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Why spend megabucks on a tuner?

I've seen old Marantz and McIntosh tuners sold here on Audiogon for a fortune. My question is: Why?

Most radio stations now have highly compressed dynamics. Most of the few that don't (for my location, anyway) are located on the fringes of reception. And then what happens when you move to a different location, which may have even fewer good listening choices?

At least with a turntable or CD player, I feel that you have a lot more choices. And, it's not location-dependent. With streaming audio becoming a reality for most people, and now HD radio (which I'll admit I haven't heard yet), why is there still such a market for high-end tuners?

Michael
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rhyno's avatar
rhyno
649 posts
 
my fave radio station (KTRU 91.7 in houston) offers both a digital stream and FM. when i tried PC streamed to the squeezebox, using the wadia 861se as a DAC, i found the kenwood was miles ahead.

other digital stations sounded very satisfying, but some stations sound best on FM, and some stations justify a uber tuner, a mast antenna, and all the parts & tweaks one can find...
yioryos's avatar
yioryos
723 posts
 
Jeffb28451
Hi Jeff,this George.I bought the Mcintosh MR78 from YOU .Remember?Reading your post,now I understand why you sold it back then!It was and still is truly in truly mint condition.The cabinet was rough though.I haven't used the tuner yet believe or not!I don't listen to FM at all.It was an investement purchase.LOL
Best regards
George
sufentanil's avatar
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sufentanil OP
782 posts
 
I don't deny that there are still great radio stations worth listening to with a good tuner. But my sense is that they are becoming fewer and fewer with each passing year. And I also believe that the antenna and location make far more difference than, say, a CD transport.

That's why I'm questioning really expensive tuners, and it's interesting to get varying opinions on this!

Michael
mrpresident
45 posts
 
Because radio is THE tool, of the devil.
kusina
78 posts
 
Much depends on one's musical preferences and what is available locally in FM broadcasts. I live in the Boston area, which has a number of tunable stations, including university and college stations that are less compressed than some commercial stations. And it is a treat to listen to live broadcasts of the Boston Symphony. An FM tuner is a very important and pleasureable part of my system.
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