2nd Hand Tuner Recommendation

[ianandyr]

I recently sold my Systemdek on eBay and thought I might use some of the proceeds to buy myself a 2nd hand tuner, probably also on eBay. Not having had one for many, many years I'm wondering what would be a good option given the following criterion:

FM only is fine but I have no objection to DAB and we seem to be in a decent area

It will run off an internal aerial - I don't plan on installing a dedicated external one

It would be nice if it looked good - a bit of a retro feel would go down well

I don't listen to a lot of radio, Moyles in the morning, Evans in the evening and only in the background and therefore sound quality does not need to be top notch

Budget up to £50 

 

[d_a_n1979]

IMO i think you would be best to buy one of these...

Denon TU-260 LII - http://www.fmdx.info/index.php?entityType=HTML&id=43

Theres plenty on eBay

 

[matthewpiano]

Agreed. Denon TU260L II. Cracking tuner.

 

[Anonymous]

I recently purchased aTU260, and whilst it is s good tuner, I forgot what I pain tuners are without a decent reception so I'm just gonna go back to web streaming as it's less hastle.

 

[d_a_n1979]

matthewpiano:Agreed. Denon TU260L II. Cracking tuner.

MP - How are you doing with your new Denon's?

Can i ask where did you demo them?

Cheers

 

[ianandyr]

Thanks - I'll keep an eye out for an LII then.

 

[matthewpiano]

d_a_n1979:matthewpiano:Agreed. Denon TU260L II. Cracking tuner.

MP - How are you doing with your new Denon's?

Can i ask where did you demo them?

Cheers

I'm loving them. Really natural and musical. They wouldn't suit everyone. Anybody who loves bass heavy music would find a better fit than the Denons but they are exactly what I was looking for. The sound is closest to the Rega stuff I tried but without the Brio's tendency towards congestion and harshness in more complex passages. It is nothing like the Arcam sound. I had to demo them at a friend of a friends as nowhere within reasonable distance appears to carry them in stock. In fact most dealers seem to discourage going for them and recommend Arcam and Rega stuff instead. Its a very Brit hi-fi obsessed industry at the moment.

 

[Greenwich_Man]

I fully agree with the Denon TU260L Mark 2

I have one I got from E-bay - I attached it to my old TV ariel - and the FM sound is great - should be well within your budget

 

[the record spot]

A bit left field, but if you can find one and like the idea of a big knob to play with (oo-flippin'-err missus!) get a Sansui TU317. Great sound, very manual but no fancy frippery! Got mine for £45 delivery included off Ebay from a reliable seller. Well listed on the fmtunerinfo site too.

 

[ianandyr]

My 260 TU MkII arrived today via a most efficient eBayer. £15 so I'm pretty pleased with my bargain!

Upgrade fever strikes though and I'm already working out how to improve on my ribbon aerial.

Before I start drilling holes and clambering about on the roof thought I'd just check and see if anyone has recommendations on indoor aerials that will offer a worthwhile improvement on the ribbon.ÿ

 

[John Duncan]

ianandyr:
My 260 TU MkII arrived today via a most efficient eBayer. £15 so I'm pretty pleased with my bargain!

Upgrade fever strikes though and I'm already working out how to improve on my ribbon aerial.

Before I start drilling holes and clambering about on the roof thought I'd just check and see if anyone has recommendations on indoor aerials that will offer a worthwhile improvement on the ribbon.

No no no. A proper aerial wil transform it into a real hifi source - for starters, is there any way you can hook it up to the TV aerial (which also picks up FM)?

 

[ianandyr]

It's in my study so no option to wire up to current external aerial - without aforementioned construction activity I am keen to avoid.

I wasn't getting along with internet radio for Moyles in the morning and Evans in the evening. This is already a much improved sound but there's background hiss during spoken links and quiet music if I have it on stereo.ÿI'd like to be rid of that and then I'm happy.ÿOn mono it sounds lovely with next to no interference but of course I'd like it to sound that good and be in stereo.ÿ

 

[John Duncan]

ianandyr:
It's in my study so no option to wire up to current external aerial - without aforementioned construction activity I am keen to avoid.

I wasn't not getting along with internet radio for Moyles in the morning and Evans in the evening. This is already a much improved sound but there's background hiss during spoken links and quiet music if I have it on stereo. I'd like to be rid of that and then I'm happy. On mono it sounds lovely with next to no interference but of course I'd like it to sound that good and be in stereo.

Yeah I found that with mine (initially with internal aerial) - mono made it sound so much better reception-wise. My cable provider pipes FM through the cable so that's what I ended up plugging it in to (all the frequencies went to pot, but hey). 'Fraid the only proper option is an FM aerial - you;d be surprised at how well and quickly an aerial installer can do this sort of thing, though obviously it would cost you rather more than the radio did in the first place (think 80 quid for starters).

 

[Thaiman]

My mate's dad is using Leak (30?) and I thought it sound lovely, not sure how much now a day though and would it beat the denon? may be not.

 

[Anonymous]

I have to admit that I have been giving serious thought to tuners recently.......

Now DAB is all well and good (I have a nice Pure) but at best it is only ever providing us with 192 kps.... mid-range MP3 territory and the technology could very well soon be eclipsed by internet radio or satelite radio... and seeing as getting hold of the technology we have to pay a premuim to manufacturers (quite rightly as they have to develop the hardware) I am not disposed to invest in it just yet.

However I am not clear what is going to happen to the analogue radio signal either. What happens to radio when the TV analogue signal is turned off? There is no point in buying an FM/AM reciever if the thing becomes totally useless within the next 12 to 24 months (although the Denon does look tasty).

 

[Anonymous]

The FM radio signal will not be turned off when the TV signal is turned off - that much is clear (the government have explicitly stated this). There are too few DAB radios around, especially in cars, to turn it off for many years yet. 2015 or 2020 are currently the most likely times - so you have seven years minimum and most probably longer. Thus it is worth investing in decent kit and ariel.

I also have a question. I have a Denon TU260 and it is very good. However I would like to upgrade. What are the best things available second hand for one or two hundred pounds (possibly even a bit more)?

Thanks

Dan