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Spectral Morn
09-02-2011, 18:40
After some disappointments, I have finally been able to obtain an Accuphase T101 FM only tuner.

I must thank Chris (The Grand Wazzo) for the heads up on this one and after a bit of thought, exchanged emails with the owner I took the plunge and bought it.

The tuner arrived today reasonably well packed and in one piece. The issue of buying sight unseen raised its head as I unwrapped it from its bubble wrapping to see just how good or bad it was. Well lets say that I think the owner glossed over some issues....more marks on it than he mentioned and the signal strength VU bulb out or dimer than expected ( I did know that the multipath bulb was dead).

However despite these disappointing issues it is working and sounds very good. Now whether its as good as many say....well the jury is out until I get a chance to live with it for awhile. What I can say is that so far its not too bad at all ;)

http://i549.photobucket.com/albums/ii364/davros124/AcuphaseT101001.jpg

http://i549.photobucket.com/albums/ii364/davros124/AcuphaseT101002.jpg

http://i549.photobucket.com/albums/ii364/davros124/AcuphaseT101003.jpg


Regards D S D L

The Vinyl Adventure
09-02-2011, 18:44
How were you trying to get one for mate :)
Good work, looks Perdy!

The Grand Wazoo
09-02-2011, 18:48
Take the lid off, take the lid off!
.......then take the other lids off!

Well done Neil - you snagged one at last.

Spectral Morn
09-02-2011, 18:49
How were you trying to get one for mate :)
Good work, looks Perdy!


Ummm over a year or there about's. Missed one here, out bid three times on Ebay.

However finally I have one and my plans for world conquest can commence (Cue thunder and lightening) Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha........:lol::lol::lol::lol:

My legendary and infamous tuner comparison review can start now, finally :doh:....sometime in the future :sofa:;)



Regards D S D L

Spectral Morn
09-02-2011, 18:50
Take the lid off, take the lid off!
.......then take the other lids off!

Well done Neil - you snagged one at last.


Ummmm :scratch: why ?


Regards D S D L

The Grand Wazoo
09-02-2011, 18:53
I just like to see inside it - with all those screening cans, you've got to work hard to see the juicy bits! Thought you might like it too.

Spectral Morn
09-02-2011, 18:56
I just like to see inside it - with all those screening cans, you've got to work hard to see the juicy bits! Thought you might like it too.


Ahhh :doh: I thought you were going to say it sounds better ;)

I will, just to give the bulbs a wiggle to see if they come back on + take some internal photos for the future :sofa: review.


Regards D S D L

Barry
09-02-2011, 18:56
Well done Neil!


My legendary and infamous tuner comparison review can start now, finally ....sometime in the future

Oh dear - that means I'll have do my 'parallel' review as well. ;)

Spectral Morn
09-02-2011, 19:02
Well done Neil!



Oh dear - that means I'll have do my 'parallel' review as well. ;)

Doubtful Barry.

I think yours will be first ;)

Truth be told the tuner project will have to take a second seat to all the items I have sitting waiting for AIHFA reviews and I am behind on those. However at least now everything is to hand so once I get a window of opportunity I can start.


Regards D S D L

The Grand Wazoo
09-02-2011, 19:03
Ahhh :doh: I thought you were going to say it sounds better ;)


....actually, it does, a bit!
Too dusty in my house for that though.

Spectral Morn
09-02-2011, 19:08
....actually, it does, a bit!
Too dusty in my house for that though.

I am surprised. I thought that leaving the screening cans in place would result in better sound not worse.

Worth a go, though my house can be a bit dusty too, as we use an open fire to heat the house.

Thank you once again for the heads up, much appreciated :)


Regards D S D L

The Grand Wazoo
09-02-2011, 19:11
Cans on........lid off.

Barry
09-02-2011, 19:13
Did you get your windscreen replaced Chris?

(Apologies for possible thread drift)

Spectral Morn
09-02-2011, 19:33
Did you get your windscreen replaced Chris?

(Apologies for possible thread drift)

possible ? ;) :lol::lol::lol::lol:


Regards D S D L

The Grand Wazoo
09-02-2011, 19:34
Ahem.............No it was Jonboy who had a tuner with a broken glass!

MartinT
09-02-2011, 19:49
My legendary and infamous tuner comparison review can start now, finally

Very nice looking tuner, Neil, and I completely understand the cachet of owning anything made by Accuphase.

You don't happen to have a Hitachi FT5500-II, do you? I used to own one and it was a damn fine sounding tuner. Was all the rage in the mags at one point, too.

Spectral Morn
09-02-2011, 20:10
Very nice looking tuner, Neil, and I completely understand the cachet of owning anything made by Accuphase.

You don't happen to have a Hitachi FT5500-II, do you? I used to own one and it was a damn fine sounding tuner. Was all the rage in the mags at one point, too.

Hi Martin

I have thought about getting one but not so far. They can be had regularly on Ebay for very low money.


regards D S D L

The Grand Wazoo
09-02-2011, 20:54
Which aerial input are you using Neil - the 300 ohm one? I don't suppose you've got an f-connector on your loft mount.

Jonboy
09-02-2011, 21:05
Ahem.............No it was Jonboy who had a tuner with a broken glass!


Still have and the glass has been replaced with a proper one from the states, it probably will be at the Audiojumble on Sunday

its one of these

http://i419.photobucket.com/albums/pp272/jonboy_01/McIntosh_MR-74.jpg

Spectral Morn
09-02-2011, 21:18
Which aerial input are you using Neil - the 300 ohm one? I don't suppose you've got an f-connector on your loft mount.

I am using the 300 ohm one but can hook it up via 75 too. My understanding is these are better on 300 than 75.

I made a dedicated 300 ohm aerial. Its in the lounge above the curtain rail. It works very well.


Regards D S D L

The Grand Wazoo
09-02-2011, 21:24
The 300's good. I found the 75's not as bad as one review cracked it up to be, but then I set up my aerials to the tuners & not the other way around, as reviewers were wont to do.

Reid Malenfant
09-02-2011, 21:34
I always thought 75ohm was better, but then i did use CT100 satelite coax rather than the p*ss poor stuff that appears to be supplied with standard TV & FM aerials :eyebrows: It's that total overall foil screen that makes a difference imo on top of the rather sparse braid which appears to be standard :mental:

Spectral Morn
09-02-2011, 22:44
I always thought 75ohm was better, but then i did use CT100 satelite coax rather than the p*ss poor stuff that appears to be supplied with standard TV & FM aerials :eyebrows: It's that total overall foil screen that makes a difference imo on top of the rather sparse braid which appears to be standard :mental:

That's what I use Mark.

Wired it all up many months ago to make sure I was giving my tuners as good a feed as I can. One unbroken length from the aerial in the loft to the living room.

Regards D S D L

Spectral Morn
09-02-2011, 22:45
The 300's good. I found the 75's not as bad as one review cracked it up to be, but then I set up my aerials to the tuners & not the other way around, as reviewers were wont to do.

I have both anyway :) Best of both worlds.


Regards D S D L

Barry
10-02-2011, 00:21
My understanding is these are better on 300 than 75.

Should make no difference; it's how the aerial is coupled to the tuner. If the tuner only has provision for 300ohm aerials, then obviously it will sound better with them rather than 75ohm designs. If the first input transformer is centre-tapped, then there will be provision for both impedances and which you choose won't make any difference.

Running a 75ohm aerial into 300ohm results in ~2dB loss.

Regards

The Grand Wazoo
10-02-2011, 00:26
Neil & I discussed this subject a little while back:
http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=5189

Barry
10-02-2011, 00:35
If the tuner has aerial input connections for both 300 and 75 ohm aerials then you have the choice: 300ohm aerial into the 300ohm input or 75ohm aerial feeding the 75ohm input. Either system will sound identical.

If you use a 75ohm aerial into a tuner designed for 300ohm systems and vice versa, you will suffer a 2dB loss in signal strength (unless you use a balun)

There is nothing magical about 300ohm aerials.

Regards

The Grand Wazoo
10-02-2011, 00:37
We also discussed he relative merits of WF100 & CT100 cables here:
http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=4999

Barry
10-02-2011, 00:51
Looking at the specification for those two cables the WF100 ought to be better, if a little more difficult to work with.

I believe CT100 is now no longer obtainable.

The Grand Wazoo
10-02-2011, 00:59
The WF was always my favoured spec. It's actually not so hard to work with if you keep a sharp knife handy. With the CT and its open cells, you can have accidents with wire strippers suddenly going too far if you don't have the type that allow you to set the working diameter. When that happens, you have to start all over again!

Spectral Morn
15-02-2011, 00:25
The T101 is now fully cleaned and set up.

I am listening to a Jazz program on Radio 3 (Jazz on Three) at the minute........oh my goodness :eek::) this is a very good tuner, very good indeed.



Regards D S D L

The Grand Wazoo
15-02-2011, 00:27
Oh, that's really good news, Neil. I'm so glad you like it after all the effort it took to snag one.

Spectral Morn
15-02-2011, 00:37
Oh, that's really good news, Neil. I'm so glad you like it after all the effort it took to snag one.

Yes I like it :)

Is it easy to get a replacement bulb for the multipath metre ? After cleaning the inside of the tuning dial etc its now quite easy to see but I would like to illuminate it. What colour of bulb is it ?

Regards D S D L

Spectral Morn
15-02-2011, 00:41
I am on Radio 2 now......oh MY GOODNESS :):):):)

This is an excellent sounding tuner.


Regards D S D L

The Grand Wazoo
15-02-2011, 00:53
Mine has always had steady bright burning bulbs, so I've never thought about where to get them from - you could try the usual suspects.

As for colour...............

http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/2047/dscf3095.jpg

.....the same as the signal & centre tune meters.

The Grand Wazoo
15-02-2011, 01:02
I'll do a bit of research & talking to folks in the next couple of days - see what I can find out. Let me know, though if you get any luck finding a source, won't you.

Just in case anyone is interested - that full deflection reading on my signal strength meter in the picture above is the result of being fed by a measly 4-element aerial, in an area with a reputation for a crappy signal.....and the aerial downlead is split between 2 tuners.

Try getting that with a Troughline or a Naim!

Spectral Morn
15-02-2011, 01:08
I'll do a bit of research & talking to folks in the next couple of days - see what I can find out. Let me know, though if you get any luck finding a source, won't you.

Just in case anyone is interested - that full deflection reading on my signal strength meter in the picture above is the result of being fed by a measly 4-element aerial, in an area with a reputation for a crappy signal.....and the aerial downlead is split between 2 tuners.

Try getting that with a Troughline or a Naim!

Interestingly my Magnum Dynalab Signal Sleuth when adjusted does very little with this tuner. Tuning or adjusting the MDSS causes the multipath meter to move a bit but not the signal or tuning VU metres. All my other tuners react to changes in the MDSS settings both on signal and tuning.

Regards D S D L

The Grand Wazoo
15-02-2011, 01:20
I don't know much about the Signal Sleuth, but I'd think that would indicate a rock solid grasp on the available signal, wouldn't it?
Low multipath readings and selectivity of signal is one of the things that these tuners are famous for. Not really a feature you need in most of the UK, but vital in some locations in the US.

The Grand Wazoo
15-02-2011, 11:44
Neil,
The bulb you need is 8V 150mA according to my service manual (it's also in the library). Without pulling my tuner out and dismantling it to having a look myself, can you tell me if it's a bulb or a fuse type? If it's a bulb, does it have flying leads?

Spectral Morn
15-02-2011, 11:56
Neil,
The bulb you need is 8V 150mA according to my service manual (it's also in the library). Without pulling my tuner out and dismantling it to having a look myself, can you tell me if it's a bulb or a fuse type? If it's a bulb, does it have flying leads?

In work at the minute so will look later but if I recall right I think its a bulb as there seems to be a white rubber bung fitted at the back of the multipath metre area, similar to what other companies used as an arrangement for holding a small bulb in place.


Regards D S D L

Rare Bird
15-02-2011, 12:36
How much do the 101's fetch Neil?

Spectral Morn
15-02-2011, 12:41
How much do the 101's fetch Neil?

Hi Andre

From £200 to £390 is possible if several people are fighting for one.

Mine cost me £250 on a BIN. Seemed reasonable to me, thought the description of condition was a bit off the mark imho, when it arrived.


Regards D S D L

Rare Bird
15-02-2011, 14:31
Their was a nice 'T101' last week that went for £250.00 & there's a loverly 'P250' power amp presently running (yum yum) but with a great dink in the side of the facia end plate :(

Spectral Morn
15-02-2011, 16:11
Their was a nice 'T101' last week that went for £250.00 & there's a loverly 'P250' power amp presently running (yum yum) but with a great dink in the side of the facia end plate :(

If that was on Ebay ? then that was the T101 I bought. However its far from being nice as there are too many scrapes on it....information the seller was not very forthcoming to tell me about. However after a really good clean inside and out I can now live with it.


Regards D S D L