I'm looking for a budget fm tuner which is the best sound for radio 2 etc I have a good fm aerial thankyou for your help
Budget tuner wanted up to £100
- Thread starter Nadfan
- Start date
chebby
Well-known member
MeanandGreen
Well-known member
I strongly recommend the NAD 4020 in any of it's guises. It came as 4020, 4020A and 4020B as the years progressed. They are all essentially the same.
It's an old tuner at 30+ years old and it's a very simple and basic design. No digital presets or RDS, but it is very reliable, easy to use and sounds incredibly good!
I paid £40 for one with it's original box and instructions in very good condition including postage on eBay last year and I love it! Very retro, and functional.
There is usually a good selection of these on the second hand market and they are always fully working from what I've seen. I doubt you'd find a better sounding hifi tuner for such little cost.
If ease of use, simplicity and great sound are your priorities, it's perfect.
It's an old tuner at 30+ years old and it's a very simple and basic design. No digital presets or RDS, but it is very reliable, easy to use and sounds incredibly good!
I paid £40 for one with it's original box and instructions in very good condition including postage on eBay last year and I love it! Very retro, and functional.
There is usually a good selection of these on the second hand market and they are always fully working from what I've seen. I doubt you'd find a better sounding hifi tuner for such little cost.
If ease of use, simplicity and great sound are your priorities, it's perfect.
I've got a Nad 4225 tuner got last year on eBay for £6 like new but seems to suffer dep bass and station name isn't displayed etc I've read Denon are good tuner or another Nad ?
plastic penguin
Well-known member
Agree wih Chebby.Deffo Denon 260L. I have the MKII version and that only cost £14.00, although I was pretty lucky to ge such a mint example at the price. Fabulous tuners though.
Otherwise look for a Arcam T51. Like Nad and Denon the T51 is pretty smooth and shouldn't be too taxing on the signal.
Otherwise look for a Arcam T51. Like Nad and Denon the T51 is pretty smooth and shouldn't be too taxing on the signal.
Ihad a denon TU1800 (I think that's the right mame) dab/fm tuner which suffered from dab signal dropout. This problem was noted on several forums, so you might want to be wary about that model.
Ihad a denon TU1800 (I think that's the right mame) dab/fm tuner which suffered from dab signal dropout. This problem was noted on several forums, so you might want to be wary about that model.
Mine still works , although cdp's with the same display are famous for failing , my 502 cdp had 2 replacements 6 years so maybe I've been lucky with the radio
plastic penguin
Well-known member
Where I live the signal is intermittent. Have no signal issues with the 260L. DAB signals are awful around my area but as you're only looking for FM the Denon is ideal.
Or you could look at Marantz. They produce very good tuners. Still got mine in the loft but it isn't for sale due to its rareity.
Or you could look at Marantz. They produce very good tuners. Still got mine in the loft but it isn't for sale due to its rareity.
MeanandGreen
Well-known member
You could look at retro Pioneers too, like I said earlier though the NAD 4020A I bought last year is very good indeed. The Denon TU 260L is a classic FM tuner which was very well regarded in it's day.
Basically a good example of a Denon, NAD, Pioneer or Marantz is going to be a great value and good performing tuner.
Basically a good example of a Denon, NAD, Pioneer or Marantz is going to be a great value and good performing tuner.
My Nad 521 CD player lasted 20 years no problems before I got a Technics Pg4 CD player off eBay for £20 in box with remote mint condition sounds wonderful just like audio file reviews online ! On the Denon Tuner 260 il does the display fail as some on eBay say display dim but readable ? I've read reviews on Denon very good indeed and want display to show station name ie Radio 2 etc thank you for your help I think it's a Denon off eBay for around £10 I see it won awards in its dayJamesMellor said:
plastic penguin
Well-known member
The display does not dim and does show the station name. On some stations even tells you what track is being played.
radiorog
Well-known member
I was given a denon tu 260 L, and it sounds as decent as I think I need for an FM radio. It does have a slightly more lightweight sound tho than my CD player. Sometimes the FM signal is a bit crackly, but then I put it into mono mode and crackle goes. If you have good aerial tho you may not have this issue. Also where you live will obvs alter signal. I'm happy with mine, but would be interested mostly out of curiosity what other tuners sound like. For under £30 tho, got to be a bargain.
You should be able to pick up a cyrus FM7 or FM7.5 for under £100.
Superb reception, a detailed, big and weighty sound and one of the best signal strength meters.
Superb reception, a detailed, big and weighty sound and one of the best signal strength meters.
record_spot
Well-known member
Once you'vebought your radio, spend £3 or so and get the Tune-in radio app. Availability is wide these days and on more platforms than I care to recall. Can sound wonderful but the choice is incredible and the real winner.
radiorog
Well-known member
Forget what I said about 260 sounding a bit lightweight. I've just changed interconnects and its now meaty with loads of bass. Interconnects clearly can make a pretty large difference.
radiorog
Well-known member
I had atlas element, and just upgraded to atlas equator mkiii as one of the interconnects was broken.
Pretty much taken aback by the difference.
Pretty much taken aback by the difference.
radiorog
Well-known member
I couldn't find any deals. Had to buy full price. I went to future shop. I didn't look at 2nd hand because the last time I did this they were broken, hence having to buy some more.
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