A tuner question (probably stupid)

[plastic penguin]

I've off and on puzzled over an FM tuner performance.

Are all tuners, by their nature, a neutral source? Bare with me on this one, the reason for the question is that my tuner has always performed very well.....too well sometimes.

Every amp upgrade I've made (not too many, but enough) I just expect the old Marantz to get left behind the CDP, turnatable, amp etc. But to the contrary, when I've tested out better and more effecient amps the tuner consistantly outperforms the other sources. I logically think that a craggy old tuner can't outgun an Arcam CD73T. This is especially noticeable when I tested the Naim Nait 5i and Roksan Kandy LIII.

Any thoughts?

 

[Anonymous]

Maybe it has some qualities that you are looking for and that your other sources don't have ?? I find it difficult to believe that an old tuner outperforms all your other sources in every respect.

 

[plastic penguin]

I know it sounds ridiculous. When I tried the Naim 5i the CDP sounded fatiguing and very boomy. Comparing it to the same track on the tuner, the oldy sounds far more poised, slightly leaner and just far better balanced in its character. Hence why I've raved about it, although I don't understand why.....

 

[Anonymous]

Well, regarding what you said, for example, I know in my system and with certain recordings my cdp is definetely more boomy than my tuner but then again I think this is because my cdp can produce loads more bass and that my positioning is not ideal. 30cm from walls, etc. As you know loads of parameters contribute to what we listen in the end. When you go up the market I think its very trivial to setup correctly so that you can make the most out of your components. And the ideal setup maybe different with each kind of source.

Just a few thoughts...

 

[ear]

strangely i listen to alot of radio.when i test comething at the stores I always try to test with tuner.lots of stations, lots of music variety.its great to test speakers.

 

[plastic penguin]

noble:

Well, regarding what you said, for example, I know in my system and with certain recordings my cdp is definetely more boomy than my tuner but then again I think this is because my cdp can produce loads more bass and that my positioning is not ideal. 30cm from walls, etc. As you know loads of parameters contribute to what we listen in the end. When you go up the market I think its very trivial to setup correctly so that you can make the most out of your components. And the ideal setup maybe different with each kind of source.

Just a few thoughts...

So is a tuner, by definition, more neutral than other sources?

 

[Anonymous]

plastic penguin:noble:

Well, regarding what you said, for example, I know in my system and with certain recordings my cdp is definetely more boomy than my tuner but then again I think this is because my cdp can produce loads more bass and that my positioning is not ideal. 30cm from walls, etc. As you know loads of parameters contribute to what we listen in the end. When you go up the market I think its very trivial to setup correctly so that you can make the most out of your components. And the ideal setup maybe different with each kind of source.

Just a few thoughts...

So is a tuner, by definition, more neutral than other sources?

I'm sorry but someone else might have to answer that one for you. I'm neither qualified nor experienced enough to say anything about that.

 

[chebby]

Generally speaking most companies buy in their 'tuner heads' from the same companies (Kwang Sung very popular in recent years) and the output stages from the likes of Sanyo.

Only a few companies buy in 'bespoke' designs. This may account for some uniformity in tuner sound.

Also broadcast standard professional studio equipment is not going to vary that much unlike domestic gear. Especially if you listen to the BBC predominantly where they have always had very high standards and only use 'processing' sparsely if at all. (Ok I may be wrong about that on R1 but I don't listen to a lot of their stuff.)

 

[cse]

I concur with your opinions plastic penguin. Most HIFI enthusiasts, I have found, doubt my experience, but if you have a good quality FM tuner and reception, it is almost impossible to beat in terms of clarity and detail. I have an ION Obelisk FM1t tuner and its the best part of my HIFI set-up. It nearly always sounds better than my Densen cdp, which I also find amazing and very disappointing as it cost a lot more. I have often thought about upgrading the tuner, but have never found a retailer who has a decent selection of tuners in order to se-up a demo. Any advice?

 

[cse]

Any advice?

 

[plastic penguin]

It's puzzling, it looks like it is.....very old. Build quality is complete rubbish. Modern day cola cans are better built. It's almost like a twenty year old Collie dog, full of warts, lumbago would be rife and yet.....you don't have the heart to put it down.

Why? because, quite simply it sounds sublime compared to hybrid modern tuners. That's all important. SOUND!

Another bonus, it has a mono button (sorry Chebby)......lol

 

[chebby]

If you like the old stuff.

 

[plastic penguin]

chebby:If you like the old stuff.

Now that's more like it.

 

[Anonymous]

One thing to bare in mind with FM radio is the frequency response

FM stereo broadcasts are basically limited to 50-15KHz. Bass
can go lower but the treble response is pretty much a hard limit due to the need for
the 19KHz stereo pilot signal. Most FM tuners use some type of
filter that rolls off audio frequencies rapidly above 15KHz to keep the
19KHz signal out of your system + possible speaker damage.