FM Tuners


I LIVE JUST OUTSIDE A METROPOLITAN AREA WITH ROLLING HILLS APPROXIMATELY 200FT TALL. I LIVE IN THE VALLEY AREA. WHAT MODEL OR BRAND OF TUNER WOULD YOU USE? I AM USING MARTIN LOGAN PRODIGY SPEAKERS, MARK LEVINSON 360 AMP AND AUDIO RESEARCH SP1 PREAMP WITH CALIFORNIA AUDIO MKII ICON CD PLAYER. THE CABLES ARE VERY GOOD ALSO. THE TUNER DOES NOT HAVE TO BE EXPENSIVE, JUST AS CLEAR AS POSSIBLE UNDER THESE CONDITIONS.
electrostaticman
Dunno & Sean thank you for the wise advise. Have either of you auditioned these units? or the step down versions MD100,Md90 or FT101A/ETUDE.
Thank you.
For the record, i'm assuming that "Dunno" was Bob as his post was above mine.

I have used a Magnum 101 and found that two of my other tuners sounded better and operated with less problems. Those are MY results in MY systems at MY location. Much of what you experience with a tuner will be location and broadcast dependent. Then again, i live less than 20 miles from most of the major broadcasters in my area, so other aspects of these specific tuners might not come into play. My experience has been that tuners with the best sound quality typically do not have the best "ears" i.e. they lack "sensitivity" to weak or distant stations. That is why i stressed the importance of a good outdoor antenna if you are ANY type of distance from the transmitters.

I have another tuner on the way as we speak. It too is supposed to sound EXCELLENT but is lacking in the "long distance receive" category. Luckily, i am not in that boat at this point in time. Should i choose to relocate further away from Chicago, i may be forced to change all of my "tuner criteria".... Sean
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I posted this link on tw other threads before I found this one, which seems more appropriate. What do you guys think about this website - it seems to cover a lot of the same ground as this discussion:
http://www.geocities.com/tunerinfo/

The site also reinforces my DIY/anti-Magnum bias (I just can't see spending thousands of dollars on a tuner when I can buy one for a few hundred and work on it to make it better!). I happen to love old tuners and didn't really realize that you can really get audiophile stuff on eBay.
good website and thanks for posting it Mendenhalx. While i did not agree with all of their comments based on first hand experience, i think it will give a lot of people food for thought. Sean
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