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#1
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The magic of a tuner
Does anyone else feel that a certain "magic" of a tuner is all part of a tuner experience? I'm in my 30s and I remember as a kid scanning around the AM band late at night and picking up far away stations from exotic locales such as St. Louis (I'm in Chicago) and being amazed. Something from St. Louis was making its way into my bedroom! When a buddy of mine got a shortwave radio my mind was completely blown.
Fast forward to my college days when Internet radio started to become popular and I thought it was cool to listen to college stations from remote areas, but it was never very exciting to me. Since then I had a series of AVRs with horrible tuners and never got into FM, aside from a great local college station. After I picked up a serviced MR74 2 years ago or so the magic returned. I was picking up fringe stations in the 88-92 band and discovering all sorts of interesting content. Finely tuning the station in via the analog knob made it seem like I was contributing to the magic of pulling these stations in. The MR74 is in storage and I've got the excellent MR88, which kind of removes a little magic with its digital tuning, but I still get fascinated by scanning that lower band and seeing what I can find. I need to mount the AM antenna and see what I can find with that. I don't know why, but it's so much more satisfying to tune in a station with my MR88 than it is to just listen to an online stream. I'm not sure what my point here is, but does anyone feel the same magic with their tuner(s)? They're just FUN and that's what this hobby is all about! |
#2
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I have an MR85 in Florida, and the MR88 in Cape Cod. For some reason I use and really enjoy my MR88 a lot.
The MR85 barely sees any use.
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Ivan FLORIDA MX136, MC1.2KW(10) MC2KW(2), MCD1100, MS750(2) MVP881, C1000C/P/T, MPC1500, HT-2 SUBS(2) HT3F(2) WS350(2) XRT2K, XCS2K, XR27(2) XCS350(2) JL GOTHAM v2 SUBS(2) SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, LUMAGEN RADIANCE SCALER, SONY VPH-G90U 4K PROJECTOR, STEWART 120" MOTORIZED SCREEN, CINEMA-TECH SEATING, WW PLATINUM CABLES Reference System: ACCUPHASE A300 AMPS, C3900 PRE-AMP, DP1000 CD/SACD TRANSPORT, DC1000 DIGITAL PROCESSOR, DG-68 DIGITAL EQUALIZER, T1200 FM STEREO TUNER, PS1230 POWER SUPPLY, HRS-SXR CUSTOM RACK w/ M3X SHELVES, TAD REFERENCE ONE MK2 LOUDSPEAKERS, WW PLATINUM CABLES CAPE COD MX150, MC501(2) MC1.2KW(10) MC2301(2) MR88, MVP881, MCD1100, MDA1000, C1000C/P/T, MPC1500, ESOTERIC K-01X 30th ANNIVERSARY (BLACK) SACD/CD PLAYER, G02-X CLOCK, HT3F(2) XRT2K, XCS2K, XR27(2) JL GOTHAM v2 SUBS(2) JL FATHOM F113v2 SUBS(4) SOUND ANCHOR STANDS(2) KALEIDESCAPE STRATO & TERRA SERVERS 80-TB, LUMAGEN RADIANCE SCALER, SONY VPH-G90U 4K PROJECTOR, STEWART 120" SCREEN, SONUS FABER STRADIVARI, SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, FORTRESS SEATING, WW PLATINUM CABLES Analog Rig: CLEARAUDIO INNOVATION WOOD, UNIVERSAL ARM w/ Da VINCI' CART, 2nd UNIVERSAL ARM w/ GOLDFINGER STATEMENT CART, HRS-MXR REFERENCE RACK-GLOSS BLACK w/ M3X SHELVES, AESTHETIX RHEA SIG PHONO-PRE, BRYSTON BHA-1 HEADPHONE AMP, WW PLATINUM CABLES Reference System: BURMESTER 911MK3 AMP(3), 088 PRE-AMP, 089 CD PLAYER, 100 PHONO PRE-AMP, 948 POWER CONDITIONER, ACCUPHASE DG-68 VOICING EQUALIZER, AVID ACUTUS REFERENCE SP TT, GRAHAM PHANTOM II SUPREME ARM, BENZ MICRO LP-S CART, GRANDIOSO P1X/D1X STACK, G1X RUBIDIUM MASTER CLOCK, N05 NETWORK PLAYER, SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, HRS-SXR CUSTOM RACK w/ M3X SHELVES, SONUS FABER AIDA SPEAKERS, JL FATHOM F113v2 SUBS(2) SOUND ANCHOR STANDS(2) WW PLATINUM CABLES Library System: GRANDIOSO M1 MONOBLOCK AMPS, C1 LINESTAGE PRE-AMP, K1X CD/SACD PLAYER, G1 MASTER RUBIDIUM CLOCK, E02 PHONO-PRE, SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, AERIAL ACOUSTICS 20T V2, AERIAL SW12 SUBS(2), CANTON REF K1’s, VPI HRX TT w/ SDS POWER SUPPLY, ORTOFON CADENZA BLACK CART, KLAUDIO RCM, SHUNYATA DENALI 6000/S v2, SHUNYATA OMEGA QR’s, WW PLATINUM CABLES Esoteric/Bryston System: ESOTERIC C02-X PRE-AMP, P-02X TRANSPORT, D02-X DAC, G02-X CLOCK, BRYSTON 28B3 CUBED MONOBLOCK AMPS(4), BRYSTON BHA-1 HEADPHONE AMP, SHUNYATA DENALI 6000/S v2(2) EVEREST 8000 POWER CONDITIONER(2) ALTAIRA CG & SG HUBS, AMR-DP777-SE DAC, SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, TAD REFERENCE ONE MK2 LOUDSPEAKERS, QUADRASPIRE RACK, WW PLATINUM CABLES Accuphase/Canton System: ACCUPHASE E800 INTEGRATED, DP570 CD/SACD PLAYER, T1200 FM STEREO TUNER, DG-68 VOICING EQUALIZER, PS530 POWER SUPPLY, CANTON REF K3’s, CANTON REF K5’s, SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, HRS MXR REFERENCE MAHOGHANY RACK w/ M3X2 SHELVES, WW GOLD CABLES |
#3
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I think the analog-like display helps a lot with the MR88. To me there's something more satisfying about that type of display and the flywheel. I don't actually have any presets on my MR88, I always just spin the dial to get where I want to be. I think it's that interactive feel that adds something to it as well. Kind of like the interaction of playing an LP vs clicking an mp3/FLAC.
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#4
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I have had an MR78 with the MPI4 scope since 1973, and I used to use them a lot. I have always had a large antenna on a rotator (not the same antenna and rotator I have now as I have moved a few times since then) and it was great DXing. I used to stay up to all hours of the morning looking to see how distant a station I could pick up.
The reason I hardly use it now is FM RADIO POSITIVELY SUCKS THESE DAYS. The signals are all over-modulated and compressed, and the rap-crap, hip hop, loud lousy so called musical program material is absolutely unlistenable. The only show I listen to regularly on FM is the NPR program, "Car Talk"--and that isn't even music! When one of my friends and I were in high school, we had an underground FM radio station. Last edited by GaryProtein; 07-06-2012 at 11:10 PM. |
#5
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Quote:
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#6
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#7
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+1. My Squeezebox can play local, national or international radio stations - that's enough for me. It all just sounds bad. I wonder if they're playing MP3's on the radio these days?
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#8
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That's funny, I guess that goes to show it depends what Country you're in, what the reception is like in your area & what stations are available. In Melbourne where I live, I used to own a Cambridge Audio T-500 tuner connected to a powerful aerial on the roof of our apartment building & got terrific reception and really enjoyed the sound. And the Accuphase T-1100 connected digital out to a high end dac would destroy the T-500. As for stations and content, again I guess that depends where you live.
Last edited by Bodhisattva; 01-04-2013 at 08:12 PM. |
#9
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Very good quality of FM broadcasts here!
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Stereo: Hegel H590, Grimm Audio MU1, Mola Mola Tambaqui, Burmester 948 - V3 & V6 racks, Vivid Audio G2 Giyas, REL Carbon Special (pair), Silent Angel Bonn N8 Ethernet Switch & Forester F1, Wireworld Platinum Eclipse IC and SE SC, Furutech Digiflux AV: Hegel C-53, Marantz AV8802A, Oppo BDP-203EU, Pioneer Kuro 60", Vivid Audio C1 & V1w's, Wireworld Platinum Eclipse, SE & E Second system (veranda): Halgorythme preamp and monoblocks, Burmester 061, Avalon Avatar, Sharkwire & Wireworld cables |
#10
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It's kind of ironic, now, in the middle of nowhere you can get XM and Sirius perfectly well, but go under a bunch of trees in the suburbs or be in a big city, and the signal gets interrupted.
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