Any recommendation for a modern FM tuner

Ryan, some of the information you provide in your always pointed and lengthy, albeit often contradictory (including tuner recommendations), posts is useful. You clearly envision yourself as the very authority on all things FM, what with your propensity to label poster's comments as “categorically incorrect”, products as “garbage”, certain mods as a “ripoff”, approaches to tuner improvements as “stupid”, and chiding one poster’s assessment of a tuner by asking him just how many high-end tuners he’s auditioned while passing judgment on another yourself by employing the tired “or so I’ve heard” evidence. But since you are the FM God, I suppose we should all defer to your omnipotence and assume that length of post equals legitimacy.

And, as to your use of the “so I’ve heard/so I’ve been told” qualifier with respect to Don Scott. I do not know Don personally, but I know that he has performed quite a number of mods for a great many folks and I have yet to hear from anyone who was dissatisfied. To my knowledge, Don does not post in this forum so your “I INVITE DON TO REFUTE THIS PUBLICLY” challenge is cowardly, at best. If you want him to your answer YOUR claims, why don’t YOU contact him yourself and ask? By your own admission you are making claims based on “what you’ve been told” – spurious indeed. If you want to make these near libelous claims, how about providing some actual proof and not mere innuendo? YOU have the responsibility to back up what YOU have said. Don has no obligation to answer your heretofore unfounded accusations.

I don’t know if you have a personal thing going with Don, or not. Your reference in other threads to “we” at the FM Tuner Board implies that this may very well be the case. In any event, I suggest that you refrain from such professional competency assassination unless you are prepared to provide the proof necessary to finish what your mouth has started.

Oh, and this is my considered response, offered at your invitation.

Ryanmh1: "I've been told that one of his "modified" units measured around 10dB channel separation." Although 4yanx has composed a very reasonable response to your opinion, I would like to emphasize that you do not state any real evidence other than heresay for your views. How do you know that Mr. Scott did not specifically design the unit for someone with only 10dB of separation? If a customer lives in a region w/poor reception, he/she may be seeking modifications that are appropriate for distal reception rather than audiophile sound. I had Don modify a unit to my specific requirements, and the end result was ideal (he also guaranteed the work with no strings attached).

Just my opinion.

4yanx, Nice job digging up everything I ever posted! =) I certainly don't feel I am any sort of "FM God", but just a guy who is as obsessed with FM as Michael Fremer is obsessed with turntables. I did label a few expensive antennas as rip-off junk once, which is true when you can get a 6 element FM Yagi at Radio Shack for $22.99. I do slam a lot of tuners, but I legitimately believe there are much better for less money. To some, that won't matter, and that's their own prerogative. But point taken: "junk" isn't a fair or accurate word, and I'll temper it a bit more in the future.

As for Mr. Scott, I felt a caution had to be made. Most tuner users do not have the capability to evaluate nor measure a modified product. I'm not trying to be devious by not naming sources, just protecting the privacy they desire. Suffice to say they are very technically competant individuals with full analysis and measurement capabilities with whom I have had significant correspondance. Your suggestion is well taken: While Don may not know of his botched IF modification, he certainly will know what alignment equipment he uses. I'll ask him, and if he has a good generator which he uses, I'll publicly eat the words from my previous post on that subject.

Most importantly, however, Antenna Performance does great mod work: they use a Meguro IF Filter Digimarscope for analyzing 10.7MHZ IF Filters and use a Sound Technology ST-1000A for alignment work. It's not the best, but its good enough for most tuners. NOTE: I have nothing to do with these guys.

Gabbro, Although high blend would normally be the way to deal with poor multipath-ridden reception, I suppose someone might have asked for that, but not on the particular tuner in question. But here's an offer for you: If you want, Email me privately and we can work this out if you'd like: If you can ever go without your tuner for a week or two, ship it to me and I'll do a full spectral analysis of it and provide you with detailed FFT performance graphs for free. You may just make me stuff a sock in it, and at the least, you'll have 20 or so really cool plots to show your friends and to amuse yourself with. I'll even pay the return shipping.

Finally, I like long posts. I'll take length over a "Get a Sonicbliss Magnoblaster. It sounds really neat" any day. Of course, that would keep me out of a lot of trouble. =)

Back to recommendations... Sansui TU-X1 for analog and slightly modified Yamaha TX-1000/2000 or T-85 for digital (or the very similar Rotel RHT-10/RT-990BX) are the top of my audiophile list without having to dip into very scarce Accuphases. Good classic tuner reading: The Sansui TU-X1 product procure: http://www.classicsansui.net/Tuners.htm

Regards,

Searching for a tuner is not easy. What about the Marantz ST-6000 tuner? It is a modern tuner and is priced under $300. The article below says good things about it:

http://www.tnt-audio.com/sorgenti/marantz-st6000_e.html

Is the ST-6000 any good in terms of sound quality and its ability to pick up stations? thanks..

Phew! My recommendation to chase the older (1990-ish) NAD Monitor Series tuner (4300?) or receivers (7100, 7400, 7600) for a fine cheap tuner is based on my empirical results that they perform much better than newer ones (like my NAD T751 HT receiver), but certainly not as life-like as my new Magnun Dynalab 100. Can't understand how Ryan slams the MDs. This $1k newbie sounds GREAT!