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AM tuner performance?

I sold a Marantz 150 AM/FM tuner to a buyer who's now disgruntled that the AM performance is so dismal, and that I didn't disclose this up-front. My response is that I've never known an AM/FM tuner to pull any AM signal whatsoever in an urban setting, that many manufacturers show they concur by making FM-only boxes, and that I'd just assumed he wasn't expecting to use the Marantz to hear AM. Who's right here?
sbass
sugarbrie
3,854 posts
 
I agree with you all. I cannot think of an Audio tuner that has good AM. If someone wanted good AM, I would tell them to get a Short Wave / Long Wave Tuner at a specialty shop. These tuners always encompass the AM band and are excellent. Brands to consider are Grundig, Alinco, Drake, Icom, Jandek, Kenwood, Lowe, Sony, and Realistic (Radio Shack),
theduke
372 posts
 
I owned a Model 150 throughout the 1980's. I wouldn't characterise it's performance as "dismal". The AM section was average for it's time. The best AM section I've owned was a Dynaco AF-6: Wow! it sounded like FM mono.
Anyway, I agree with Onhwy61; as long as you didn't hype AM performance you're in the clear.
citation
16 posts
 
Perhaps you could suggest he locate the tuner well away from all other equipment & electrical fields & buy an AM loop antenna from Radio Shack. These basic steps will do wonders for reception with any AM tuner/radio/reciever.
sugarbrie
3,854 posts
 
Citation is correct. AM reception can be decent on any tuner, but the antenna connection needs to be more than the wire that comes with most tuners if anything at all. Some old analog receivers (Rotel is one) had an internal ferrite bar that worked pretty well.
sugarbrie
3,854 posts
 
My parents still have an old Tube Sylvania AM table radio. Still works and reception is very very good (just the internal ferrite bar antenna). Automobiles radios have good AM reception also, so it is just the audio companies saving money. The Creek and Cambridge Audio Tuners (both designed by Mike Creek) use a high-end car stereo chipset. I wonder if the AM is good on those tuners?
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