half hour if you are lucky, every 15 minutes if you're not. Radio in the car is always on for short rides. And we have a portable one in the kitchen. Previously I had a good Quad Fm3 but since I upgraded a few years ago I have no need for that compressed crap being sent through a nice system anymore. I have enough music to be my own radio ;-).
     
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  6. zeppage2

    zeppage2 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Oakland, CA
    Last edited: May 14, 2019
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  7. Gibsonian

    Gibsonian Forum Resident

    Location:
    Iowa, USA
    Local radio station carries some nice programming, recently started having local musicians in the studio, and when not playing some really obscure and not so obscure good music, many genres. So it's wonderful if you like listening to live real programming. SQ is quite excellent, and they mix in the digital and the vinyl both.
     
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  8. Dream On

    Dream On Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    For me I need an AM/FM tuner as I do like to listen to talk radio sometimes. A remote is also essential to flip stations.

    I posted the below in another thread recently:

    While I'm sure there are vintage and vintage tube tuners that sound superior, I prefer a more modern tuner. Went though a few, some that sounded quite poor, to finally land on one that sounds excellent - the Arcam T32. Pulls in all the stations I want nice and clear, and sounds very good. Stations that broadcast a high quality signal sound superb. The great thing about tuners now is that, in the used market, they are quite inexpensive and so very easy to try different models.

    I have also tried (in order from worst to best):

    Cambridge Audio 550T: bleh
    Rega Radio 3: ok, nothing special
    Linn Kudos - it was alright, kind of expected better though...likely not the Linn to own
    Marantz ST-17: pretty good
    Creek Destiny: also pretty nice sounding

    Could probably live with the Destiny or ST-17, though they definitely fall behind the T32.
     
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  9. astro70

    astro70 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southern Illinois
    I still listen to FM radio, and to an extent, AM sometimes too. I like several of the shows on my local stations and I have a Zenith tube AM/FM radio from the late 40s that while it's mostly for show, it does work too and I occasionally do listen to it!
     
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  10. Mr Bass

    Mr Bass Chevelle Ma Belle

    Location:
    Mid Atlantic
    Macintosh MR 67 tube tuner. I listen several times a week. What a difference even over my Magnum Dyna SS tuner.

    [​IMG]
     
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  11. Fiddlefye

    Fiddlefye Forum Resident

    Tons of great FM in our area and we listen daily. Six tuners and two receivers running in the house and another tuner in my wife's art supply shop.
     
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  12. tommy-thewho

    tommy-thewho Senior Member

    Location:
    detroit, mi
    I picked up a used Pioneer TX-9500 but rarely use it.

    Most stations put out a lousy transmission anymore.
     
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  13. starkiller

    starkiller Forum Resident

    yep sure do, a nice Sherwood tube one so I can cruise late night fm stuff and see how far away I can pick up stations :)
     
  14. Thorensman

    Thorensman Forum Resident

    I use a Leak Troughline and a Pioneer
    Hi end job.
    Now i also have a Tandberg reel to reel.
    Very handy to record this nice medium.
    Relaxing way to spend an evening
     
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  15. anorak2

    anorak2 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Berlin, Germany
    I think terrestrial FM radio is not worth it in the home, unless there is a station you can't get any other way. But in most cases you can. My cable company offers the bulk of the local FM stations in digital format (and many more as well), and the ones it doesn't offer are on the internet. The quality there is way better than FM radio can be. If you don't have cable or terrestrial digital radio in your area, chances are that most local stations offer internet streaming anyway.

    But surprisingly, standalone FM tuners are still being sold, for example Yamaha. I wonder who buys them.
     
  16. anorak2

    anorak2 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Berlin, Germany
    fmscan.org

    Computes FM and television reception worldwide. The UI is a little awkward, but totally worth it.
     
  17. Warren Jarrett

    Warren Jarrett Audio Note (UK) dealer in SoCal/LA-OC In Memoriam

    Location:
    Fullerton, CA
    I am still interested in over-the-air FM radio, not digital. I have some classic tuners: Marantz 10B, SAE with Nixie tube display, a MacIntosh MR-80 and Steve's all tube MR-?? (but it doesn't work until I find a good technician to delve into it), Sansui TU-9900, and my two favorite Luxmans, T-02 and T-03.

    Have you seen the website, Tuner Information Center - Vintage Stereo Tuners

    My tuners sound REALLY audiophile with the only two stations I ever listen to, the NPR classical station from USC, and the NPR jazz station from California State Univ Long Beach. I have two long uni-directional yagi antenna on The Audio Home's roof pointed to these two transmission towers on two different mountain-tops nearby, Mount Wilson and Signal Hill.
     
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  18. ghostofzuul

    ghostofzuul Harvester of Sorrow

    Location:
    oregon
    i monitor the "new arrivals" and "recently sold" pages on my favorite local audiophile shop's website daily... i'm always amazed at how fast the tuners sell and based on my observations... yes there is still demand for stand alone tuners. i've had a few, adcom, nad in my rig over the years but presently do not have a tuner in my set up...

    also based on my observations Magnum Dynalab tuners don't ever lose their value cause those things go for top $$$$$ and never stay on the shelf or on craigslist for very long... not sure i would ever pay more for a tuner than i would for a used car but if i ever find myself in that position i most certainly will acquire one if for no other reason to see what all the fuss is about...
     
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  19. Dream On

    Dream On Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    People who have grown up with radio (and perhaps people older than that as well). Until all those folks die off there will be a market for analog tuners. Moving to digital isn't really all that enticing if you've always used an analog tuner and it continues to work well and is so easy to use. I have listened to radio stations via my cable connection and was not impressed.

    Tuners can sound truly excellent with stations that broadcast a quality signal. I agree the issue is that many stations don't. Still, there is enough good stuff to listen to in my area.
     
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  20. Benzion

    Benzion "Cogito, ergo sum" Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brooklyn, NY
    I'm also using the TU-911, in the bedroom system. Sound-wise, it's very decent, even though it can't compare to my Magnum Dynalab FT-101A of the same era. Its weakest point is the power supply - every time the refrigerator or something else comes on the power sag causes the tuner to stumble, and the sound disappears momentarily. I had it checked out by a tech, and he said everything is fine with the unit, so I figure it must be the power supply.
     
  21. Benzion

    Benzion "Cogito, ergo sum" Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brooklyn, NY
    We do.
     
  22. Fiddlefye

    Fiddlefye Forum Resident

    On the topic of recording from FM - my father lives in Toronto, but he loved listening to a station local to me here, WJCJ. I used to record the evening jazz program off-air for him, burn it to CD and mailed it to him so he could listen in the car.
     
  23. SKATTERBRANE

    SKATTERBRANE Forum Resident

    Location:
    Tucson, AZ
  24. Matt I

    Matt I Forum Resident

    Location:
    Alabama
    Around here (Northern Alabama) the stations are awful, so the decision to pass on a tuner is very easy.
     
  25. Tartifless

    Tartifless Forum Resident

    Location:
    France
    I use my Cambridge 640t on a daily basis.
    I had to buy it second hand as most companies seem to have abandoned FM tuners.
    It's a shame as all stations are not available on DAB where I live and streaming radio is also a PITA
     
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