Vintage Asylum

Classic gear from yesteryear; vintage audio standing the test of time.

Return to Vintage Asylum

Message Sort: Post Order or Asylum Reverse Threaded

Old Tuners- Favorites ?/ Questions

209.240.220.240
Posted on March 18, 2001 at 20:56:34
Erational


 
A stalkinghorse question, but what is ya'lls favorite tuner? Also I am concerned about channel drift with these old tuners, is that unfounded ? How do they stack-up against modern tuners (besides sound) Can't afford that Marantz stuff, I'm afraid.

 

Hide full thread outline!
    ...
McIntosh MR-77, posted on March 19, 2001 at 00:09:21
eric the red
 Excellent tuner at about half the price of of the MR-78. A few less features as the famous 78 with the same performance and looks. You can get one on Ebay for @ 500.00

 

Re: Old Tuners- Favorites ?/ Questions, posted on March 19, 2001 at 10:57:20
BFitz
 "Also I am concerned about channel drift with these old tuners, is that unfounded ? "

Yes. Most, even the 50's tube units, have AFC, or automatic frequency control. It locks the tuner to the center of the channel.

"How do they stack-up against modern tuners (besides sound)"
Which modern tuners? Mega buck audiophile ones, or ones built in HT receivers? the first are pretty good, the latter are pretty poor in comparison.

Tube units sound the best, and need some maintenance. The better tube units, when properly aligned, have amazing sensitivity as well. The one area they may fall down in is selectivity. By that I mean, for example - a strong station at 97.5 and your favorite one, a weak station is at 97.7. It takes a great tuner to listen noise free to the weak station. If you have a direction antenna with rotating rotor you can work around the issue more easily than off a omni-dipole. The later units listed below usually had selectable IF filter bandwith for this reason, and handle this situation more easily than most tube units. See the VTV Tuner article for more on tube tuners.
I use a tuner two ways - background music, and for listening at decent volume. I have some cheap digital readout tuners for background. For listening, the tube units excel. The '75-'80 top shelf japanese units are really the best all around for both, but don't have the tube sound. Examples are the Kenwood KT8300, Pioneer TX9500II/TX9800, Sansui TU9900.
For tube tuners, beyond the Marantz and Mcintosh stuff, most the Fisher tube units were great, as well as the Sherwoods and Scotts.
If you have 3 or 4 really quality classical and jazz stations, it is worth the investment to buy a few units and play. I'm hooked.
Bob

 

Re: Old Tuners- Favorites ?/ Questions, posted on March 19, 2001 at 11:37:42
bean_counter
 I use a Scott tubed tuner. I'm out in the country at the edge of suburbia, and the Scott can pull in stations from the other side of the city strong and noise-free (excellent sensitivity). Several stations that I had previously not listened to due to poor reception/noise I now listen to frequently.

As far as stability, I have left mine on all day and not had it drift at all.

 

Re: Old Tuners- Favorite, posted on March 19, 2001 at 11:46:18
Jeff Starr
 Hi, I bought a Yamaha CT600 [74-76] for my second system. I picked up on Ebay for $35. The cabinet is faded and the tuning knob has some marks on it. Faceplate is good, not perfect, but the performance is excellent. I keep it tuned to our local [real] jazz station and in the last 6 months or so the tuning meter has stayed dead center. The tuner has warm sound to it, which compliments the rest of the system.
CT600> Crown IC150> Crown DC300A> AR 90. I guess it's vintage, Crown gear is from the early 70s, the speakers I believe are late 70s or early 80s. I think that tuners are one of the safer things to buy on Ebay and there are some bargains to had.
Jeff

 

Scott 4310....(nt), posted on March 19, 2001 at 15:27:50
will
 ....

 

Re: Scott 4310....(nt), posted on March 19, 2001 at 16:10:27
bean_counter
 Ahhhhh... if you can find one. My dream is to get a 4310 to stuff in my vintage console in the cut-out where my 355 is - same "G" chasis. Scott 130 or LC-21 would fit in the slot where the 299C was....

BTW, what's a fair price for a 4310 these days?

 

Re: Scott 4310....(nt), posted on March 19, 2001 at 17:36:09
will
 Hello,

I got mine for a song - $50 at an estate sale, but I believe I have seen them on ebay for over $1000. Also, a Scott 310E( got one of those too) is basically the same except it doesn't have all the bells and whistles for radio stations to use.Also 350 and 350B are excellent(yeah got one of each also) I got a little Scott fetish as you can tell. The 4310 was used to relay FM signals from hilltops so FM could reach farther. I believe the 310E still holds the record for pulling an FM broadcast out of the air - 510 miles!!!!

Will



 

Re: Scott 4310....(nt), posted on March 19, 2001 at 17:52:06
Brian
 Shhhh.... Don't tell anybody about this. It is already selling on eBay for more than Marantz 10b. Not many years ago, these extremely rare babies could be found in Goodwill shops, pawn shops, etc. for next to nothing.

 

Re: Scott 4310....(nt), posted on March 19, 2001 at 21:37:55
Brian
 My hat is off to you. Not often I covet another person's toys. I grew up in the Boston area which was the stronghold for Scott against the mighty Fisher. We used to compare and the 4310 and 350 universally made us think of refined ladies as opposed to the Fisher which seemed more masculine in sound. My personal impressions with the 4310 when new was it exceeded the Marantz 10b in everyway save the scope. The 350 was not quite as good.

The Fisher got the nod for brute build similar to the McIntosh but, running a 2nd.

None of these were really 2nd rate and considering what came after, every one of them can warrant a position in the best system of today.

The 4310 is the one tuner I'd gladly surrender my Mc MR77 and MX110 for.

 

Re: Old Tuners- Favorites ?/ Questions, posted on March 20, 2001 at 01:02:44
Buzz
 I have a Sansui TU-317. Very basic, but brings in stations most of my vintage gear can't. I got it at a thrift store for around $12.

 

Re: Scott 4310....(nt), posted on March 20, 2001 at 12:40:12
BFitz
 You can also do the 310D + 335 MPX, which is what I have, and you'll have essentailly a 4310 or 310E in two boxes. I bought both for 100. each.

Bob

 

Re: Old Tuners- Favorites ?/ Questions, posted on March 21, 2001 at 13:02:32
Jelly Roll Mozart
 I have a 330D, I've never really used it much- currently have a Tandberg. Anyone familiar witht eh 330D, I'd appreciated some opinions on it.
Regards,
JRM.

 

Re: Old Tuners- Favorites ?/ Questions, posted on March 22, 2001 at 14:07:15
Russellc
 mcintosh mr67. Mine was salvaged (in the broadest operative sense) from hurricane andrew. Caked in mud, it looked like a goner, and I got it free. After extensive cleanup, new glass, new caps, and
minor adjustment by a mcintosh repair person,(thanks kirk) it works wonderfully. I see these units on e-bay reasonably priced.

 

Re: Old Tuners- Favorites ?/ Questions, posted on March 22, 2001 at 16:22:10
Byzen
 I picked-up a McIntosh MR-65B some 15 years ago which still resides in my main system. Just had it recently 'tuned-up' by John Atwood and it still sounds marvelous. I'm also quite partial to the sound of early Sherwood mono tuners #S-2000 / #S-3000 and have used several of these over the decades - always a clear beautiful sound.

Regards,

Byzen

 

Re: Old Tuners- Favorites ?/ Questions, posted on March 23, 2001 at 14:17:48
johng
 I have had a few vintage tuners, and can give you my two cents worth. I am currently using a Marantz 10b - I know you said you can't afford it, so it is only a point of reference. Others I have used are: McIntosh 65b, McIntosh 74, Fisher 100b, and a Yamaha solid state. I left the 65b in my system for several years, and thought it was great. Wonderful balanced sound - good bass, good highs - separation maybe not a good as the marantz, but who cares? It fit my needs. I sold it because (a) I got a good price and (b) it was cosmetically a little rough. The Fisher was another good one - good balanced sound.

With all of the tube units, they will drift around a little as they warm up - but I don't have problems after that!

 

Re: Old Tuners- Favorites ?/ Questions, posted on March 23, 2001 at 17:44:11
PaulN
 I have an Accuphase T-101 and it really is the business. Its hard to compare the newer units with classics on the RF stages, but when it comes to the analog circuitry the 70's solid state stuff and the 60's tube stuff have it all over the modern tuners. No ICs, man it all discrete. it would cost a mint to do that today. Just look how much MD gets for the MD-108.

 

Fisher FM100 -- Mono, Tube Rectified, Stock, Amazing! (nt), posted on March 24, 2001 at 19:08:15
Willie the Squid
 nt

 

I have a Sansui T-60 that's very similar, posted on March 27, 2001 at 19:38:07
Dougman
 They are cosmetically totally different, but electrically very similar units. I think that my T-60 is a superb bargain for the performance it provides. Not to mention that it ran me around $21 on eBay.

 

Re: Old Tuners- Favorites ?/ Questions, posted on April 1, 2001 at 10:03:26
kelley@cyberzone.net
 I also have been using a MacIntosh MR-67 for several years. Wonderful, smooth sounding unit. I have external antennae hooked to unit for good reception in a fringe, rural area of Northeast CT.

 

Re: Old Tuners- Favorites ?/ Questions, posted on April 1, 2001 at 18:33:33
Pland
 Hi,
I have a Scott 350 and a 350b.I'm currently listening to a Marantz ST6000 I bought about a year ago,and by comparison,it sounds like a Kazoo!After my tube tuners are warmed up,they'll hold a station all day,and reception is actually equal to the modern mid-fi stuff(at least in the real world).No contest as far as sound.My vote is for a 350 series Scott.Below $250.00,reliable,available (but maybe not for long).
Best,
Pat

 

Page processed in 0.013 seconds.

[ Top Top of Page ] [ Contact Us ] [ Support/Wish List ] [ Copyright © 2024, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]
[ General ] [ Speakers ] [ Tubes ] [ Vinyl ] [ Digital ] [ Hi-Rez ] [ Video Asylum ] [ Cables ] [ Tweaks/DIY ] [ Music ] [ Films ]