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Quality Audio FM Tuners

Buying a quality sounding FM tuner is tricky. Earlier days I owned a Scott 350C tube tuner and a Scott  312 SS tuner. Both were stellar providing quality audio. The Scott 312 was the standard for FM stations to use for repeater use such as transmitting to a mountain top transmitter. I sold both and it been about 20 years of not having a FM tuner until now. I owned about 20 FM tuners. All were poor sounding less the Scott FM tuners through the years. Using car stereos I thought the FM stations were turning up the Opti-Mod processors too high. I found out not true it was the poor sounding FM car stereos.

Buying a quality sounding FM tuner can be determined at fmtunerinfo.com site. The top 14 tuners will provide quality sound out of 81 FM tuners listed. A FM tuner is a complicated  item with lots to go wrong as the other 67 tuners at fmtunerinfo.com did not make the grade. That is a lot of tuners. The top 14 have a J-FET RF amp for good sensitivity, Some top 14 tuners can be expensive. Avoid Matsushita DA-F20 as 1/2 do not work as listed on eBay- unreliable and one top 14 tuners has slight diffused sound- avoid. A sleeper tuner with exceptional sound is a Hitachi FT-8000. Not listed at fmtunerd.com but an audiophile replaced a top 5 tuner with the Hitachi and I own one. Have fun buying a close to CD quality tuner on a good FM station.

I posted in another article FM antennas to target your favorite FM station by distance from the FM station. The antenna dB gain is the minimum. A few DB higher is best. You now have all the info you need for a quality FM tuner set up. Only about two of the Radio Shack FM amps are listed on eBay most of the time time. If unavailable Tru-Spec FMA-15 is same amp.

 

 

 

jimbennet
spatialking's avatar
spatialking
669 posts
 

I have a great tuner but out where I live, the FM reception signal strength is puny at best and this particular house seems to be FM proof.  I've thought about an antenna, but I'm reluctant to climb up on the roof to install one, and it will need a tall mast, too.  So, I stream for now.  

akg_ca
2,479 posts
 

I have a quality build and performance capable PHILIPS AH673 FM tuner (made in USA version ) that scored very well in the FMTUNERINFO.COM shootout bake-off reviews . It replaced my prior upgraded  Magnum Dynalab FT-101A ETUDE

see: Shootout #28 (posted 03/11/03): Kenwood L-02T vs. Philips AH6731.

With it, I also have a Magnum Dynalab omnidirectional whip antenna mounted on the roof on a chimney-secured mast, with a fm signal booster amp on the fm cable inside.

FM reception is not an issue either,  with my fine Toronto lakeside direct line-of- sight over-the- water fm unobstructed reception from broadcast fm antennas on the very high CN Tower

 

FM vs QUBOZ streaming : who wins for me?

 

I prefer QUBOZ streaming on my MOON 280d MiND 2 streamer/ player , but a simple A - B comparison first needs an expansion list of the added streaming  improvements required to the streaming system…..

- it’s the sum of the parts upgrades that was not insignificant $$$ wise . The investment cost of streaming now grossly skews toward streaming rig vs FM tuner and premium ICs.
 

- Streaming integral upgrades included inter alia:

- upgrading to all premium build, shielding & Telegartner connectors top high-end Ethernet cables;

- inserting an audiophilex grade SILENT ANGEL Ethernet switch with an upgraded quality build external linear power supply for it; ( yes … I too was a card carrying hard skeptic of this before I filtered out the BS noise to try it and sprung for it ,,,) 

- adding an IFi LAN Ethernet Filter in the Ethernet cable chain.

MY TAKEAWAY (emphasis added)  

I am purposely excluding a strong first bias toward QUBOZ for its on-demand hi-rez huge choice music file menu.

That said, IMO, the high resolution (a fine but important distinction) streaming platform reception has now surpassed FM tuner reception in audio performance . Think uptick in bass, slam, and dynamics. 

Sure it’s no slam against tuners because too unit FM reception can still be very good indeed for me. BUT ….it is now an ad hoc legacy audiimformat for limited occasional listening for me at home. (Toronto area classical and light jazz stations are best quality broadcasts )

It’s now mainly a car FM radio arena. Others may have different experiences.

 

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