Venturing into vintage territory

[MeanandGreen]

I'm currently waiting on a FM tuner arriving courtesy of ebay. It's a NAD 4020A and it's at least 30 years old. It's simplistic design is what has drawn me to it, I've been fancying a tuner for a while and to be honest today's choices are very poor. It's all either way too expensive or it's brands I have never heard of at the budget end. I mean what pedigree do Tibo have?

Also DAB hasn't really convinced me regarding sound quality, I've always got the option of my iOS devices docked through my Arcam digital dock which runs thorough my system if I want digital only stations. I've had FM tuners a long time ago and radio has never sounded as good as I remeber it being back then. Today's Internet and DAB broadcasts just seem a bit flat to me.

The NAD seemed a bargain at £50 posted with it's original box, instructions and even a 300 ohm T shapped ribbon ariel included. I know it's old but after a little research these seem like reliable little units.

I'm actually quite excited! It will only see light use with me and I only listen to local radio and some BBC.

 

[plastic penguin]

Like Chebby I'm a huge radio head. Everything from music to BBC Radio 4 dramas to live football. I have a good FM tuner and quite like most of the stations on Freeview (TV and Sky box).

Still have fond memories of my old retro Marantz tuner, which SQ-wise I can't separate from the Denon. That wasn't the point of changing though.

Hope you get years of joy from your tuner.

 

[chebby]

I love radio in all it's forms (except DAB). The great thing, the best thing, about internet radio is the ability to plunder BBC iPlayer Radio for just exactly what you want you hear, when you want to hear it. I also love their archives and podcasts (so many).

I even use BBC radio on Freeview (occasionally) to record drama series to my Humax for longer term 'keeping' than iPlayer affords. (At least until BBC bring out the Audio CDs.)

However, I still have a soft spot for BBC FM broadcasts and - especially - I have been a regular (daily) Radio 4 listener for all of my adult life and most of my teenage years. (Since the second episode of 'Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy' at the age of 15.)

Crazy though it might seem - in an age of age of microscopically small, but hugely powerful modern digital chippery - I am still drawn to those unecessarily large (and mostly empty) 1970s tuners with their glowing, backlit tuning scales and signal strength meters, mono buttons and 'flywheel' rotary tuning knobs. I grew up during the transition from backlit tuning scales (with their backstage arrangements of pulleys and cords and fascinating things like variable capacitors) to the 'tuner on a chip' of which this is a more recent example.

My tuners over the years ...

(This Sony ST-88 was already about 6 six years old when I bought it - used - to partner my NAD 3020B.)

(QED T260)

(Rega Radio)

(Naim NAT05)

(My coffee mug.)

Good luck with your 4020. I hope it's useful to you for many years to come.

 

[MeanandGreen]

My NAD arrived today and I'm really pleased with it!

For a 30+ year old piece of electronics it's remarkably good! Everything is working correctly and it's in great cosmetic condition. I love the glow of the backlit frequency scale and the weight of the tuning dial. The muting and stereo buttons are nice and solid as they click in or out when pressed. The tuning LEDs are so simple yet effective.

It doesn't even look out of place amongst more modern tech, the typical grey NAD look seems to age well. You can see some similarities between the tuner and my NAD amp which is a current model.

It picks up my main station choices well, which will save me some faffing about with apps on my iPod touch. I'm feeding it from a 75 ohm coaxial wall socket, there is some slight stereo hiss on occasions, but it's great Hi-FI radio for little cost. It brings back memories of an old Pioneer SX 440 receiver I once had, that was a gorgeous piece of electronics to look at when lit up.

You just can't buy new kit with charachter and simplicity like this!

 

[MeanandGreen]

By the way chebby I also am a fan of BBC iPlayer Radio, it is a very good user experience. It's been my main source of radio in the house for ages, I've just had a hankering for a good old FM tuner as it's been about 10 years since I last had one set up and I'm a sucker for those back lights and tuning dials!