FM TUNERS

[Anti Meep]

Who here listens to FM and what tuner and antenna do,you use?
Pics would help IMMENSELY,:)
Also,what station/genre?
I have a Pioneer TX9800 wired up to a 3 bar outdoor antenna with line of sight to the Skytower where the transmitters are.
The TX9800 is fantastic. With the right station it's a close second to my Well Tempered Amadeus and streets ahead of my Rega Apollo CDP ( as good as it is)
Only problem is we don't have too many stations down here that transmit decent quality FM.
DAB hasn't taken off yet and thankfully there doesn't seem to be any sign on the horizon as yet that things are likely to change.
Craig.

[chris@panteg]

I currently use a Technics ST-G70L with a three element ariel facing the Oxford transmitter , get excellent reception , got a little blaupunkt DAB radio , I find DAB to be on the whole pants !!

Very sensitive to interference , FM all the way for me .

[Nick_G]

Several tuners here. In the stack is the following:

Yamaha T-2: stunning sound quality on the right broadcasts, very good RF performance, gorgeous looks too
Denon TU-800L: probably the best combination of sound quality & RF performance
Yamaha T-85: similar character audio-wise to the Denon, just a hair behind, not as selective though
Sony XDR-F1HD with de-emphasis correction board - amazing DX performance but mediocre sound quality, MP3-like

In the spare room there is:

Sony ST-S770ES: excellent sound quality, good RF performance
Kenwood KT-1100SD: modified with narrower filters in the narrow settings. Extremely sensitive. Sound quality is clean and clear but boring. May have issues that would be cured by an alignment
Hitachi FT-MD5500 - sound quality OK but not a patch on the Denon. This example doesn't live up to the hype

I've been into tuners and long-distance reception for a long time. I have a Triax FM5 aerial but have it pointing due east to hear London stations and other continentals when conditions allow. I am hoping to install a rotator in the near future.

Regards,
Nick

[stevied]

Naim Nat 02 simply stunning with a top notch Aerial i have a galaxy 17 installed in loft!

Use to have a Accuphase T1000 also!

[wiicrackpot]

I use a late 70's Meridian 104 which i flit between my 2 Meridian set up's of the same vintage, 6 presets set with trim tabs which is more than enough for me,
no frequency drifts whatsoever plugged into the spare co-ax on the TV socket on the wall, being near a transmitter helps,
mainly Radio2, Radio Scotland, Radio3, Classic FM and Smooth Radio.

Previous tuners were Denon 260 and Quad FM4 which i sold on once i came to this set up.

pic:

[AlfaGTV]

Whoa! I have a small heap of tuners!
Bought my last one yesterday! ;)
Luxman:
T-215L
T-404L
T-240 (bought yesterday, not arrived)

Kenwood 550
Denon Tu-280
Pioneer F-nnn
Pioneer TX-6200

And most likely some more... :/

R
\\Mike

[twotone]

I've an A&R T21 that I bought earlier on this year, it's been re-capped and serviced and is pretty good, it replaced a Sony ST-A6B which does live up to the hype but I sold that to a guy in America.

I've still got the Sony but it's just sitting in my dinning room ready to be packed up to go to either Boston or NYC, I'm just waiting on the guy telling me where to send it to.

I've a Ron Smith diamond twelve high gain ariel that I installed myself, it's on an outside south facing wall at the side of my house.

I listen to mainly Radio 2, Radio 3 and Smooth radio but I live on the side of a hill and the signal isn't great for Smooth radio.

I've just bought a Revo Mondo DAB module to listen to Jazz FM and I have to say that station's broadcasts on DAB are fantastic and the Revo is astonishing value for money considering the supplied ariel which is just a bit of wire.

I've had a couple of other seventies Jap tuners but they were so so, ok but nothing special. The Sony is fantastic though and it has had a full re-cap and service. I offered it for sale here and tried to sell it on e-bay but no takers, the guy who bought it was an e-bay buyer who had got in touch to ask me some questions about it then forgot to make a bid I then contacting him after the auction ended and offer him the tuner and he agreed to buy it.

BTW, there was a guy on PFM selling a rotor recently and a Ron Smith high gain ariel.

Tony

[The Grand Wazoo]

Only 3 now, but I used to have a lot more.

Accuphase T-101
Yamaha CR-1020
Leak Troughline Mk2

Aerial is a simple 4-element job on the roof - in this location, with the Accuphase and the Yamaha, it's all that's required. The Troughline could do with a little more, to be honest, but, despite what a lot of people say about it, I reckon it's a far inferior device compared to the Accuphase, so it hardly gets used at all nowadays anyway.

[twotone]

Only 3 now, but I used to have a lot more.

Accuphase T-101
Yamaha CR-1020
Leak Troughline Mk2

Aerial is a simple 4-element job on the roof - in this location, with the Accuphase and the Yamaha, it's all that's required. The Troughline could do with a little more, to be honest, but, despite what a lot of people say about it, I reckon it's a far inferior device compared to the Accuphase, so it hardly gets used at all nowadays anyway.

I had a couple of Leaks Chris, Sterofetic I think, and the Troughline which is a valve tuner?

Stereofetic was excellent but the other one was a dud which I sent back for a refund.

[wiicrackpot]

I've a Ron Smith diamond twelve high gain ariel that I installed myself, it's on an outside south facing wall at the side of my house.

I listen to mainly Radio 2, Radio 3 and Smooth radio but I live on the side of a hill and the signal isn't great for Smooth radio.
You sure you live in Glasgow Tony?, :scratch: all i see is a jungle and high rise flats from my window. :(

Had a Magnum Dynalab ST-2 with proper satellite dish quality bracket and 15 meters of cable to mount outside but never got round to it,
eventually sold to a PFM wanted ad for £25.00. :eek::doh:

Pic of my 104 flitted from the 101b/103d (40w) to the 101/105 Mono (100w) set up,
i really love using this 104, as basic as they come, not even a tuning knob and most importantly, it's sounds fab, airy transparency,detailed,
open with lovely mids,nice rounded bass, not the most punchy or dynamic out there but very refined and balanced tuner,
unlike some that sounds detail but sibilant or chesty bass heaviness on speech, you could say i am biased but thats allowed. :D

[twotone]

You sure you live in Glasgow Tony?, :scratch: all i see is a jungle and high rise flats from my window. :(

Had a Magnum Dynalab ST-2 with proper satellite dish quality bracket and 15 meters of cable to mount outside but never got round to it,
eventually sold to a PFM wanted ad for £25.00. :eek::doh:

Pic of my 104 flitted from the 101b/103d (40w) to the 101/105 Mono (100w) set up,
i really love using this 104, as basic as they come, not even a tuning knob and most importantly, it's sounds fab, airy transparency,detailed,
open with lovely mids,nice rounded bass, not the most punchy or dynamic out there but very refined and balanced tuner,
unlike some that sounds detail but sibilant or chesty bass heaviness on speech, you could say i am biased but thats allowed. :D

Aye Chris, Clarkston, Mearns Road. There's a hill directly behind my house, the Blackhill transmitter is away off to my right over another hill but there's a sub-transmitter at the east side of my house towards Stamperland and that is on a hill.

The Ayrshire transmitter is in front of me to the south over another hill, sometimes I point the ariel in that direction but I still struggle with Smooth radio not because it's pish but I suspect that the station is somewhere over in the west towards Clydebank?:eek:

The Sony is suberb at picking up stations at each end of the radio band but even that struggled with Smooth.

I had an 'ariel guy' put up an 'FM ariel' for me last year, one of those omni pish things, he put it up when I was out and managed to f @ ck up my phone at the same time.

Ended up doing it myself (I'm a plumber) when the ariel guy clocked my mast he said 'that won't last long!' Well we've been through a winter now and it's been fine, a wee bit noisy when it's windy but I just go out and lower it if I have to as our bedroom is right next to the mast.

Those big ariels sure move about a lot in the wind BTW.

[wiicrackpot]

Aye Chris, Clarkston, Mearns Road. There's a hill directly behind my house, the Blackhill transmitter is away off to my right over another hill but there's a sub-transmitter at the east side of my house towards Stamperland and that is on a hill.

The Ayrshire transmitter is in front of me to the south over another hill, sometimes I point the ariel in that direction but I still struggle with Smooth radio not because it's pish but I suspect that the station is somewhere over in the west towards Clydebank?:eek:

Ended up doing it myself (I'm a plumber) when the ariel guy clocked my mast he said 'that won't last long!' Well we've been through a winter now and it's been fine, a wee bit noisy when it's windy but I just go out and lower it if I have to as our bedroom is right next to the mast.

Those big ariels sure move about a lot in the wind BTW.
Aw aye....get where you are fae noo, lets just say you don't have beans on toast for your dinner very often where you are eh. :D

Blackhill is where i get my good signal from, regarding the sub transmitter (Ayrshire) being in front of you, sometimes you could be too near these things,
i'm no expert by any means, i just know i am far away enough from Blackhill (not too far) to get great signal,
plus the Whitelee Windfarm over the hill won't help your cause at all, and it's Europe's biggest anaw and expanding, so you're fighting a loosing battle there.

Wish i'd hang on to the ST-2, you would've been welcomed to it, i was a lurker on here then, :doh:
it had a proper heavy duty bracket on it that i'd doubt it would move, even from the Atlantic gales of the west coast.

Oh, i stay in a hill anaw, Sighthill.

p.s. Just re-read,I think you're getting mixed up with Radio Clyde who is based at Clydebank, think Smooth is based in Bailieston which is East, not 100%,
i know Real Radio is from there and i get mixed between the two.

[prsjnb]

FM: Musical Fidelity A3 with roof mounted aerial pointed towards the Oxford (Beckley) transmitter (see attached image). Provides excellent S/N ratio and essentially zero distortion/interference on all broadcasts. Used for listening to all Radio 4 output but especially drama, Jazz and live broadcasts on Radio 3 and selected output on Radio 2 (mainly weekday evenings).

DAB: Revo Mondo with supplied 'wet string' (fortunately, DAB signal strength is very strong in my area). Used for listening to 6 Music and 4 Extra.

Jon ;)

[wiicrackpot]

That looks a serious aerial Jon, bet it'll pull some stations not manageable via a lesser rig, nice. :cool:

[Anti Meep]

A real cracker this one. Very musical and analogue sounding.
http://i1319.photobucket.com/albums/t673/antimeep/P1060844copy_zps4b5f62ce.jpg[/URL]

[twotone]

That looks a serious aerial Jon, bet it'll pull some stations not manageable via a lesser rig, nice. :cool:

I'll get a photo of my ariel up later on, I think I could use it to talk to the space station:eek:


http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag37/Tony_Cosgrove/IMG_2681_zpsb38009a2.jpg (http://s1297.photobucket.com/user/Tony_Cosgrove/media/IMG_2681_zpsb38009a2.jpg.html)


http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag37/Tony_Cosgrove/IMG_2680_zpsb05adf25.jpg (http://s1297.photobucket.com/user/Tony_Cosgrove/media/IMG_2680_zpsb05adf25.jpg.html)


http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag37/Tony_Cosgrove/IMG_2679_zpsc7ac3c16.jpg (http://s1297.photobucket.com/user/Tony_Cosgrove/media/IMG_2679_zpsc7ac3c16.jpg.html)

[Beobloke]

I currently have two main tuners - an Aiwa AT-9700 and an ex-BBC Bang & Olufsen Beomaster 5000.

The Aiwa is superb but the B&O just takes radio listening to a whole new level.

[Yomanze]

I currently have two main tuners - an Aiwa AT-9700 and an ex-BBC Bang & Olufsen Beomaster 5000.

The Aiwa is superb but the B&O just takes radio listening to a whole new level.

Plenty of these on eBay (B&O 5000) does yours look like this?

http://www.beoworld.org/assets/thumbnails/master5kold_a.jpg

[wiicrackpot]

Craig ~ thats a pretty looking tuner, love the different colour lights and the big tuning knob.

Tony ~ thats a funny looking FM arial, seem one's like Jon's but yours is cool looking, i think the length pole contributes to signal drift, as mentioned before winds from the West Coast don't mess about.

Adam ~ have you heard my tuner before?, if so how do you rate it, good or bad i can take it, i'm keeping it :)

[twotone]

Craig ~ thats a pretty looking tuner, love the different colour lights and the big tuning knob.

Tony ~ thats a funny looking FM arial, seem one's like Jon's but yours is cool looking, i think the length pole contributes to signal drift, as mentioned before winds from the West Coast don't mess about.

Adam ~ have you heard my tuner before?, if so how do you rate it, good or bad i can take it, i'm keeping it :)


Aye your not kidding about the winds Andy, we've had every season here this morning:eek:

http://ronsmithaerials.com/

[Beobloke]

Plenty of these on eBay (B&O 5000) does yours look like this?

http://www.beoworld.org/assets/thumbnails/master5kold_a.jpg

Yes, that's the one. The other black and silver Beomaster 5000 you'll see on eBay is a 1980s tuner/amplifier which is also a very good piece of kit - I have a full 5000 system in the dining room.

It seems that B&O took great care in their tuners as they always seem to sound lovely and just draw you into listening. I also have a Beomaster 8000 receiver and the tuner section of this is stunning. As a friend and fellow Beomaster 8000 owner once remarked to me - "When I switch this to radio, there always seems to be something worth listening to on"

[plastic penguin]

Used a Marantz 2060ML since 1979 until earlier this year. Replaced it with a Denon TU-260MKII. No audible difference but the Denon looks more in-keeping with my system.

My aerial is connected to a large TV roof jobbie. Prior to that had coax cable running to the attic.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7127/7608481384_ee19f94412_n.jpg

[Mr Kipling]

Plenty of these on eBay (B&O 5000) does yours look like this?

http://www.beoworld.org/assets/thumbnails/master5kold_a.jpg

I take me hat off to you Adam, managing to live with something - THAT UGLY!

Sorry.

[Beobloke]

I take me hat off to you Adam, managing to live with something - THAT UGLY!

Sorry.

Bang & Olufsen? Ugly? Sorry, run that by me again... :scratch:

:D

[Mr Kipling]

Well, they do say beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Recently I've been having the thought: Could you love with something that sounds great and looks as ugly as sin, or with something that sounds less good but is a delight on the eye and to use? Call me a Philistine (Philistine!) - but I'd choose the latter!

[twotone]

Here's my Sony TA-A6B facia and guts:eyebrows:

http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag37/Tony_Cosgrove/th_IMG_2521_zps2a093d84.jpg (http://s1297.photobucket.com/user/Tony_Cosgrove/media/IMG_2521_zps2a093d84.jpg.html)


http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag37/Tony_Cosgrove/th_IMG_2522_zps292eb88e.jpg (http://s1297.photobucket.com/user/Tony_Cosgrove/media/IMG_2522_zps292eb88e.jpg.html)

http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag37/Tony_Cosgrove/th_IMG_2528_zps4b431457.jpg (http://s1297.photobucket.com/user/Tony_Cosgrove/media/IMG_2528_zps4b431457.jpg.html)

http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag37/Tony_Cosgrove/th_IMG_2531_zpsd48efecc.jpg (http://s1297.photobucket.com/user/Tony_Cosgrove/media/IMG_2531_zpsd48efecc.jpg.html)

And my old Kenwood Tuna

http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag37/Tony_Cosgrove/th_IMG_2008_zps1fea184d.jpg (http://s1297.photobucket.com/user/Tony_Cosgrove/media/IMG_2008_zps1fea184d.jpg.html)

http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag37/Tony_Cosgrove/th_IMG_1987_zpsb2c0006b.jpg (http://s1297.photobucket.com/user/Tony_Cosgrove/media/IMG_1987_zpsb2c0006b.jpg.html)

[wiicrackpot]

Could you love with something that sounds great and looks as ugly as sin, or with something that sounds less good but is a delight on the eye and to use? Call me a Philistine (Philistine!) - but I'd choose the latter!
With you in that one, i'd forego a little SQ for something i could live with and gives pride of ownwership. :cool:


Here's my Sony TA-A6B facia and guts:eyebrows:

Lovely jubbly Tony, really nice gunmetal/titanium finish, the innards in yours makes mine look unfinished by comparison. :)

[twotone]

Here's my current tuna, an A&R T21 fully re-capped and serviced.

I bought it from a guy on PFM who seems to do these as a hobby:cool:

http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag37/Tony_Cosgrove/th_DSCF3299Large_zps740dedb5.jpg (http://s1297.photobucket.com/user/Tony_Cosgrove/media/DSCF3299Large_zps740dedb5.jpg.html)

http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag37/Tony_Cosgrove/th_DSCF3300Large_zpsa749bf05.jpg (http://s1297.photobucket.com/user/Tony_Cosgrove/media/DSCF3300Large_zpsa749bf05.jpg.html)

http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag37/Tony_Cosgrove/th_DSCF3301Large_zpsf511f885.jpg (http://s1297.photobucket.com/user/Tony_Cosgrove/media/DSCF3301Large_zpsf511f885.jpg.html)

http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag37/Tony_Cosgrove/th_DSCF3303Large_zps5e98731a.jpg (http://s1297.photobucket.com/user/Tony_Cosgrove/media/DSCF3303Large_zps5e98731a.jpg.html)

[twotone]

With you in that one, i'd forego a little SQ for something i could live with and gives pride of ownwership. :cool:


Lovely jubbly Tony, really nice gunmetal/titanium finish, the innards in yours makes mine look unfinished by comparison. :)

That Sony is a beautiful tuner Andy but surprisingly difficult to shift.

I removed it from my rack to take photos to sell it and one of the vu meter lamps conked out:doh:managed to get two replacements for a tenner but they're too bloody big by about 2mm so can't close the vu meter.

The new owner knows about this though and seems happy enough.

I went through a massive tuner phase last summer:mental:

BTW, the bigger brother of that Sony, the TA-F7B, is one of the rarest tuners on the planet. I clocked one for sale on a German hi-fi (high end) site last year but it was about 1600 euros, it doesn't have VU meters though, it has leds which are some big deal compared to the vu meters. That tuner was three times the price of mine when they were both new.

[Nick_G]

Well, here's a poor photo of my prettiest tuner, the Yamaha T-2. I was DXing with it at the time:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8047/8103055053_b76580750e_b_d.jpg

Regards,
Nick

[Alex_UK]

I have good intentions of getting an outdoor aerial in my summer-house system, but never quite got round to it. I do love a nice analogue tuner - with VU meters, of course!

[twotone]

I have good intentions of getting an outdoor aerial in my summer-house system, but never quite got round to it. I do love a nice analogue tuner - with VU meters, of course!

No Vu meters Alex but you could do worse than buy one of these.

I bought it for £30 from a guy on PFM last summer, one of the best tuners I've had.

http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag37/Tony_Cosgrove/th_IMG_1771_zps89bcfa98.jpg (http://s1297.photobucket.com/user/Tony_Cosgrove/media/IMG_1771_zps89bcfa98.jpg.html)

http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag37/Tony_Cosgrove/th_IMG_1766_zpsaf5b2b20.jpg (http://s1297.photobucket.com/user/Tony_Cosgrove/media/IMG_1766_zpsaf5b2b20.jpg.html)

http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag37/Tony_Cosgrove/th_IMG_1774_zpsab2ceeb7.jpg (http://s1297.photobucket.com/user/Tony_Cosgrove/media/IMG_1774_zpsab2ceeb7.jpg.html)

[Anti Meep]

The 3 bar antenna and the line of sight to the Skytower (tall pointy thing in the distance:))
http://i1319.photobucket.com/albums/t673/antimeep/IMG_0671_zps3838174b.jpg
http://i1319.photobucket.com/albums/t673/antimeep/IMG_0672_zpsc869ccc0.jpg
I love good FM. Effortless sound with the right content.
Craig.

[wiicrackpot]

Nice looking tuner Nick, i like lots of lights in tuners, surprising how much use my Tuner has,
it's something i put on when i do other things or don't have a long sess on my other sources,
it's just so fuss free way of getting good sound. :cool:

Lots of lovely pics coming out now, any Day Sequerra or Magnum Dynalab users out there?.

Incase anyone's interest is peaked by this thread, couple has just popped up in PFM, Densen B800 (£325.00) and Meridian 104 (£145.00)

Nice twilight shots Craig. :)

[Anti Meep]

Cheers Andy. The Canon G1x did the hard work, I just pressed a button:)

[wiicrackpot]

If i had my time again, Australia and your neck of the woods is where i'd be heading, too old up root now. :(

Two tuner of note to look out for back in the day is the Creek T40 and CAS 3140 models, punch well above it's weight so i believe,
worth picking up for beer money. :cool:

[Beobloke]

Recently I've been having the thought: Could you love with something that sounds great and looks as ugly as sin, or with something that sounds less good but is a delight on the eye and to use? Call me a Philistine (Philistine!) - but I'd choose the latter!

That's two different questions, though. Take my Beomaster for example - you don't like the looks; I do. However that doesn't take away from the fact that it's beautifully built and is still a pleasure to use - the 'slide rule' tuning control is luverly!

[Anti Meep]

Well, they do say beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Recently I've been having the thought: Could you love with something that sounds great and looks as ugly as sin, or with something that sounds less good but is a delight on the eye and to use? Call me a Philistine (Philistine!) - but I'd choose the latter!

I reckon, if it sounds good it looks good:lol:

[twotone]

If i had my time again, Australia and your neck of the woods is where i'd be heading, too old up root now. :(

Two tuner of note to look out for back in the day is the Creek T40 and CAS 3140 models, punch well above it's weight so i believe,
worth picking up for beer money. :cool:

I had a T40 Andy, nothing special IMO.

The Leak Stereofetic is probably the best value for money tuner that I bought, fantastic sound from it, paid £30 for it and it was mint.

Sold it last year on e-bay for what I paid for it.

[twotone]

DAB: Revo Mondo with supplied 'wet string' (fortunately, DAB signal strength is very strong in my area). Used for listening to 6 Music and 4 Extra.

Jon ;)

Hi Jon, just wondering but does the volume control on your Revo do anything?

I've the mondo hooked up to the aux input of my A&R A60 amp and find trying to control the volume with the amp really difficult, either to loud or too quiet but the volume control on the Revo does nothing.

All of the volume is controlled by the amp, too low a volume and I only get one channel working, with a higher volume both channels work fine but way too loud at times.

Thanks

[Mr Kipling]

Just fancied being a bit provocative, as it was you Adam.

I accept what you say. I'm even willing to admit that seeing it in the flesh and interacting with it I might change my mind. Give the choice, I'd still choose something on looks and usability than absolute sound quality.

"All I want is a tuner with style.
It doesn't even have to cost a pile.
Nice face. Some meters.
Neat layout.
Oh would - n't it, be luverly?
Luverly. . . Luverly. . .
Luverly. . . Luverly. . .

Would - n't it, be luverly?"

I thankyouuu!

[wiicrackpot]

I had a T40 Andy, nothing special IMO.

The Leak Stereofetic is probably the best value for money tuner that I bought, fantastic sound from it, paid £30 for it and it was mint.

Sold it last year on e-bay for what I paid for it.
Tony, glad you chipped in regarding the Creek, i was a avid hifi mag reader back in the day and recall they were highly thought of,
especially their ability to pull in signals and stay locked onto them, i haven't heard/owned one hence my ''so i believe'' quote. :)

Read a lot about Leak tuners too but never appealed, £30.00 seem cheap for such a cult item.

[Beobloke]

Just fancied being a bit provocative, as it was you Adam.

I accept what you say. I'm even willing to admit that seeing it in the flesh and interacting with it I might change my mind. Give the choice, I'd still choose something on looks and usability than absolute sound quality.

"All I want is a tuner with style.
It doesn't even have to cost a pile.
Nice face. Some meters.
Neat layout.
Oh would - n't it, be luverly?
Luverly. . . Luverly. . .
Luverly. . . Luverly. . .

Would - n't it, be luverly?"

I thankyouuu!

:lol: :lol: You daft sausage!

[Wakefield Turntables]

Bit late on the scene but I have a Dynalab FF101A, no ariel but still a great sound.

[Reffc]

Same here. Only just sorted out an aerial connection for a tuner I was recently given. One of those Denon TU 260L tuners which were popular a few years back. Not bad at all. Radio 3 seems to be the equal (or better) of a decent source component. I used to have a Rotel RT06 which I prefered for SQ but it was more finicky on tuning so a strong signal was a must with it.

[julesd68]

Here's my new choona - a Toshiba ST-420.

I am blown away by its abilities. Kicks my old Quad FM4's ass completely. Massive depth and authority in the soundstage. All I need now is an external roof aerial. I took the top off so I could clean out all the dust and crap from the display area, and was very impressed by the quality of what I saw inside.

Bought it for £60 from a seller I had not come across before -

http://www.hifiworks.co.uk/

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8257/8747490324_a9a8d6ff9b_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/34449145@N05/8747490324/)

[Alex_UK]

looks lovely!

[wiicrackpot]

Now that i do like Julian, is the tuning knob weighted?, i like vintage tuners/receivers with weighted knobs. :)

[julesd68]

It is weighted like a bastard.

As silky as a silken Silkworm, with a PhD in Silkiness, from the University of Silksville. :D

[The Grand Wazoo]

Very nice Julian, and a great price for that machine!
I think, with a bit of Google detective work, you might be able to find some details of one or two simple modifications to improve this a lot.

[julesd68]

Thanks Chris!

This is what they say on the very useful fmtunerinfo.com -

< Although it's already a pretty good sounder in stock form, after removal of the two ceramic caps directly in the audio signal path things get immediately and immensely better. >

I'll get me an external aerial and then look at getting this done.

[The Grand Wazoo]

Oh, there you go, easier than I thought!

[Anti Meep]

Here's my new choona - a Toshiba ST-420.

I am blown away by its abilities. Kicks my old Quad FM4's ass completely. Massive depth and authority in the soundstage. All I need now is an external roof aerial. I took the top off so I could clean out all the dust and crap from the display area, and was very impressed by the quality of what I saw inside.

Bought it for £60 from a seller I had not come across before -

http://www.hifiworks.co.uk/

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8257/8747490324_a9a8d6ff9b_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/34449145@N05/8747490324/)

Very sexy! Love these older tuners. Have thought about modding my Pioneer but can't bring myself to do it :rolleyes: