BTW- The Hitachi FT-8000 sounds as close to a CD as I ever heard on an FM tuner. Buy it and don’t look back.
Finding a Great Sounding FM Tuner
The site to visit is fmtunersinfo.com It is unbelievable of the info at the site. About 90 tuners were compared for best sound. Trouble is top ten FM tuners cost $500 and more on eBay. Why a FM tuner? Well, the station does all the work playing different records or likely CDs. FM does not sound near as good as a record, but for casual listening ok with the right tuner. Many FM tuners do not sound good and distorts the audio. FM station quality audio is not near what was in the 1960s and 1970s. Competition was fierce and stations had audio engineers. Most FM stations were all tube generated audio too. Opti-Mods were carefully adjusted unlike now too. As stated top ten tuners are $500 to $1K- too high cost IMO for FM. However, a few slipped thru the cracks so to speak. A Merdian 504 is in top 14 and we are splitting hairs here. I bought one for $140 but usually cost $200. They are rare though. Cost was $1350 in 1991. The Mitsubishi DA-F20 is a cheap top 10 tuner but failure rates are high- no good. The sleeper is a Hitachi FT-8000. It was not in the Shootout page but mentioned as better sounding than the stellar Hitachi FT-5500 MKII in Shoutouts 2.0. I owned both Merdian 504 and Hitachi FT-8000 and both are great sounding equal in audio performance. The FT-8000 are not known for failure and cost $150 to $220 on eBay.
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My FM tuner is an HH Scott 35 A. I put Telefunken Military Grade tubes in the Multiplex and it sounds better than my Magnum Dynalab did. I also use a multi band radio for am and shortwave broadcasts. Its a 1957 Zenith Trans-Oceanic. I had a solid state Kenwood R2000 shortwave receiver but I sold it. Now I'm looking at those Kenwood R2000's again on eBay. But I wouldn't want to pay a lot for a radio given what's now available in the digital domain. Even HAM/Shortwave is computer oriented. Kiwi SDR Public allows folks to access Kiwi shortwave receivers around the globe. They only ask that donations are made to keep the project going. |
Meridian 504. I did nor include this tuner on list as it is very rare for sale. It is a very good sounding tuner rated in top 13 on fmtunersinfo.com. I think it is better than top 13 as it replaced a Hitachi FT-8000 that is in top 10 and an audiophile used the FT-8000 to replace a top 5 tuner (Sansui). Both tuners sound about identical. The Meriden has better receiver sensitivity thus replaced the FT-8000. I live in a fridge FM reception area thus for most the FT-8000 is sensitive enough. I highly recommend this Meridian 504 tuner. |
First off, just want to say, it’s late here where I live, so haven’t read the other comments in this thread.
Secondly, if you found a Meridian 504 for $140 consider yourself blessed and lucky.
Lastly, for a good 5-6 years, I was running 2 tuners and switching back and forth between them and the differences were negligible. The NAD4300 is a superb tuner as was the Perreaux TU1 and super rare PS Audio ST1. Those were some of the latest tuners that I’ve owned. A modified Dyna FM3 is also a wonderful tuner as is a Pioneer TX9800.
With so much cool used gear out there it’s sometimes very hard not to want to try everything you can but the grass isn’t always greener on the other side and you need to be happy with your lot. Being happy with your lot in life (whatever that may be) is the key to happiness in life.
Enjoy the Meridian! There’s not a lot out there that’s so much better.
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FM Tuner Summary Best sound about $200: Hitachi FT-8000 is a Sleeper in Top 10 Tuners. One on eBay is listed for $120. Weak Signal Area: Hitachi FT-5500MKII. Use an outdoor antenna. Wade makes 9dB 5 element directional antenna. Most are UK location and may be 220 Volt. Good sounding tuner. Great Sound at low cost about $140: Rated in top 13 is Kenwood KT-5020 or KT-990D. Newer 1990s construction great for reliability. Note: Top 10 tuners cost about $500 on up with Hitachi FT-8000 exception. Also avoid Mitsubishi DA-F20 due to many failures. My max cost is $200- why pay more.
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I definetly agree about fmtunersinfo.com being a very comprehensive Website regarding all types of FM tuners. I’ve owned some excellent tuners over the years including a Marantz 10B, Day Sequerra FM Studio, Magnum Dynalab Etude, Naim NAT01, NAT02, NAT101/SNAPS power supply, SAE MKVIB, Meridian 204, Meridian 504, LEAK Troughline, Quad FM3, Quad FM4. I currently own a Revox B261, Marantz 125, Pioneer TX 7800, Scott 350B and a McIntosh MR65B. Some of the best musical reproduction I have ever heard has been from live broadcasts from local radio stations, which were so good that I actually felt as though I was sitting in the recording studio! |
Money is almost always better spent keeping quality vintage gear in top shape than purchasing a mediocre new item. Even an old racehorse outruns a donkey.
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Understood about the tuner on a chip idea but the Cambridge does have a robust power supply transformer and cap section giving the analog amplification section sound its livlieness. Despite what it is, the sound is excellent through my system. I have recently had two marantz tuners, and a famous yamaha tuner. they tuned the stations well but something about their age tainted the sound and made it less refined- likely needing some service work. not something I wanted to undertake.
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Thanks for this thread. I love FM tuners but I live in a large city and there aren't many good quality stations left. I own two oddball tuners, an HH Scott 4312 nuvistor that my dad bought in 1963, and a Pioneer Series 20 F26 that I got directly from the first owner ($85.00). They are both amazing pieces of gear and sound dramatically different from each other. Neither are currently in use as I moved recently and haven't set things up. I agree with the need for a good directional antenna. |
@avanti1960 The Cambridge is a tuner on a chip like my Pro-Ject Tuner Box S except that they didn’t waste the money on a big empty encloser. It’s just slightly larger than a pack of cigarettes and is made from thick extruded aluminum. I would definitely seek out a classic stereo tube or solid state one, even the mono tube units from the early 60’s if you can also find the matching multiplex adapter. Both HH Scott and Fisher did this before the FCC signed off on the FM format currently in use today. Any of these units mono or stereo were so well made that they probably only need a cleaning and a recap and will perform up to spec with the existing tubes and the original alignment. As for solid state, they are even less high maintenance and were likewise built to exceptional standards. Even though, there are very many high-quality tuners are being manufactured today if you’re willing to seek them out and step up to the table as far as $ investment is concerned. |
Been using a Magnum Dynalab, various models for several decades, they work well for me. Primarily listen to a local, 20 miles or so, station from the local college campus, Ucd Davis, 90.3 on the dial, Kdvs.org on the internet. Fairly low power, 13,000 watts. I use a Magnum Dynalab antenna and their 205 Signal booster and the signal is good, music quite satisfactory for a broadcast signal. Introduces me to lots of good music you'd not normally come across, college radio is at the cutting edge of new music, I've been exposed to so much new music I'd never have heard of, which has led to buying lots of vinyl. It's not as good as listening to my turntable, Linn lp12, but if I Iike the what I hear on the radio broadcast I'll buy the record. Works for me. |
My MD-102 sounds excellent. It’s got big caps in it. I use the MD-205 Signal Sleuth, and the ST-2 antenna. Excellent sound from several stations, including a great college station with a wide variety of different music types. I also stream a couple long distance stations but the sound quality is not there. |
I have a cambridge audio azur 340T (ebay less than $100) and it sounds surprisingly good- dynamic, lively, excellent bass and clarity. sounds and tunes better than the BHK tuner I had that was super well likes on the tuner info site. the controls on the cambridge are (however) absolutely awful- for both tuning and saving presets. get that sorted and you have a low cost gem. |
Two more top 15 rated tuners worth considering is the Kenwood KT-5020 (year 1990) and KT-990D (year 1988). Both are new enough to be reliable. Either are available on eBay for as low as $140. Careful on shipping cost as some on eBay will gouge you. Tuners cost about $20 to ship in USA. Why top 15 tuners? I bought a Pioneer F-90 that was rated good sounding at top 30 tuners on fmtunersinfo.com. Here is their quote- "Pioneer F-90 - Great sonics with a slightly lighter sonic presentation than the top dogs. Upper midrange and treble are top-notch". The tuner added distortion to the FM signals and IMO was unlistenable. Not all FM signals are great but the good FM stations were distorted on the Pioneer F-90. |
If you can find one, check out the Denon TU-680 NAB. It was designed to be a broadcast (off-the-air) monitor. It is quite selective and sensitive and sounds terrific. I've had one since 1994. About 2000, bought a Magnum Dynalab Etude, which sounded marginally better but was too doggone expensive. Returned it to the dealer as it didn't make that much difference. The last time I saw a TU-680 NAB on eBay, the seller was asking $400. Steal of a deal. |
I’m an FM guy since at least a decade before Steely Dan did the song for the movie in ‘78. Ive owned a handful, recapped, tuned snd fixed the drift problem on several ADCOM GFT-555 (II’s? It’s packed up) then someone mentioned Technics ST-9038 which has amazing specs. Only problem is the memory unit buttons get dried out, so I updated my ST-9038 ( mainly OPA2134 output amplifier) then figured out how to replace the pushbutton contact switches in the SH-9038 unit whhich has been running for a few years now. The technics pulled in college radio stations from WAMU - American University - in DC (18 miles) to WTMD in Towson about 40 miles off with a simple folded loop antenna in my basement; ADCOM didn’t even hear them. I paid about $300 for the set plus a couple hours tinkering around.
sadly, we moved to our farm in central Tennessee where, until i get my antenna connected, there’s little FM to listen to (99.7 talk radio) so i do a lot of streaming of old favorites like Radio Bob aus Deutschland. |
Commiserations Guy. Guy,thanks and good to have confirmation that George is keeping the business going. Your authority's policy seems to be at least a bit OTT If it is an option, have you explored with George doing a loft install of a 14 or 17? Providing it is properly set up I wouldn't expect it's performance to be affected very much and that it would still audibly outperform your current set up Best wishes Barry |
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I live about 50 miles from most of the broadcast towers in Seattle. I could only pickup a couple of local stations and maybe others far off, but with a lot of static with all of the different indoor FM antennas I tried. This worked well for me and I can now pick up sufficiently strong signals from many stations. I actually bought it to try to pick up HD TV stations, but it wasn't good for that. Works great for FM reception though. https://www.channelmaster.com/products/advantage-100-outdoor-tv-antenna-cm-3020 |
If you are judging the FM tuner at its best, listening music you should judge it just as you would LPs or CDs.....how realistic and dimensional does it sound. The old tube FM's from Fisher and the Dyna FM3 from the early '60's are best in that regard, IMO. I tested many tuners of that day before finding those two.....and I tested again in the '90's against solid state tuners and the Fisher and Dyna still won on "realism" especially if you are sensitive to dimensionality. I still use both in two systems, and my brother-in-law uses a Fisher in his system. From a dimensionality standpoint, the only transistor tuner I've heard that has much at all is the Carver FM. |
The best antenna really depends on location and it's certainly true that a high-gain, directional antenna often gives the best results. Good FM antennas are still being made and one of the best seems to be this Sky Blue SBFM9. But if neither signal strength nor multipath are issues for you, a simple folded dipole wire antenna may be all you need. |
You are spinnin’ your wheels using those unidirectional types. For clean FM reception you will need a directional FM antenna. I use a directional in my attic. Manufacturers stopped making them years ago. This Steller Labs 4 element is still available and would be a better choice than any omni type!! |
Recommended only SS tuners not Tube type. Why? Although rebuilt tube tuners are actually better sounding the FM stations do not have the quality like in 1960s and 1970s. They do not play superior vinyl. Tube tuners need rebuilding and are not as sensitive receivers like SS tuners You will not hear better quality than top 15 rated SS tuners. |
I should have mentioned this tuner the Hitachi FT-5500MKII. It is just under the audio quality of the Hitachi FT-8000 but you likely would not hear the difference. This is the best fringe reception tuner ever made. So, if you live in a difficult reception area and install a unidirectional outdoor antenna this may be your ticket to success. A little rare but does show up on eBay for about $200. Most are in the UK so ask if wired for 120 volts AC. |
I am envious of your Ron Smith Galaxy 17 @barry2013. I had a good chat with his son, George, and was very keen to get one. Then I made the mistake of looking up planning regulations. Then I made the even bigger mistake of asking my local council wether an FM ariel really needed planning permission in the UK if it's just replacing an existing one. "Yes," said the planning office. "If it's bigger than 600mm in any direction, you will." That sadly put paid to my upgrade from a regular folded dipole to a Ron Smith Galaxy 17! One day ... Guy. |
I love me an FM tuner. Those who say they are obsoleted by Internet miss the point. Incidentally, the same people also say that vinyl has been obsoleted by Internet, alongside reel-to-reel and cassette tapes and basically anything that doesn’t stream in via an Aurender / Lumin appliance. Doesn’t that strike you as an ASR type of argument? But I digress. Back to these lovely beasts that FM tuners are, most Kenwood units punch above their weight and many are found under @jimbennet ’s $250 threshold. It makes sense that the considerable RF expertise Kenwood / Trio accumulated over decades making world-class ham radio rigs would shine upon their tuner’s designs. As for me, my bucket list includes an FM tuner with integrated oscilloscope. If you happen to know someone who owns a broken one which no one can fix, I am interested :) |
Like Guy I am in the UK where were are blessed to enjoy high quality public service FM broadcasting in the shape of the BBC. Radio 3 is their flagship classical music channel which I switch onto when I get up in the morning and it it usually stays on all day I have had an FM tuner for many years now starting with Naim and going all the way up to the NAT O1. Later I changed my affiliation to Vitus amplification and Magnum Dynalab ending up with my current MD109,the stock valves of which I have replaced with Phillips 6922 NOS valves from the Tube Depot. Very significant improvement in sound quality. I have an external roof mounted Ron Smith Galaxie 17 aerial which again has been a great buy. AFAIK it's still in business though now run by his son. I don't need a bigger one but they do some seriously large models. I don't stream as my FM meets my needs very well but they are available on the net and I can wholeheartedly recommend BBC Radio 3 if you can get it. The BBC has forged strong links with other European public service broadcasters and they have an extensive partnership with them to exchange recorded live broadcasts from all over Europe and which are excellent.The presenters are very knowledgeable and professional. Most i think are former musicians in concert orchestras who chose to become broadcasters As I say I opted for MD but there a a number of other good manufacturers as mentioned above. I did consider Day Sequerra but there are only a handful of people around the world who know how to service them properly and the Marantz 10B struck me as a dust trap notwithstanding its sound quality. If you have access to good quality FM broadcasts it really is a no brainer and an external FM aerial really makes a big difference if that option is open to you
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I have a KLH model 18 tuner that I bought at a garage sale for $3.00. I sorted it out and used it for years. I modified it to use crystals for the Intermediate Frequency amplifiers so they wouldn’t go out of tune. I liked the mid century style of it, so much I bought a KLH model 21 FM radio. I refurbished it and it gets played in the kitchen every day. In my bike shop in the basement I have an RCA 8R71 which was made about 1949. It uses a single-ended ultra linear output section. I found it in a junk shop up north about 20 years ago and refurbished it. It looks right at home in my shop since I tend to have really old bikes. The radios get more use than the tuners. In my bedroom system, again due to its mid century appearance, I have a refurbished Realistic TM175 (FM only version). I guess I like rotary dials. I found that the Realistic stuff can easily out perform its specs if you spend a little time doing a complete alignment. I have a theory (having worked in the Allied Radio Shack service department decades ago) that Tandy kept their prices a bit lower by not having as much technician time spent on their products. My main system has a Dynaco FM-5, completely refurbished. It mostly gets played on Saturdays about once a month or less. There are two stations in town that are hard to pick up because they are low power college stations. I’m far more likely to hear something new and interesting listening to them. One of them does not stream. As long as I can pick them up I’m not too concerned what tuner does it and all of my radios and tuners can. |
@mapman it's awesome when Hitachi gets some love. Use my Hitachi tuner every day, listen to the morning show, have it on when I'm working. For me the tuner sounds so much better over streaming the same stations. They sound compressed and lifeless on my system. Tuners have been going down in price as demand is going down. Really search local FBM and Craigslist. There are a ton on there, most are in your budget. Around me there are some Mac and Luxman tuners that people want over $1000 for, they have been there for quite some time. |
"My price range is $250 maximum" jimbennet-. your max makes finding much of anything good or bad difficult. If you can find a Cambridge Audio 550/650T it may be near your threshold. This is just for example Cambridge Audio Azur 550T Black AM/FM Tuner + Remote *TOP Condition* | eBay I used one before deciding a wanted a tube tuner(Macintosh MR71) Should be priced near what you want to pay.
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@jimbennet Not sure if you might already know but if you want to pickup broadcasted FM and esp if you have a certain section of the band you happen to prefer in your area, it's fairly easy to make an antenna tuned to that band or even station. It's a simple FM dipole with each "pole" being a certain length. You need the formula but it's that easy. People might like my story about living in Puerto Rico (dad in the Navy) and how my fav station was on the other side of a small mountain making it almost impossible to get. I made the antenna and not only got it but was perfect 100% of time. It was like magic and sounded great! |
I'm still using the McIntosh MR80 tuner that I bought new back in 1979. It still sounds great although many FM stations are way too over-processed today.
I've had similar experience. So-called "HD radio" offers the great s/n that's easy for digital, but it's lo-res and can compromise even the main analog signal.
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I ditched my tuners years ago in favor of internet radio. But the best tuners, at a reasonable cost, were the old '70's Kenwood tuners. I had the Kenwood KT-815 that was excellent, but once WRVR in New York went from jazz to country in the late '70s, I I lost interest in radio. Unless you want to go for a McIntosh beast, look around for a used Kenwood.
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