Do higher end tuners pull in more stations


?
Have got a nice bottom of the line NAD digital tuner (think it listed at about 200 when I bought it two or three years ago) and a well installed (IMHO) outdoor antenna.
As you go up the food chain in tuners do you typically get;
1. Better sound and no significant difference in fm reception.
2. Better sound and more staticky fringe stations.
3. Better sound and more stations that come in strong and clear enough to be enjoyable.

Other thing, if the answer is 3, anyone got a favorite tuner at a good price to performance ratio?
jeff_jones
Check out www.fmtunerinfo.com

There are some very good tuners manufactured today, but there are plenty of vintage tuners that are better and can be had for less.

You will also find that different tuners can be better at different things - some are very sensitive, some a very selective. There are a lot of compromises to make based on what your needs are.
Onhwy61.

wow. your tuner link has grown quite a bit since I last looked at it some time ago.
Ugh.. Cleanup post. Price and performance often have little to do with each other UNLESS we're talking about particular models within a given Japanese manufacturer's line.

Audiophile brands for the most part have never built a truly state of the art tuner. McIntosh did, once, the MR78. Audiolab did, once, with the 8000T. Accuphases are decent, but not really THAT special. Rotel did, one, with the RHT10 and RT990BX, but those were basically Yamaha knockoffs with certain parts upgraded. H/K did some interesting stuff with the Citation 23, but they aren't really an "audiophile" brand per se.

Read TIC (website above). It will learn you up good. Don't buy audiophile brand tuners. They will rip you off good. Tuners are by far one of the most complicated devices to design and build, and just as difficult to buy for many.

Truly good state of the art tuners being made today? NONE. No one has taken a genuine stab at it in years. Accuphase reportedly may have something on the horizon, and if an when it is offered, it'll probably be the best current offering by a long shot.
If you are looking for a tuner right out of the box that may be considered an audiophile piece, I vote for the Marantz ST-17, often discounted down to $395. It is better than the current flock of MDs.