Real Musical Tuner

68.13.186.187

Posted on June 27, 2004 at 21:39:18

default
Audiophile

Posts: 336
Location: Midwest
Joined: November 13, 2002

I've been listening to Jazz on the local college radio stations for 20+ years now. I have had a bunch of different audio gear over the years.

However, I have been totally rediscovering FM again. I have a clean feed to my tuner using a Radio Shack FM only Yagi in the attic pointed at my favorite tower.

The reason for my writing is that I am listening to a Magnum Dynalab MD-90 with a triode output ultimately playing out of our Magnepan MG12s, and WOW it is absolutely the most musical I have ever heard FM sound.

Is it just me, or do others find FM as enjoyable? If so, I'm just curious what tuner you use.

Thanks

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MR-500, Fisher 800b (receiver)

22:02:57 08/05/04

Re: Real Musical Tuner

14:47:48 07/07/04

Re: Real Musical Tuner

Bluedog

17:16:48 07/10/04

...

Show full thread outline!

MR-500, Fisher 800b (receiver)

22:02:57 08/05/04

Re: Real Musical Tuner

14:47:48 07/07/04

Re: Real Musical Tuner

Bluedog

17:16:48 07/10/04

10-B, MR-71, MR-77, MR-74 (and NOT the MR-78)

Bill Way

16:06:32 07/05/04

Re: 10-B, MR-71, MR-77, MR-74 (and NOT the MR-78)

Ron-C

09:02:43 07/06/04

Re: 10-B, MR-71, MR-77, MR-74 (and NOT the MR-78)

PRM

09:14:30 07/06/04

mine's an old simulcast Rcvr

Timbo in Oz

23:57:07 06/30/04

I have one too

Bung

01:49:37 07/07/04

another Wizard of ID fan?

Timbo in Oz

04:34:41 07/07/04

McIntosh MR-67, MR-71, MR-78

PRM

14:14:16 06/30/04

3

you lucky, lucky, old bastard

Timbo in Oz

04:36:02 07/07/04

Re: you lucky, lucky, old bastard

PRM

06:01:15 07/07/04

yeah?it isn't MY site yer know!

Timbo in Oz

18:50:20 07/23/04

Mac MX-110

doodlebug

10:44:15 06/29/04

McIntosh MR-71

10:13:53 06/29/04

3

Re: McIntosh MR-71

Scholl

12:43:25 06/30/04

Re: McIntosh MR-71

bublitchki

17:39:39 07/05/04

Re: McIntosh MR-71

audiquattro

06:02:09 07/07/04

Re: Real Musical Tuner

Todd Krieger

22:02:08 06/28/04

Re: Real Musical Tuner

15:22:26 06/28/04

Re: Real Musical Tuner

tesla

22:00:51 06/27/04

Re: Real Musical Tuner

warnerwh

18:42:38 07/13/04

Re: Real Musical Tuner, posted on June 27, 2004 at 22:00:51
tesla Audiophile Posts: 3180 Location: San Diego County, California Joined: October 25, 2000	I love my 10b...and my Akai 717 is a close 2nd...:)

Re: Real Musical Tuner, posted on June 28, 2004 at 15:22:26
Passive Chappy	Audio Note T Zero is a really great sounding tuner if you can find one.

Re: Real Musical Tuner, posted on June 28, 2004 at 22:02:08

Todd Krieger
Audiophile

Posts: 37333
Location: SW United States
Joined: November 2, 2000

"Is it just me, or do others find FM as enjoyable?"

I often have the acoustic jazz on KJZZ playing in the night... Cannonball Adderley, Stan Getz, Miles, and Trane...

"If so, I'm just curious what tuner you use."

The FM tuner section of the Harman/Kardon 930 receiver. This thing has a soul. Use one on both systems.

McIntosh MR-71, posted on June 29, 2004 at 10:13:53

David B. Levinson

My previous tuner were a Magnum Dynalab FT-101 and Revox B-261. Today I have a beautiful Mac MR-71 with the coupling capacitors upgraded to Jupiter Beeswax, all tube are original if you can believe that.

Unfortuneately, in Los Angeles, there are only three stations that sound great, KKJZ Long Beach Jazz, 91.5 KUSC Classical and 105.1 KMZT classical. On these stations the MAC is a joy to listen to. Sometimes the imaging in incredible.

The Revox had a little tighter bass, but the MAC is much more musical.

Mac MX-110, posted on June 29, 2004 at 10:44:15

doodlebug

I have two of them and love the tuners, once they're set up and the coupling caps have been replaced. The tuner can handle excellent sound staging when it in the signal and does have a low noise floor, too. I have a Pioneer TX-8500MkII in the garage but it doesn't have the same finesse as the MX-110.

Older tuners do need to be looked after - something a bit daunting for many.

Cheers,

David

Re: McIntosh MR-71, posted on June 30, 2004 at 12:43:25

Scholl

I Dave,

Glad you like your MR71!

Since we talked last I got an older MR65 with the tube rectifier. This one is very nice and warm and full sounding. This one's all original.

The MR65B is a little thinner but still great. This one has tin foil caps and mostly new tubes.

McIntosh MR-67, MR-71, MR-78, posted on June 30, 2004 at 14:14:16
PRM	I also have enjoyed listening to FM and am very lucky to have some good stations around.

mine's an old simulcast Rcvr, posted on June 30, 2004 at 23:57:07

Timbo in Oz
Audiophile

Posts: 23221
Location: Canberra - in the ACT - SE Australia
Joined: January 30, 2002

from the days of stereo using one mono AM station and one mono FM station, transmitting the L / R signals respectively.

NOW much modified of course.

no piccies of it at site below, butyez can read abaht it, very real, and the AM is amazing, even against dedicated AM tuners of which I've had 3!

MD do aim at good-ish sound, I feel they are overpriced.

'avea Capting Kook mate.

Timbo in Oz
The Skyptical Mensurer and Audio Scrounger
Peace

Timbo's 'old?' system.

10-B, MR-71, MR-77, MR-74 (and NOT the MR-78), posted on July 5, 2004 at 16:06:32

Bill Way

The best sounding tuner I ever had was an MR-71. I even liked it better than the 10B. Go figure.

After I did away with tube tuners due to the cost of keeping them alive, I settled with an MR-77, which has a better-than-decent RF section and really nice sonics. The MR74 is very good, too, and can sometimes be had for a song. The MR-78 doesn't compare, except in the RF specs, and I find warm-up drift pretty annoying anyway.

Re: McIntosh MR-71, posted on July 5, 2004 at 17:39:39

bublitchki
Audiophile

Posts: 1833
Joined: March 22, 2002

My Mac MR 71 still stands unchallenged as the best tuner I've ever heard. I formerly owned a Quad FM4, which was a very nice tuner, but sounds like a little transistor radio next to the MR 71.

I love the ergonomics of the MR 71 (nice feel to the tuning dial, if not up to 10B standards), the looks (especially in a dimly-lit room--zowie!), and...oh, baby...the sound. It's the single piece of gear in my system that really takes me back, on a good-sounding broadcast, to the great tube sound of the '50s and '60s. The current stuff is clean, has great detail, and is relatively maintenance-free, but *nothing*--repeat, *nothing* sounds like this.

Yes, there's a very obvious midbass underline to male (actually, even female) voices on the MR 71, but it makes music better than anything else I've heard. It's bass is deep, enveloping and natural--far superior to my Sony SCD-1, a $5000 CD/SACD player, BTW.

This often sells for more than three times its original price for a reason. The '70s Japanese tuners (or even the MR 78) may handily outperform it in terms of DXing, but who really cares once your station is tuned in, assuming the signal is sufficiently strong? It's the *sound* that matters, and on that criterion, the MR 71 is for me in a class by itself.

Re: 10-B, MR-71, MR-77, MR-74 (and NOT the MR-78), posted on July 6, 2004 at 09:02:43
Ron-C Manufacturer Posts: 427 Joined: March 14, 2002	I have a MR78 that does not drift from turn on. Most of the 78s do drift but this can be overcome by a good tech and the right parts. Ron-C

Re: 10-B, MR-71, MR-77, MR-74 (and NOT the MR-78), posted on July 6, 2004 at 09:14:30
PRM	My MR-78 does not drift either. It used to when I first purchased it but as Ron-C says a good tech and parts will stop the problem. The 78 is a great tuner both in build quality and sound quality. The 77 is no slouch either. Enjoy which ever you have.

I have one too, posted on July 7, 2004 at 01:49:37
Bung Audiophile Posts: 9378 Location: NYC Joined: October 20, 2002	A Fisher. The AM is incredible. The FM is not working very well yet. I have to replace some tubes and caps in the FM section.

another Wizard of ID fan?, posted on July 7, 2004 at 04:34:41

Timbo in Oz
Audiophile

Posts: 23221
Location: Canberra - in the ACT - SE Australia
Joined: January 30, 2002

Is it a fisher with a stereo decoder on the FM as well?

If so do get it aligned.

Antenna? .....

You knew I wuz gonna ask that, now!?

Important,

Am can be helped with a good 'tenna

been here yet? http://www.theanalogdept.com/tim_bailey.htm

stay in touch!

Timbo in Oz
The Skyptical Mensurer and Audio Scrounger
Peace

you lucky, lucky, old bastard, posted on July 7, 2004 at 04:36:02

Timbo in Oz
Audiophile

Posts: 23221
Location: Canberra - in the ACT - SE Australia
Joined: January 30, 2002

;-)!

http://www.theanalogdept.com/tim_bailey.htm

comments?

Timbo in Oz
The Skyptical Mensurer and Audio Scrounger
Peace

Re: you lucky, lucky, old bastard, posted on July 7, 2004 at 06:01:15

PRM

Hello,

Why thank you very much. I went to theanalogdept.com and it is a nice site and enjoyed looking at it very much. Keep em coming Timbo !

PRM

Re: McIntosh MR-71, posted on July 7, 2004 at 06:02:09
audiquattro	Totally agree with you. I've not heard the Magnum's $5000 tuner but the MR-71 is the best I've ever heard so far. It is the "sound" that matters

Re: Real Musical Tuner, posted on July 7, 2004 at 14:47:48

Frank Waller

OK, Default...

1
My favourite tuner for many years now... a humble Marantz Model 115B - yours for little more than $US50 ~ IMO, musically almost, as good as it gets, er, perhaps not the tuner of choice to influence people and make tuner-geek friends with...
2
Accuphase T-100, for those that know (sp).
3
Kenwood/Trio Model L-01T, (my) wild card choice.

The above tuners require sympathetic system matching (they do not offer definitive reference quality sound like, say, the Revox 260S RDS) and good/large external rotating aerial arrays are prerequisite (sp).

To each his own, enjoy.

FW

Re: Real Musical Tuner, posted on July 10, 2004 at 17:16:48
Bluedog Audiophile Posts: 160 Location: Massachusetts Joined: July 4, 2003	I had my Accuphase T100 aligned and cleaned by Ed Hanlon at APS in CT. I must say a world of difference in stereo separation and sensitivity when compared to my second T100. Defintely worth the cost for alignment.

Re: Real Musical Tuner, posted on July 13, 2004 at 18:42:38
warnerwh Audiophile Posts: 757 Location: Portland, OR Joined: March 18, 2002	I listen to my modded Kenwood KT 7500 every day. Sound quality is amazingly good for a tuner. And with the jazz station broadcasting in what seems to be little/no compression I'm in FM heaven.

yeah?it isn't MY site yer know!, posted on July 23, 2004 at 18:50:20

Timbo in Oz
Audiophile

Posts: 23221
Location: Canberra - in the ACT - SE Australia
Joined: January 30, 2002

Ut's Steve's! see! ;-)

My system description AND the suspension set-up wre originated by me, the piccies and graphics which add so much, to my set-up text, are Steve's work too.

Don't even know what you use? Didja dig da sphere's?

Timbo

Timbo in Oz
The Skyptical Mensurer and Audio Scrounger
Peace

Read about and view system at:

http://www.theanalogdept.com/tim_bailey.htm

MR-500, Fisher 800b (receiver), posted on August 5, 2004 at 22:02:57
tubeophile	Both sound great. I had some cheap Yamaha receiver (not being a snob, it was a low-end model) that has wound up in the office at work. Sounded like crap.

Radio Road

Real Musical Tuner

68.13.186.187