Vintage Crown FM2 Tuner On Its Way

[W9TR]

Dan,
Congrats - that's a really nice tuner. Here is a review I found online:

http://www.fmtunerinfo.com/CrownFMTworeview.pdf

It is a Julian Hirsch review - of course he loves it .

The FM2 was designed by Larry Schotz, one of the premier tuner designers in the world. He invented the pulse counting discriminator (your tuner has one) and the variable bandwidth blend circuit used by Delco and others in their car radios. He designed the NAD tuners back in the day. He went on to found LS Research, now a major wireless R&D and testing company.

Let us know how it sounds!

Tom

[Vintage Pete]

Originally Posted by jdandy

Pete.......Thank you. I'll warehouse the Crown FM2 for you until you're ready to make it a part of that amazing Crown system you have in your office.

[Formerly YB-2]

Very nice, Dan. One cannot have too many tuners. Collecting them 'tis a gentle madness.

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by W9TR

Dan,
Congrats - that's a really nice tuner. Here is a review I found online:

http://www.fmtunerinfo.com/CrownFMTworeview.pdf

It is a Julian Hirsch review - of course he loves it .

The FM2 was designed by Larry Schotz, one of the premier tuner designers in the world. He invented the pulse counting discriminator (your tuner has one) and the variable bandwidth blend circuit used by Delco and others in their car radios. He designed the NAD tuners back in the day. He went on to found LS Research, now a major wireless R&D and testing company.

Let us know how it sounds!

Tom.......Thank you very much for the link to the Julian Hirsch review. I enjoyed reading it. It is interesting to discover that Larry Schotz was the design engineer on this tuner. I'll certainly post a review of the Crown FM2 tuner once I have a chance to put it through its paces.

Reading Julian Hirsch's review brought back fond memories of the many years I read Audio magazine and High Fidelity magazine.

[W9TR]

Dan,
I thought reading the review was a blast from the past. The layout, typography, and technical content brought back memories of my Audio magazine subscription. I'm kind of a techie, so I related to the more technical stuff Audio published.

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by W9TR

Dan,
I thought reading the review was a blast from the past. The layout, typography, and technical content brought back memories of my Audio magazine subscription. I'm kind of a techie, so I related to the more technical stuff Audio published.

Tom.......Same here. I began reading High Fidelity magazine in 1968 and subscribed from then until the magazine was purchased and merged into Stereo Review. That irritated me so I stopped reading it for a few months, then decided to subscribe to Stereo Review, which I read until it changed into Sound and Vision. That's when I canceled my subscription and haven't read that publication since its first few issues which I found boring and too trendy.

I began reading, then subscribing to Audio magazine in 1969 and maintained my subscription through their last issue in early 2000. I liked Audio magazine far more than Stereo Review because the reviews were more technical and in depth. I still have a few issues of Audio around here somewhere.

Now I read Stereophile and The Absolute Sound. I am not as serious about reading those two publications as I used to be in my earlier audio days. They are more like coffee table magazines. I browse them more than I actually read them, although on occasion I do find a review that captures my attention.

Thinking back across all those old publications, my systems at that time, and my enthusiasm for the audio hobby always puts a smile on my face and warms my heart. I have been at this a long time. My audio experiences have brought me much pleasure and knowledge. I wouldn't trade those experiences for anything. I guess that is why I like owning certain vintage audio gear like early McIntosh, JBL, and now the Crown FM2 that is soon to arrive. The nostalgia I feel when I turn on vintage gear like my restored MA230 and get the old JBL's rocking generates a sentimental yearning for those distant special times so long ago. Those experiences trigger a certain glow that I treasure.

[Still-One]

Dan
Pete is going to be really upset when he reads this. Check his pockets the next time he visits you.

Nice look piece.

[Frank750]

The picture of that tuner brings back some fond memories. I bought the Crown stack, amp, preamp and tuner back in the 80s and held on to them for a long time. Think I gave them away in 2005. They had been sitting in a storage room of mine for years at that point.

The tuner is great! The amp and preamp, although built like tanks didn't sound all that great, at least in my opinion. But, I wish I still had them. They looked brand new when I gave them away.

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by Still-One

Dan
Pete is going to be really upset when he reads this. Check his pockets the next time he visits you.

Nice look piece.

Jim.......Pete is aware that I will have this tuner tomorrow. I actually called him after Terry PM'd me about the tuner. My thinking was that perhaps Pete might want to add the Crown FM2 tuner to his amazing Crown system in his office. He has enough irons in the fire right now so I told him I would keep the FM2 until the day comes he may want it. That day may or may not ever come but I'm ok with it either way.

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by Frank750

The picture of that tuner brings back some fond memories. I bought the Crown stack, amp, preamp and tuner back in the 80s and held on to them for a long time. Think I gave them away in 2005. They had been sitting in a storage room of mine for years at that point.

The tuner is great! The amp and preamp, although built like tanks didn't sound all that great, at least in my opinion. But, I wish I still had them. They looked brand new when I gave them away.

Frank.......Sounds like someone got a nice deal when you passed the crown system along. You did not say, but I am assuming you had the slim Crown Line 2 amp, preamp and the FM2 tuner. Pete's system is Crowns greatest effort before ceasing home audio production. I have heard this system several times and it sounds excellent. When you look at Pete's rack of Crown gear the only thing missing is a Crown tuner. I'm guessing he want this FM2 tuner before too long.