eattoride
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FM Tuner for stereo system
Jim Tavegia
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Do not overlook a good outdoor FM antenna for powering your tuner...no matter what you buy. Finco used to make one but I think they may be out of business.

If you live close to a major city Magnum Dynalab makes a great omni that is easy to mount. Winegard still makes some great FM only antennas, but you may need an antenna rotor if you want to do some long distance listening in all directions. I use a model 6000. I'm 24 miles west of ATL.
http://www.winegard.com/offair/radio.php#hd6055p

An older multi-element VHF TV antenna will also work as the FM band is between channels 6 and 7 if memory serves me.
http://www.channelmaster.com/product-overview.php?proID=27&catID=33

There are a number of decent tuners still being made my the likes of Yamaha, Onkyo, Pioneeer, Marantz and others that are more reasonable in price. Deciding how much you will use it will guide how much you should spend. There are also some great used deals on www.audiogon.com .

Also, this link has some great deals on some vintage Macintosh tuners and other gear. http://www.mcintoshaudio.com/ I would not hesitate to buy from here.

eattoride
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Thanks Jim, I'll check out those sites. The problem that I'm having is that most shops in the my area don't carry tuners - seems archaic to them, and the ones that they do carry have digital tuning. So I'm looking for experience from this forum - I'll probably have to buy a tuner without first hearing it.

Regards.

PS I live in the Montreal area - but lived in Norcross Georgia in the early 90's - loved it - good radio too.

Jim Tavegia
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Go to www.audioadvisor.com as they carry Magnum and other brands as well.

Also: www.jr.com www.musicdirect.com
www.accessories4less.com

Jim

mrlowry
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Magnum Dynalab tuners are some of the very best available today.I've had many chances to hear MD90 and it is an amazing tuner. If I were in the market for a new unit that would be my choice hands down. I've done a number of head to heads vs. the Fanfare FT-1A. The MD 90 TROUNCES everything currently on the market that I ever put it up against except the FT-1A. In my opinion it does edge out the Fanfare, and it's less expensive too.

Not to mention that they have unbelievable customer service. A couple of years ago I sent in my FT-11 for service. For less then $100 they replaced the meter lights (which had burned out) re-aligned the tuning section, and replaced the switches. Not to mention the turn around time was lightning fast. The service was so wonderful that I called and thanked them. I also asked why they replaced the stitches when they weren't noisy in the least. Their answer was that in their opinion they would have gotten noisy in the next 5 years and while they had it they wanted to make sure it was the best it could be for many, many years to come.

eattoride
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Thanks Mrlowry,

I went back to the shop today that carries Magum Dynalab - mainly to look at the art they have on display (they also sell art, books, CD's, coffee etc.) and the proprieter stuffed a demo MD90 under my arm. So here I sit, listening to CBC-2 on a really nice sounding "radio".

I'm probably hooked, in fact my lovely wife wants me to buy it.

Now my question changes to: how much better can the this get by moving up the food chain to a higher model such as the MD100?

Thanks again.

mrlowry
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Quote:
Thanks Mrlowry,

I went back to the shop today that carries Magum Dynalab - mainly to look at the art they have on display (they also sell art, books, CD's, coffee etc.) and the proprieter stuffed a demo MD90 under my arm. So here I sit, listening to CBC-2 on a really nice sounding "radio".

I'm probably hooked, in fact my lovely wife wants me to buy it.

Now my question changes to: how much better can the this get by moving up the food chain to a higher model such as the MD100?

Thanks again.

Wow- That sounds like on cool place. I have also heard the MD100, but can't claim to have heard them side by side in a shoot out. I've seen people walk into a demo room with an MD100 as a source and ask which one of the high-end CD players was being used, multiple times.

From my understanding the CBC has a great reputation for sound which is sadly all too rare among radio stations. Luckily I live near Chicago and we have a good number of stations that have great sound as a priority too.

jackfish
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You could also consider a vintage tuner after doing a little research. http://www.fmtunerinfo.com/

Most tuners from the 70s can be found in good shape and will sound better than much of what you can buy today.

I have an Akai AT-2600 that worked very well with the TERK FM-50 antenna I used to use in my attic and even better with the multi-element array FM antenna on a rotor attached to my chimney. I can pull in stations clear as a bell 90 miles away. I regularly listen to stations from the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, Rochester, MN, LaCrosse, Wausau, Stevens Point and WOJB in Reserve, Wisconsin, as well as local low power fm stations.

A friend has a Yamaha CT-7000 he bought on eBay and it is a dandy. He won't tell me what he paid for it and he bought it some time ago so I was not able to look up what he did pay. He even paid for shipping from GB to get it.

eattoride
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Thanks Jackfish,

I've already tried to register at fmtunerinfo.com but haven't heard back from them. The MD90 that I'm demo-ing sounds really good - my speakers disappear, and the soundstage is fairly wide and deep, well it hangs nicely between the speakers anyway. Just not sure that I want to spend so much on a tuner.

How does your tuner compare musically to a good CD player, or vinyl?

ncdrawl
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Quote:
Thanks Jackfish,

I've already tried to register at fmtunerinfo.com but haven't heard back from them. The MD90 that I'm demo-ing sounds really good - my speakers disappear, and the soundstage is fairly wide and deep, well it hangs nicely between the speakers anyway. Just not sure that I want to spend so much on a tuner.

How does your tuner compare musically to a good CD player, or vinyl?

I aint jackfish, but my Factory Modded FT_101A(Magnum Dynalab) sounds incredible...id actually say that it is my favorite component..simply because I listen to radio so much. (NPR and Talk Radio, and oldies). A good tuner=heaven. MD products=unequaled.

eattoride
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Thanks to all. I returned the demo MD90 today, and will likely make a purchase decision in 1 or 2 weeks.

The MD90 sounded really good.

ncdrawl
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I don't think you will find any tuner that equals the Magnum Dynalab products... I was hesitant to say such a thing before I got my own, and boy, was I wrong. That company makes one thing, and they are the best in the business.

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