Any good FM tuners around for less than $200?

Given that you have an interest in vintage tube tuners, and that your listening needs are "occasional," and that you would prefer not to spend more than $200, you may want to consider looking for one of the many such tuners that were made in the late 1950's and early 1960's that are monophonic.

Those typically sell for MUCH lower prices than their stereo counterparts that were made in approximately the same period, and later. Also, many of those mono tuners provide a "multiplex out" signal that can be connected to a separate stereo "multiplex adapter," should you decide to add one at a later time, the combination of those two components comprising a stereo tuner.

I should add, though, that the best multiplex adapters, such as the Fisher MPX-100 and the H. H. Scott 335 and LM35, typically sell for well upwards of $250 if in top condition.

Another point to be aware of is that tuner sensitivity and antenna quality are significantly less critical if your listening is in mono rather than in stereo, as stereo is much more hiss prone than mono when signal strength is marginal.

Finally, I'll mention that I've had several 30 to 60 year old vintage tube tuners that have performed very well without apparently ever having been realigned. Although I've also had some clunkers in that respect, and of course tubes and capacitors can be major uncertainties as well.

Regards,
-- Al

I had an FM-90X about 20 years ago, when it was about 35 years old. I was very pleased with its sound, and I remember it fondly. I did not do any realignment on it, and I suspect that it had never been realigned. At most I tested the tubes and replaced some, and lubricated the controls. It had no mods.

As you realize it is a mono tuner, but it provides a multiplex out jack which can be connected to an external multiplex adapter for stereo, as I described in my earlier post.

Re analog vs. digital, in the context of tuners that refers to the technology of the tuning circuitry. Analog tuners can tune continuously across the entire FM band, including the frequencies that are in between stations, while digital tuners tune in discrete steps. Analog tuners often have "slide rule" type dials and no pushbutton presets, and digital tuners often have digital/numerical frequency readouts and pushbuttons, but some analog tuners (having analog tuning circuitry) provide digital frequency readout and/or pushbutton presets.

The vintage tube tuners from the 1960's and earlier are all analog, of course.

Regards,
-- Al

Hi Holly,

Good question, Holly. As it happens, the FM-90X has two output jacks, wired in parallel, one designated as "main" and one designated as being for a tape recorder. They are wired directly together internally, so you could connect one of those jacks to one channel and the other to the other channel.

If the component you are connecting it to includes a mono switch, though, you would just have to connect to one channel, while selecting mono mode. In that situation it would be preferable, although perhaps not necessary, to put a shorting plug on the input for the other channel.

If the tuner had not provided two output jacks, and the preamp or other component it would be connected to does not include a mono switch, you could use an inexpensive y-adapter to connect the single output jack to two input jacks.

A potentially important point, however: I don't see a preamp listed in your system description. What component would the tuner be connected to, and what is its input impedance if you know it? Vintage tube tuners, including the FM-90X, were generally not designed to drive the relatively low input impedances of many modern solid state components. If the preamp or other component the tuner would be connected to does not have an input impedance of at least 47K, and preferably more, perceptible deep bass rolloff may result if just one input channel is being connected to. And if both input channels are connected to, the load impedance seen by the tuner would be half of the specified input impedance, doubling the magnitude of that potential issue.

Also, the FM-90X does not have the kind of antenna connections that are typically provided on more modern tuners. Although it is designed to be electrically compatible with either 72 ohm coax (75 ohms should be close enough) or 300 ohm twinlead, the connector is designed to mate with narrow metal pins that are soldered to the end of the cable. You may want to ask the seller if the tuner would come with a means of mating to that; otherwise you would probably have to obtain and solder suitable pins onto the ends of your antenna cable.

Best regards,
-- Al

Hi Holly,

The Art Audio Carissa Signature has a specified input impedance of 180K, so that would be a fine match with the FM-90X and nearly all other vintage tube tuners, even with the tuner output connected to both input channels (resulting in the tuner seeing a 90K load).

The FM-90X has no volume control as such, just a small level control on the rear panel which would probably be impractical to use as your main volume control when listening to it. But if the Carissa Signature includes the optional volume control, that would be no problem either.

If you should decide against the FM-90X, but still want to consider a vintage tube tuner, given your price preference I would continue to recommend considering a mono unit.

FWIW, the best performing vintage tube mono tuner in my experience that with some patience I suspect can be found in your price range is the H. H. Scott 310D. It includes a front panel volume control and a multiplex out jack, and it provides standard screw terminals for connection of 300 ohm twinlead (which is what the cheapie indoor wire dipoles connect with). As you probably realize, those screw terminals can be easily adapted to coax with an inexpensive adapter, sometimes referred to as a balun or a 75 ohm to 300 ohm matching transformer.

Best regards,
-- Al