rmd@hpcnoa.UUCP (01/29/84)
I want to buy a new FM tuner. I listen to FM a lot, and the poor quality of the sound is really starting to get to me. I realize that much of the problem is with the broadcasters, but I want to do the best I can with what is now available. I think the tuner in my receiver is not doing as good a job as it could. Here is my situation: I live about 60 miles north of Denver. Most of the time I listen to FM stations broadcasting from mountains near Denver and Boulder. There are also a few stations within 20 miles. I have an attic antenna pointed south and all of these signals come in at a high signal level and with a good signal to noise ratio. Additionally, there are a few marginal stations in Cheyenne Wyoming and in Denver which come in with a noticeable amount of noise. There are a number of stations in Colorado Springs and in Wyoming which I would like to listen to but the noise level is just too high. I switch stations often, choosing between 8 or 10 Denver and local stations. Here are some specific complaints about my present receiver: -distortion of high frequencies (e.g. consonant sounds in voices) even on strong signals -not enough preset stations (I have 6). I would like to have at least 10 -poor high frequency response -residual 'birdie' noise (squeaks and whistles you sometimes hear while tuning AM radios) on FM stations which would otherwise be very quiet. -poor ADJACENT channel rejection when I'm trying to receive a weak signal 200 Khz from a stong station -Extraneous signals on empty frequencies which contain music from 2 local stations simultaneously -I would love to have a remote control to switch stations I would like to hold the cost of a new tuner to $300 to $600. I would like to hear opinions on the various tuners now available that my come close to meeting my needs. Rick Dow inhp4!hpfcla!rmd
gregs@uo-vax1.UUCP (02/09/84)
Although I personally don't have one, most people seem to agree that Carver's TX-11 tuner is the one to buy these days. The big plus is the multipath rejection circuitry...check it out at your local dealer. It sounds like it would be perfectly suited to your listening area. If anyone else has any personal favorites, I'd like to hear about them, because I should be buying a tuner one of these days... ------ Greg Stewart University of Oregon hplabs!hp-pcd!uoregon!uo-vax1!gregs
rmd@hpcnoa.UUCP (02/10/84)
I finally settled the issue of which FM tuner to buy by going out and
buying four FM tuners (with the understanding that I could return them
within a week or so for any reason). I brought them all home and did
direct A/B comparisons of two tuners at a time -- using a roof antenna,
a roof preamp/splitter, and dual 75 ohm coax as the signal sources.
I tested the following tuners:
-NAD 4150 with 'Schotz' detector and 1.2 microvolt claimed usable
sensitivity.
-Sony ST-S555 ES. This has similar specification to the Pioneer F90
tuner and uses somewhat similar concepts in its design. (I couldn't
find an F90). The Sony also has the most 'high-tech' user interface.
-Carver TX11. This has some typically bizarre Carver circuitry and
specs a 50db quieting sensitivity of 6 microvolts into 300 ohms.
-Denon TU-720. This is an analog tuner with a slide-rule dial. I got
it from the local 'high end' outlet (who naturally claimed that
analog tuners sounded better than digitally synthesized tuners)
-JVC RS77 receiver. This is my original receiver.
The Carver and the Sony blew away everyone else. For my needs, the
Carver was somewhat better than the Sony, but that might not be true for
everyone. I took me 5 hours to decide between the Carver and the Sony,
and I changed my mind twice in the process. The Carver has advantages,
but they are fairly subtle.
Here are comparisons of the five tuners with respect to characteristics
I consider important:
Distortion: (on strong stations)
1) Carver
gap
2) Sony
big gap
3) NAD
big gap
4) Denon
5) JVC
Distortion: (on weak stations)
1) Sony
2) Carver
big gap
3) NAD
4) Denon
5) JVC
Selectivity:
1) Carver
gap
2) Sony
big gap
3) NAD, Denon, JVC (tie)
Frequency Response:
1) Carver, Sony, NAD, Denon (tie)
big gap
5) JVC
Sensitivity:
1) Carver
gap
2) Sony
big gap
3) NAD
4) Denon, JVC (tie)
Presets:
1) Carver (16)
2) Sony (8)
3) JVC (6)
4) NAD (5)
5) Denon (0)
The thing that finally convinced me to go with the Carver was the fact
that it could reduce the distortion on the strong stations I listen to
most frequently. Also, it could receive the largest number of stations
(and they were listenable).