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madmax · June 2006

At an antique store the other day I found a really manly looking AM/FM tuner and decided to give it a try. I've had several and they all sound like **** in one way or another. One didn't pick up anything, another had noises no matter how good the station was, another really sucked on AM, and some others had strange sonics in one way or another. I had all but given up. Luckily I was in a "last chance" mode and picked it up.

It is a Toshiba (of all things) model ST420. It picks up AM and FM very well, is very quiet when a station is tuned in and actually has an audiophile class sound. One exception is that it has a bit of emphasis around 7Khz which accents cymbals a bit but I'm being very picky here. This is the first tuner I've had that I can actually enjoy the sound quality of. The problems include a burnt out bulb on one of the meters and a little dirt on the faceplate. It looks like it will clean up perfectly. One cool thing is its size. It is beefy and has a 19" wide front. It matches my old pioneer ctf-900 cassette deck in styling. I'll take a pic after I clean the faceplate. This one is a keeper for sure!
madmax

RuSsMaN · June 2006

Everyone should have a good tuna in the 2ch mix. I love Classical 101.1 at night on my modded Sansui TU-417. If you haven't already, check out fmtunerinfo.com - a buddy of mine Jim Rivers helps to run the site, post reviews, mods, etc.

steveinaz · June 2006

pics man, pics. Also how about a pic of that grand 'ol CTF-900, I love those things---killer cassette deck.

My pride and joy in the early 80's was a Teac Z6000 cassette deck, that sucker was cool; bias adjustments for your particular brand of tape, dbx pro NR, all kinds of neat tweak features.

madmax · June 2006

I'm especially happy about finding the tuna because I have actively looked for a good sounding one for years. I was almost to the point of thinking maybe they just can't sound good enough to actually enjoy. I've looked several times and have not been able to find any info on the ST420 but I'll try that link.

danger boy · June 2006

vintage tuners like yours sound quite good.. much better than todays digital ones...

I think a lot of people have never heard a classic Sansui or Pioneer tuner before.. and are surprised at how good FM sound can be. Of course it doesn't compare to a CD or other digital source like that.. Vintage tuners are big, bulky, heavy, need adjustments and service.. but damn, they can sound quite good.

Love my Pioneer TX-9500II the thing weighs as much as a small amp!!

billbillw · June 2006

Definetly a must for the 2-channel system. Atlanta has a very good radio market IMHO. There are multiple choices for jazz, classical, blues, and of course all the mainstream and classic rock music.

I'm on my 3rd tuner in about 8 months and I'm about to get my 4th (to match a newly aquired Sony ES integrated amp). They have all been very good here outside Atlanta. I've mainly been buying them cheap and turning them for a small profit after I have listened to them and compared for a month or two. I prefer the higher end digital tuners of the mid-80s > early 90s. My favorite so far was the Pioneer Elite F-51. I sold it and replaced it with an Onkyo T-407 to match my Amp. It works well, but the Elite sounded more musical. The key to getting good FM reception is the antenna. Even with an expensive tuner, you won't get squat without at least a half-wave dipole. I've got mine connected to my roof antenna (that was installed for HDTV) and static is non-existent.

madmax · June 2006

So if I were to build an antenna, what would be the best and how do I go about it. I need both an AM and an FM antenna. Right outside the house is a tall fireplace, maybe I could put something up there?
madmax

unc2701 · June 2006

http://www.kyes.com/antenna/antennatypes/antennatypes.html

billbillw · June 2006

madmax wrote:

So if I were to build an antenna, what would be the best and how do I go about it. I need both an AM and an FM antenna. Right outside the house is a tall fireplace, maybe I could put something up there?
madmax

Lots of options. It really depends where your stations are located. All in one direction or in multiple directions. If you are in an urban area, you don't need much. Build a halfwave dipole and mount it under the gutter or on a deck rail.

My antenna is technically a UHF antenna for TV, but its good enough to get every Atlanta station.

If you need more, and all your stations are in one direction, RadioShack sells a small Yagi that works well and its less than $30 (not including mounting stuff and cable) Yagis are directional.
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103089&cp=&pg=8&y=11&origkw=antenna&s=A-StorePrice-RSK&kw=antenna&x=17&parentPage=search

If your stations are located in multiple directions and you don't want to invest in a rotor, make a "J-pole" antenna. J-poles are vertically oriented and have omni-directional gain. Here is a website that describes how to make one. http://www.vcars.org/tech/J_Pole2M.html

You want to design it to be near the midpoint of the FM dial (93 or so)

steveinaz · June 2006

Max
You may even be able to get away with an attic mount if your close to major city.

Polkersince85 · June 2006

Nice tuner. Last weekend I picked up a Kenwood KT-313 at a thrift store. Perfect specimen. Love the old dial faces. Best sounding one I've got though is my Carver TX-11a. Sweet. I also have a Soundcraftsmen ST-6001. I like the variable output on it.

madmax · June 2006

Thanks for the links, I am reading through them now. I have an old uhf/vhf antenna in the atic. I may give that a try first. I like the jpole idea too.
madmax

amulford · June 2006

I use my old one in the attic. Works fine.

I like the J pole idea. I need something for the GaRage.

billbillw · June 2006

For my garage system, I use a half wave dipole made out of two equal lengths (each about 25 inches) of 12 gauge solid copper wire that was striped bare and stapled to a small board. The ends of each wire are soldered to the center conductor and ground of a short lenght of coax. Works quite well. I can pick up some stations that are like 60 miles away. In fact, I have another one that is similar hooked up to my home theater receiver and it does much better than the silly wire that was included. Antennas don't have to be complex, they just need to be designed properly.

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