Recommended Components

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47 Laboratory Model 4730 Midnight Blue: $1500 $$$
From Japan's reliably unconventional 47 Laboratory comes the Model 4730 Midnight Blue stereo FM tuner, surely the only tuner in current production that allows the user to dial in stations with an actual dial. Its modest size (4.8" W by 3.75" H by 8" D) and attractive dark-blue casework set it apart, as does its use of an old-style rotary variable capacitor—made in a small batch to designer Junji Kimura's order—instead of a crappy digital receiver circuit. According to AD, "Decent-quality broadcasts sounded better through the 47 Laboratory Midnight Blue than MP3-quality Internet radio does through any USB digital-to-analog converter of my experience. The 4730 was clear and believably crisp without undue brightness, and while it didn't have the sweetness of, say, a McIntosh MR-65, it performed admirably with weak signals, ultimately pulling usably clean sound from a greater number of stations than the Tivoli Model One I normally use. And the 4730 looks a lot better, and was more fun to use." (Vol.37 No.9 WWW)

C. Crane FM Reflect Antenna: $34.95
The CCrane FM Reflect Antenna is a thick T-run of twin copper wires terminated by a 75 ohm connector. ST arranged it discreetly behind a closed window curtain, and used it to pull in all of his favorite HD Radio stations, including those his Sony XDR-F1HD tuner couldn't otherwise retrieve. "This is, by far, the best indoor FM antenna I have used, with or without HD Radio, and I am buying two more," he said. (Vol.32 No.4)

DaySequerra FM Reference Signature Modification: $3200 (+ cost of tuner) ★
David Day's Signature Mod effectively addresses this ultimate FM tuner's cathode-ray tube's tendency to burn out. Switching circuitry has been added to allow the CRT to turn off when not needed. The Signature Mod also replaces the tuner's incandescent bulbs with longer-lasting LEDs, and uses hand-matched, low-group-delay filters for lower distortion and better channel separation. LG noted punchy, quick bass response, a deeper soundstage, and a more transparent midrange. "The new CRT's greater range of brightness and longer life expectancy makes the Signature Modification essential for owners of the DaySequerra FM tuner." The FMR25 upgrade replaces older models' cathode-ray tube display circuitry with a much brighter and more reliable thin-film-transistor liquid-crystal display, and adds a post-FM demodulation filter to remove noise at 99kHz and above. "A run-don't-walk upgrade for owners of FM References," decided LG. Price is for upgrade only; does not include cost of tuner. (Vol.12 No.6, Vol.14 No.12, Vol.21 No.6, FM Reference; Vol.29 No.9, Signature Modification; Vol.36 No.11 25th Anniversary Edition WWW)

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Tivoli Audio Model One table radio: $149.99 ★
"The Tivoli Model One is a radio stripped to its essentials: no stereo, no station memories, no remote control, no tone controls," said ST. This design from the late Henry Kloss didn't like being played very loud, ST discovered, but was "plenty loud for a typical office, and, ultimately, loud enough for me." He heard "a richness, a warmth, a generosity of tone, and a clarity that made for enjoyable listening. I was never fatigued." "A bit boomy," says JA, "but pleasantly so." AD connected the Model One's record-out jack to his preamp inputs, then muted its speaker. Matching the Tivoli with a RadioShack 15-2163 FM antenna, he found that "the combination has been nothing short of wonderful in my system: a flexible, great-sounding monophonic source for a combined price of only $124." (Vol.24 No.3, Vol.27 No.7 WWW)