I listen to FM all the time. There are a couple of stations I really enjoy. One is a local college station that I enjoy because they play a variety of music styles. Never gets boring.
My Sansui 9090 has the lights on all the time! LOL. The only mod, and well worth it. Original owner, and still rockin on Monitor Audio Silver 300's. Oh, and I do love my FM. :)
Dang dude just make me feel like a fossil can't cha! YES sir I listen to FM radio on my Pioneer SX-1980 , SX-1250, SX-1280, SX1050 and a SX-1080 and YES I love it. I have 4 Reel to Reels, cassette decks, CD \ MP3 players even DVD players connected to these receivers. I love all these things in 2024. My life does NOT revolve around my smart phone. My smart phone is just that A PHONE that also has voice mail and text messaging. In the age of LED light bulbs AM radio is officially DEAD! I live in a major city so we still have a few classical FM channels hanging on by their teeth. My most beautiful 70's receiver is my Hitachi SR-2004 a true monster sleeper. Tube amps & separates don't rock my world! Thanks for this!
My dad obsessed over trying to pull in distant classical stations with a rooftop antenna. Unfortunately, his efforts were largely unsuccessful. And there was the time he drove a nail through the flat roof while mounting the antenna. I remember using the direction control to try to pull in TV stations. Ah, good times!
Eye candy is a huge part of vintage gear. I mostly spin vinyl, but as an old ham guy I still enjoy drifting through stations. My pioneer sx1010 and marantz 2240 are my receivers Ive restored. I love tube gear as well. Cant afford anything super high end. Ive been restoring old tube radios and tvs for years. Dont commit has much time these days. I will always love old gear..❤
I have a 1978 Marantz MR 220 21 watts , an I love the sound , FM stereo sounds great where I live an that depends on the wattage of those stations one locally owned is only 100,000 wTs an the main ones I listen to are 200,000 plus watts an u can hear the difference not all stations boost high watts , but for my small Marantz 2 nd Onwer an it’s been serviced an cleaned it’s just amazing to me how good she still sounds , like the channel
I don’t know if I should be embarrassed or proud but I listen to AM & FM radio quite often. That’s why I’m partial to Pioneer and NAD receivers as they have nice built in tuners.
Vintage receivers from the upper end models have fantastic tuners when they’re dialed in to spec. Please don’t mod vintage. Respect the period and buy new gear. 😎👍
My dear Mr Lancaster, Flagship, Second, and third tier 1970s Receivers were engineering works of audio art that remain UN-paralleled to this VERY day, my friend. I had the pleasure of experiencing a Fisher TOTL RS-1080, driving a pair of Altec Lansing 1204 loudspeakers some 45 years ago in my hometown. Its FM tuner was playing a classical music station, and I remember being jarred by a performance so arresting, I can’t compare anything to it , even now. I was very young, and the system belonged to schoolfriend’s Dad. I’ll quickly conclude that I now know why that antenna on their roof was so gargantuan! (That full FM quieting, in that transmission, body-slammed the heck out of me to that floor! And it’s the very reason I assembled an Enormous! four antenna array that’s fully grounded to enjoy that same, black background that still astounds me this very day!)
I listen to the radio all the time. if in the garage or in my basement. Both locations with a Harman Kardan 380 HK receivers. Or my Adcom system in our dining room.
Ya I have a preference for 60s to 70s gear. That whole phono thing, I haven't experienced that problem. Don't own a single dac streamer box, no separates. But, dawgs marbles that's some sweet gear! Yes I am rural, there's a college operated station in range not over compressed and playing a wide variety of stuff.
I love listening to FM in Baltimore. There’s WTMD that plays adult album alternative and WBJC that plays classical. There’s no commercials and they have employees whose only job is to find an interesting mix of music for me to enjoy. They sound great and are free! They have local events and concerts. Yes people should probably avoid those radio stations owned by mega corporations but people should rediscover their local college and independent radio stations. You might just hear something new. 👍
My receiver story. As a kid in the late '70s/early '80s I went from using my older brothers hand me down system to a YORX all in one my parents got me. I remember listening to WBCN, WHTT, WAAF, WPRO, etc (I am from New England) in my room, yes in the dark mostly, watching the dial glow. I would imagine that behind the dial was a virtual city of wires, circuits, lights, and so on, bringing the activity of radio to me. Years later, I had a Parasound DR40 for a receiver, nice unit, nice sound, but by then, the digital displays and electronic presets left me cold, as far as looks go. For years, used a Sansui 2000, which has a nice green lit dial, that yes, turned off unless using the tuner (at least that preserved the bulbs longer...??..). Also has a Sansui 881, which kept the dial lit all the time. Take this to just last week where I traded both my aging receivers for one good integrated amp, one with 2 phono, 2 tape, 2 aux, and external adapter inputs. Radio in my area is not worth listening to, and having just an integrated is something different for a while, but not having the dial lit up is a different look in the cabinet for sure. I actually am probably going to miss the weighted tuning knob the most, the ones where just a little twisting gave that heavy, gliding feeling. Maybe I'll have to get another sometime for a garage system, yeah, I think so.
I listen to our local classical npr station, and a commercial-free alt rock station, but stream them into vintage gear via the tape or aux input. This bypasses all the noise you get from broadcast but still get the benefit of the processing. Funnily enough, I have an SX-850 but the tuner sounds terrible, like something is wrong with it, but not a problem with streaming. The amp sounds stellar.
I've desired a silverface receiver for some years now, but here in England our airwaves have always been heavily regulated for narrative control, and so in this era I'd really be engaging in a nostalgia for something I never had (anemoia) and the price is moving out of range of 'justification'. FM radio was often broadcast post-processed with a series of compressors, limiters, expanders... The competent engineers that applied and understood those series are possibly rarer than a station playing decent music today.
I lived in the Colorado Springs area when I was in high school and I owned a Magnavox 1500DTI receiver. It had a decent tuner that could pick the 50kW stations in Nashville and Louisiana. And FM was magnificent when listening to Classical music. My next receiver was a Lafayette LR-9090 and it was great, but not as good as the Magnavox!
My everyday audio gear is a ReVox B780 without a dial face. Inside B780 the space was mostly reserved to FM tuner (with Dolby capability as an option) just as a ReVox FM tuner B760.
I listen to the radio (rock 95) for a 2-3 hrs every day on my SX-737 and in my office 101.5 The Wolf at least 3 hrs a day on the Sansui 7070 ( had to buy some 70's rabbit ears to get the Wolf) I dont listen to radio for the sound quality I listen to be connected to community, hearing the local weather, news and even ads are still important to me. For music I use a DAP loaded with flac files hooked into the AUX or through a bluetooth receiver. In terms of sound I like the sound of my vintage amps and receivers over anything modern.
I prefer to think in terms how many vintage receivers should I have, not if I should have them. Even if I almost never listen to the radio! Oooh! Pretty lights!
Half the time I use the tuner in a vintage rcvr for a classical radio station. Usually a few hours in the evening. My SX950 w a pair of SL-15 by CV.an sg9500 Eq and F21 tape deck w a goid Toshiba,Dd Tt make a great system. The newer rcvrs use pushbutton tuning which don't work as well as a variable capacitor those metal half-moon pieces moving inside similar metal plates.
I have a friend with whom I share an interest in Hi-Fi, and he bought a vintage receiver because of the "glitter." He paid about $1,000 and needed another person to carry it into his house. After connecting a pair of speakers, one channel stopped working. He did say that someone had given him those speakers and that there was something amiss about them. There were good speakers in his possession that he could have used but didn't. I tried to warn him about old electronics before making the purchase, but he didn't want to hear it. The seller gave him no warranty. Now, it has been a while since I heard from him.
I put the radio stations on here ( We have a few good ones!) while I'm doing chores and walking around the house in and out of the room. I cannot see having that beautiful dial and never using it. When I sit and listen, it's CD or TT.. sometimes youtube streaming. So I guess there are some of use here that still put that dial to use.. just because we can. Would never have one with a broken tuner.. if it's there it must be funtional or it'd drive me nuts.
I still enjoy the radio and will mourn the day they disappear. I do have to admit that it is mostly for convenience and sports talk and local weather though. I have a friend that has an HD tuner and loves that as a source. Also will admit to preferring tube separates for serious (non-background) listening sessions.
Listening to the Boss on the mighty 95 KGG0 classic Rock right now on my SX1250 right now . Sound quality is hard to beat on this totally restored vintage receiver. 😅 The Marantz 2325 is downstairs.😢
As you say in the video, depending on where you live, there can be some decent FM stations to listen to. The tuners in low-end to mid-range vintage receivers were usually not that great when they were new, and after 40-50 years, they often need to be serviced and/or aligned. High-end vintage receivers usually had pretty good tuners. High-end vintage separate tuners were much better than the tuners in nearly any receiver. Personally, I like to use high-end 1980's vintage tuners (like the Yamaha T-85) connected to fairly low-end modern integrated amplifiers (such as a Yamaha A-S501). But I actually like playing with radios and antennas...
I live in a large urban area and listen to several radio stations. All of them non-profit except for one all news station. Among some of those stations tho', the FM antenna is usually the weak link.
Fm radio through a fine tuner can be of audiophile quality. The mass market pop stations are to be avoided. Not only is the music that they play not good, but they use so much sign processing and compression, they sound dead. Here in Baltimore, classical music station Wbjc deliver a audiophile quality. signal and music program.
I think Boston’s first album may be one of the best sounding albums ever, so may be an extreme example for radio vs a record. But I do use my receiver to listen to local AM sports radio. Not music.
The radio reception where I live is pretty bad and I am not gonna go thru the trouble of installing a roof antenna, so I stream instead. Better sound and selection.
That's a thing I've only seen at an estate sale, but that's not counting the all-in-one with both turntable (plastic BSR changer) and cassette player. I started with one of those. I don't even remember the make.
I use a 1990's vintage RXV995 Yamaha receiver.. I think it originally cost about $500.00 Bought it at a thrift shop for $40.oo I use a bluetooth receiver with a built in DAC ($23) plug into CD channel. signal source an old Acer BT chromebook (Amazon Music)....2 pair Jamo S803... My ears can't hear well enough to justify any thing more expensive.. VERY VERY happy. Well under $1000 for the whole system..listening to Juice Newton right now!! Radio stations in Phoenix sux.. never listen to them.... At my desk I am running an ancient OUTLAW receiver with the same BT/DAC setup thru a pair of Micca RB42 speakers...stunning.
I have seen too many black boxes w push button tuning Meaning no tuning capacitor. And the power amp does not have the beef to push 40 a channel for hours at a time.
Good video I really enjoyed it. I own and use almost daily a harman kardon 930 twin powered receiver. I really like the sound but I have to admit I bought it partially because of the illuminated dial look. However after buying it I realised that it suffers from the sansui syndrome as well (dial lights only work when tuner is on). I was planning on doing a full recap but lately have been leaning towards going separates. I only bought a receiver because when my wife is working around the house she throws on the radio. I have never even used the tuner section except when I first bought it to test the function. But now days she usually just busts out one of the multiple bluetooth speakers laying around the house. I really like the looks of the h/k but wondering if I am losing out on some sound quality by not having separates. Anyway thanks for the video I think I may be teetering over the edge into separates. And once again a really good video.
I listen to fm radio every day usually when I’m driving in my car the rest of the time I smart speaker, my hi-fi is for my serious, listening ❤ i.e. vinyl, tape CDs, streaming
I have a Sonos surround sound system setup in my den for music and video entertainment. Have Sonos speakers through out the house. The problem is I grew up when these receivers/systems were king. I always get nostalgic when watching these videos about vintage receivers and find myself wanting to get one. But, then I have to ask myself other than the beautiful dial face and exquisite looks a vintage receiver would bring to my den would it be better than what I already have. I just don't know. First world problem.
You can pick up some radio stations from a long distance. There are not many places in the United States where you cannot pick up a few radio stations if you have an antenna. The stereo receivers from the 1970s also have very good tuners to pick up radio stations.
Did it ever come to mind that ppl back in the 70's DID listen to the radio, If u have a good station with lots of good variety , it Is nice to listen to the radio... Mr. Lancaster a Pioneer SX950 for a guy who likes FM and records, tapes CD's a good stereo receiver w say a pair of CV's SL- 15s makes up a great stereo system.
Hello, got myself four (4) TA series Marantz, one TA165 and three TA170's. The underloved ugly puppies of Marantz. BUT, yes, a BIG but, sounding incredible machines filled with ultra high end electronic components! These late 80's flagship receivers still kick 40 odd years later and meet their specs. Not expensive and ultra rare, these made in Japan are gems to find. I am currently looking for a TA200, the most elusive of them all. Not even a photo can be found of this BANG for the Buck receiver, Oh! Well! C'est la vie! Tuner, equalizer and 170RMS amp for less than $500US, please tell me if another deal like this exists.
I looked on Audiokarma, and it's apparently a common mod for the x0x0 series, and I found a few threads for the 2000/5000 etc. Seems that all it takes is a jumper wire between two spots on the selector switch, so totally reversible, too.
I'm working on a Kenwood KA-9100. Big ol' volume knob in the middle of the silver faceplate, power meters, 90 wpc. The Marantz in the living room might have to give up its place!
If you do want to listen to radio, HD Radio is commonly available and much improved. So you still don't want a vintage FM Tuner regardless unless the baseball game or news is the content. However, way back on a Luxman receiver I recorded a live concert done well and definitely not the difference you heard from the Boston Album (I have that).
Thanks for being honest. I have a pioneer Black display and a pioneer silver and I keep them both on top of each other and just light them up never do I listen to the radio
late here. buying used is obviously a big gamble. Ya might not get a week use where a new model will at least work ... pretty well to me even a $ 200 receiver like Yamaha has 80 + w /ch and a decent set of connections. to me the early / mid 70's were the peak ( I'm 70 + ) but I never had a stereo amp last more than 7 or 8 years - including decent brands like Pioneer, Carver , NAD , Sony. currently an Outlaw - looks great ( to me ) excel perf ( stereophile , others) 100 w + , great connections ..... only issue is reliability , it's only 1 1/2 years old , zero issues so far. $ 1000. not bad by ' audiophiles - always spend more' logic. KEF meta 50 spks etc.
Top Ten Receivers That Changed My Life.... 1. Lloyds (no model # on it that I recall). Was rated at 1.2 watts per channel, but it sounded less powerful than that. The speakers that came with it, feeling through the non-removable grill cloth with your fingers, felt like it was a two way. After opening it one day, one opening was not a driver but revealed itself to be only a port. It only had a woofer/midrange or was it a midrange/tweeter? They didn't have any bass at all as I recall. But one day I discovered if you plugged headphones into the round hole below the turntable on top, you could get way better sound quality. 2. Craig brand... I think it was the Bedroom model. It had an 8 track player and unlike the Lloyds, the turntable was seperate. I was moving up! But the speakers still weren't as good as a television sets speakers. If I wanted better sound, I'd listen to the tv set. 3.Yorx brand, or was it Olympia? More features, but you had to buy your own speakers. I made a round opening in a cigar box and bought a $5.99 Radio Shack driver. A real improvement. Especially after I added another cigar box and driver for stereo. 4. Realistic STA 15. The tuner lights soon went out, and I discovered that I preferred to listen to music in the dark. This continues to this day. 5.. Bose...I don't think I have to say anything do I? Not as bad as many say on the forums. For some people it seems picking on Bose is their hobby. 6. Kenwood (model?). When you turned the knobs they felt hollow. It was a budget model of course. The first time I could feel proper slam in the bass, but FM hiss was a problem. 7.Sherwood S7010. A good tuner, but only 15 watts per channel. Pretty blue lights on the tuning dial. I thought of putting masking tape over them though, as I now liked to listen in the dark because of the Realistic 8. Sansui G7500. 90 watts per channel DC coupled, whatever that meant. High end was hard & brittle sounding on anything but duller cassettes. Now I was getting somewhere though. Lots of detail. And a very good tuner. Crisp. 9. Sansui G8000. Sounded the same as the G7500. I wasted my money. Take big steps when upgrading! 10. Luxman receiver. A nice piece to look at and listen to. The best of the bunch sonically. People are impressed if someone says they own Luxman. Until they see it is old Luxman, which didn't cost that much. At one point they were bought out by Alpine, and you could buy Luxman at Montgomery Ward. Really miss MW and also Winky's. Good hamburgers...and cheap! It's ashame about the prices now. That cartoon character on old Popeye cartoons who's line was always "I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger TODAY, that doesn't sound amusing anymore. I'm saving up for a combo meal..
Kinda sounds like my upbringing in stereo in the 70's and 80's. Parents had a Motorola console stereo with tube amp, sounded like nothing else in the neighborhood, loved it. Went from using my brothers hand me down Masterworks receiver, to the ubiquitous YORX all in one my parents bought me. later on, when I could afford it, went to Parasound and Harman Kardon equipment. Now, mostly '70s era equipment, non brand specific, its all good IMO, and they are old enough now that I can have a maintenance project to work on now and again.
There was a Winky's hamburger franchise in business for decades. Check the internet for pictures.. Perhaps you're the one that is confused. Wimpy is the Popeye cartoon character always eating hamburgers, sometimes eating several in one hand at a time. Maybe there was a Wimpys hamburger place also. I never heard of it.
@@sidesup8286 The tag line “ I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today” was attributed to Wimpy, the character on popeye. Wimpy hamburgers was established in 1934 and out dates the Philadelphia burger Winkys by 40 years. My point was the line about paying later for the hamburger today was from Wimpy. By the way Wimpys hamburgers were huge but I’m older than you and that may be why you never heard of them.
Where I live we have a brilliant community radio station that plays wonderful music. They still put out on FM. I listen to it all the time. The quality is ok, i have an old system that gives pretty good sound. Streaming doesn't sound brilliant to me, nowhere near as good as radio in my opinion.
I do not listen to music radio, because the music sucks! I only switch on the radio for the news! I play my music only on CD, Vinyl, and DAT! No Bluetooth, Phone, DAB, Streamers for me!
Ofcourse Vintage stereos has a good quality sounds specially marantz Sansui pioneer luxman accuphase receivers they are good I have those so I know it’s good to buy vintage stereos
I see more and more vintage receivers for sale for cheap. I guess this thing is dying out, same as physical media. Modern D class, despite all the negative feedback from audiophiles is thriving. I can guess that in ten years' time, it will be a thing of the past, like vhs players.
So right dude, hell I grew up listening to radio, it's great, get a good station or two...worked in a r.r. .engine house locomotives.. my boss Paul Hallett always had a radio on.
Very important! Radio Stations are playing compressed audio from the computer, through analogue FM and AM. This is why it now sucks! DAB and Network Audio is compressed audio!
I can’t believe the companies continue to make ugly stereo systems and the truth is they are on their way out for this blue tooth stuff but I much preferred the old way of the entire music experience CDS was as far as it should’ve stayed
Yes I use my pioneer SX880 for FM stereo use but what really amazes me is that you consider yourself an audio guy but do not own a copy of Boston's first album or never have on vinyl? Pathetic
What gave you that idea? I use BT with my phone and wireless earbuds or car stereo. That's it. I have a NAS/streamer/DAC connected to my Marantz 2252 via RCA cables. Jesus, I even built a dual power supply to isolate the supplies to the RPi and DAC HAT, respectively. I use an interface to control the streamer on an iPad over WiFi. But we all know what happens when you assume.
I listen to FM all the time. There are a couple of stations I really enjoy. One is a local college station that I enjoy because they play a variety of music styles. Never gets boring.
My Sansui 9090 has the lights on all the time! LOL. The only mod, and well worth it. Original owner, and still rockin on Monitor Audio Silver 300's. Oh, and I do love my FM. :)
Dang dude just make me feel like a fossil can't cha! YES sir I listen to FM radio on my Pioneer SX-1980 , SX-1250, SX-1280, SX1050 and a SX-1080 and YES I love it. I have 4 Reel to Reels, cassette decks, CD \ MP3 players even DVD players connected to these receivers. I love all these things in 2024. My life does NOT revolve around my smart phone. My smart phone is just that A PHONE that also has voice mail and text messaging. In the age of LED light bulbs AM radio is officially DEAD! I live in a major city so we still have a few classical FM channels hanging on by their teeth. My most beautiful 70's receiver is my Hitachi SR-2004 a true monster sleeper. Tube amps & separates don't rock my world! Thanks for this!
My dad obsessed over trying to pull in distant classical stations with a rooftop antenna. Unfortunately, his efforts were largely unsuccessful. And there was the time he drove a nail through the flat roof while mounting the antenna. I remember using the direction control to try to pull in TV stations. Ah, good times!
Eye candy is a huge part of vintage gear. I mostly spin vinyl, but as an old ham guy I still enjoy drifting through stations. My pioneer sx1010 and marantz 2240 are my receivers Ive restored. I love tube gear as well. Cant afford anything super high end. Ive been restoring old tube radios and tvs for years. Dont commit has much time these days. I will always love old gear..❤
Love the 1010!
I have a 1978 Marantz MR 220 21 watts , an I love the sound , FM stereo sounds great where I live an that depends on the wattage of those stations one locally owned is only 100,000 wTs an the main ones I listen to are 200,000 plus watts an u can hear the difference not all stations boost high watts , but for my small Marantz 2 nd Onwer an it’s been serviced an cleaned it’s just amazing to me how good she still sounds , like the channel
I don’t know if I should be embarrassed or proud but I listen to AM & FM radio quite often. That’s why I’m partial to Pioneer and NAD receivers as they have nice built in tuners.
No reason to be embarrassed at all, as long as you're enjoying yourself!
EXACTLY!👍
Vintage receivers from the upper end models have fantastic tuners when they’re dialed in to spec. Please don’t mod vintage. Respect the period and buy new gear. 😎👍
My dear Mr Lancaster,
Flagship, Second, and third tier 1970s Receivers were engineering works of audio art that remain UN-paralleled to this VERY day, my friend.
I had the pleasure of experiencing a Fisher TOTL RS-1080, driving a pair of Altec Lansing 1204 loudspeakers some 45 years ago in my hometown. Its FM tuner was playing a classical music station, and I remember being jarred by a performance so arresting, I can’t compare anything to it , even now.
I was very young, and the system belonged to schoolfriend’s Dad. I’ll quickly conclude that I now know why that antenna on their roof was so gargantuan!
(That full FM quieting, in that transmission, body-slammed the heck out of me to that floor! And it’s the very reason I assembled an Enormous! four antenna array that’s fully grounded to enjoy that same, black background that still astounds me this very day!)
I listen to the radio all the time. if in the garage or in my basement. Both locations with a Harman Kardan 380 HK receivers. Or my Adcom system in our dining room.
Ya I have a preference for 60s to 70s gear. That whole phono thing, I haven't experienced that problem. Don't own a single dac streamer box, no separates. But, dawgs marbles that's some sweet gear! Yes I am rural, there's a college operated station in range not over compressed and playing a wide variety of stuff.
I have the pioneer SX-440,it was my father's receiver bought new...
Still going strong!
They don't make them anymore 😪
Keep up your videos give it about a year and you'll be one of the most visited hi-fi channels without question.
That's very kind of you to say. Thank you!
I love listening to FM in Baltimore. There’s WTMD that plays adult album alternative and WBJC that plays classical. There’s no commercials and they have employees whose only job is to find an interesting mix of music for me to enjoy. They sound great and are free! They have local events and concerts. Yes people should probably avoid those radio stations owned by mega corporations but people should rediscover their local college and independent radio stations. You might just hear something new. 👍
Does anyone remember when they used to simulcast movies and concerts on FM radio while the image played on your TV set? How things have changed.
My receiver story. As a kid in the late '70s/early '80s I went from using my older brothers hand me down system to a YORX all in one my parents got me. I remember listening to WBCN, WHTT, WAAF, WPRO, etc (I am from New England) in my room, yes in the dark mostly, watching the dial glow. I would imagine that behind the dial was a virtual city of wires, circuits, lights, and so on, bringing the activity of radio to me. Years later, I had a Parasound DR40 for a receiver, nice unit, nice sound, but by then, the digital displays and electronic presets left me cold, as far as looks go. For years, used a Sansui 2000, which has a nice green lit dial, that yes, turned off unless using the tuner (at least that preserved the bulbs longer...??..). Also has a Sansui 881, which kept the dial lit all the time. Take this to just last week where I traded both my aging receivers for one good integrated amp, one with 2 phono, 2 tape, 2 aux, and external adapter inputs. Radio in my area is not worth listening to, and having just an integrated is something different for a while, but not having the dial lit up is a different look in the cabinet for sure. I actually am probably going to miss the weighted tuning knob the most, the ones where just a little twisting gave that heavy, gliding feeling. Maybe I'll have to get another sometime for a garage system, yeah, I think so.
I listened to WBCN some in college, also WFNX, mainly my first year. They were a big change from what I was used to growing up in Arkansas!
I listen to our local classical npr station, and a commercial-free alt rock station, but stream them into vintage gear via the tape or aux input. This bypasses all the noise you get from broadcast but still get the benefit of the processing. Funnily enough, I have an SX-850 but the tuner sounds terrible, like something is wrong with it, but not a problem with streaming. The amp sounds stellar.
I've desired a silverface receiver for some years now, but here in England our airwaves have always been heavily regulated for narrative control, and so in this era I'd really be engaging in a nostalgia for something I never had (anemoia) and the price is moving out of range of 'justification'.
FM radio was often broadcast post-processed with a series of compressors, limiters, expanders... The competent engineers that applied and understood those series are possibly rarer than a station playing decent music today.
I lived in the Colorado Springs area when I was in high school and I owned a Magnavox 1500DTI receiver. It had a decent tuner that could pick the 50kW stations in Nashville and Louisiana. And FM was magnificent when listening to Classical music. My next receiver was a Lafayette LR-9090 and it was great, but not as good as the Magnavox!
My everyday audio gear is a ReVox B780 without a dial face. Inside B780 the space was mostly reserved to FM tuner (with Dolby capability as an option) just as a ReVox FM tuner B760.
I listen to the radio (rock 95) for a 2-3 hrs every day on my SX-737 and in my office 101.5 The Wolf at least 3 hrs a day on the Sansui 7070 ( had to buy some 70's rabbit ears to get the Wolf) I dont listen to radio for the sound quality I listen to be connected to community, hearing the local weather, news and even ads are still important to me. For music I use a DAP loaded with flac files hooked into the AUX or through a bluetooth receiver. In terms of sound I like the sound of my vintage amps and receivers over anything modern.
I prefer to think in terms how many vintage receivers should I have, not if I should have them. Even if I almost never listen to the radio!
Oooh! Pretty lights!
I mean, when you know, you know, right?
Love vintage receivers. I had a 1978 Yamaha receiver that lasted about 25 years. Now I have a 2019 Yamaha receiver.
Half the time I use the tuner in a vintage rcvr for a classical radio station. Usually a few hours in the evening. My SX950 w a pair of SL-15 by CV.an sg9500 Eq and F21 tape deck w a goid Toshiba,Dd Tt make a great system.
The newer rcvrs use pushbutton tuning which don't work as well as a variable capacitor those metal half-moon pieces moving inside similar metal plates.
It depends heavily where you live , I just got a Accuphase T-100 because in the Sacramento area we have some very hi quality FM stations.
I am using a Kenwood kr-v7040 that was my Dad's he got in the 90's
I have a friend with whom I share an interest in Hi-Fi, and he bought a vintage receiver because of the "glitter." He paid about $1,000 and needed another person to carry it into his house. After connecting a pair of speakers, one channel stopped working. He did say that someone had given him those speakers and that there was something amiss about them. There were good speakers in his possession that he could have used but didn't. I tried to warn him about old electronics before making the purchase, but he didn't want to hear it. The seller gave him no warranty. Now, it has been a while since I heard from him.
Oof! That's hard.
I put the radio stations on here ( We have a few good ones!) while I'm doing chores and walking around the house in and out of the room. I cannot see having that beautiful dial and never using it. When I sit and listen, it's CD or TT.. sometimes youtube streaming. So I guess there are some of use here that still put that dial to use.. just because we can. Would never have one with a broken tuner.. if it's there it must be funtional or it'd drive me nuts.
I still enjoy the radio and will mourn the day they disappear. I do have to admit that it is mostly for convenience and sports talk and local weather though. I have a friend that has an HD tuner and loves that as a source. Also will admit to preferring tube separates for serious (non-background) listening sessions.
Listening to the Boss on the mighty 95 KGG0 classic Rock right now on my SX1250 right now . Sound quality is hard to beat on this totally restored vintage receiver. 😅 The Marantz 2325 is downstairs.😢
As you say in the video, depending on where you live, there can be some decent FM stations to listen to. The tuners in low-end to mid-range vintage receivers were usually not that great when they were new, and after 40-50 years, they often need to be serviced and/or aligned. High-end vintage receivers usually had pretty good tuners. High-end vintage separate tuners were much better than the tuners in nearly any receiver.
Personally, I like to use high-end 1980's vintage tuners (like the Yamaha T-85) connected to fairly low-end modern integrated amplifiers (such as a Yamaha A-S501). But I actually like playing with radios and antennas...
I live in a large urban area and listen to several radio stations. All of them non-profit except for one all news station. Among some of those stations tho', the FM antenna is usually the weak link.
Fm radio through a fine tuner can be of audiophile quality. The mass market pop stations are to be avoided. Not only is the music that they play not good, but they use so much sign processing and compression, they sound dead. Here in Baltimore, classical music station Wbjc deliver a audiophile quality. signal and music program.
Weaa 88.9 deliver quality music and audiophile sound also. They play some hip-hop, gospel and r&b
But mostly jazz and some blues
Here, HEAR!!!👌
I think Boston’s first album may be one of the best sounding albums ever, so may be an extreme example for radio vs a record. But I do use my receiver to listen to local AM sports radio. Not music.
The radio reception where I live is pretty bad and I am not gonna go thru the trouble of installing a roof antenna, so I stream instead. Better sound and selection.
You forgot the caseiver, to be complete. :)
That's a thing I've only seen at an estate sale, but that's not counting the all-in-one with both turntable (plastic BSR changer) and cassette player. I started with one of those. I don't even remember the make.
I use a 1990's vintage RXV995 Yamaha receiver.. I think it originally cost about $500.00 Bought it at a thrift shop for $40.oo I use a bluetooth receiver with a built in DAC ($23) plug into CD channel. signal source an old Acer BT chromebook (Amazon Music)....2 pair Jamo S803... My ears can't hear well enough to justify any thing more expensive.. VERY VERY happy. Well under $1000 for the whole system..listening to Juice Newton right now!! Radio stations in Phoenix sux.. never listen to them.... At my desk I am running an ancient OUTLAW receiver with the same BT/DAC setup thru a pair of Micca RB42 speakers...stunning.
I have seen too many black boxes w push button tuning
Meaning no tuning capacitor.
And the power amp does not have the beef to push 40 a channel for hours at a time.
Good video I really enjoyed it. I own and use almost daily a harman kardon 930 twin powered receiver. I really like the sound but I have to admit I bought it partially because of the illuminated dial look. However after buying it I realised that it suffers from the sansui syndrome as well (dial lights only work when tuner is on). I was planning on doing a full recap but lately have been leaning towards going separates. I only bought a receiver because when my wife is working around the house she throws on the radio. I have never even used the tuner section except when I first bought it to test the function. But now days she usually just busts out one of the multiple bluetooth speakers laying around the house. I really like the looks of the h/k but wondering if I am losing out on some sound quality by not having separates. Anyway thanks for the video I think I may be teetering over the edge into separates. And once again a really good video.
I listen to fm radio every day usually when I’m driving in my car the rest of the time I smart speaker, my hi-fi is for my serious, listening ❤ i.e. vinyl, tape CDs, streaming
I have a Sonos surround sound system setup in my den for music and video entertainment. Have Sonos speakers through out the house. The problem is I grew up when these receivers/systems were king. I always get nostalgic when watching these videos about vintage receivers and find myself wanting to get one. But, then I have to ask myself other than the beautiful dial face and exquisite looks a vintage receiver would bring to my den would it be better than what I already have. I just don't know. First world problem.
You can pick up some radio stations from a long distance. There are not many places in the United States where you cannot pick up a few radio stations if you have an antenna. The stereo receivers from the 1970s also have very good tuners to pick up radio stations.
Did it ever come to mind that ppl back in the 70's DID listen to the radio, If u have a good station with lots of good variety , it Is nice to listen to the radio...
Mr. Lancaster a Pioneer SX950 for a guy who likes FM and records, tapes CD's a good stereo receiver w say a pair of CV's SL- 15s makes up a great stereo system.
Hello, got myself four (4) TA series Marantz, one TA165 and three TA170's. The underloved ugly puppies of Marantz. BUT, yes, a BIG but, sounding incredible machines filled with ultra high end electronic components! These late 80's flagship receivers still kick 40 odd years later and meet their specs. Not expensive and ultra rare, these made in Japan are gems to find. I am currently looking for a TA200, the most elusive of them all. Not even a photo can be found of this BANG for the Buck receiver, Oh! Well! C'est la vie! Tuner, equalizer and 170RMS amp for less than $500US, please tell me if another deal like this exists.
I'll have to keep an eye out for those!
I would not hesitate to modify the Sansui so the tuner lights stay on in Aux mode. That is a mod that everyone would want!
I looked on Audiokarma, and it's apparently a common mod for the x0x0 series, and I found a few threads for the 2000/5000 etc. Seems that all it takes is a jumper wire between two spots on the selector switch, so totally reversible, too.
@@Lancaster_Hi-FiPerfect!
I really love vintage amplifiers. I like the aesthetic of vintage receivers but would rather buy an amp.
I'm working on a Kenwood KA-9100. Big ol' volume knob in the middle of the silver faceplate, power meters, 90 wpc. The Marantz in the living room might have to give up its place!
If you do want to listen to radio, HD Radio is commonly available and much improved. So you still don't want a vintage FM Tuner regardless unless the baseball game or news is the content. However, way back on a Luxman receiver I recorded a live concert done well and definitely not the difference you heard from the Boston Album (I have that).
Thanks for being honest. I have a pioneer Black display and a pioneer silver and I keep them both on top of each other and just light them up never do I listen to the radio
Kenwood made fine rcvrs kr6030 and kr6600 2 tapes n phono + aux looked great and lots of beef or power. A good antenna sucks up stations nicely.
I have a Phillips AH7851 made in USA. What are your thoughts on Phillips? Are they worth having?
No idea. Sorry.
late here. buying used is obviously a big gamble. Ya might not get a week use where a new model will at least work ... pretty well to me even a $ 200 receiver like Yamaha has 80 + w /ch and a decent set of connections. to me the early / mid 70's were the peak ( I'm 70 + ) but I never had a stereo amp last more than 7 or 8 years - including decent brands like Pioneer, Carver , NAD , Sony. currently an Outlaw - looks great ( to me ) excel perf ( stereophile , others) 100 w + , great connections ..... only issue is reliability , it's only 1 1/2 years old , zero issues so far. $ 1000. not bad by ' audiophiles - always spend more' logic. KEF meta 50 spks etc.
Top Ten Receivers That Changed My Life....
1. Lloyds (no model # on it that I recall). Was rated at 1.2 watts per channel, but it sounded less powerful than that. The speakers that came with it, feeling through the non-removable grill cloth with your fingers, felt like it was a two way. After opening it one day, one opening was not a driver but revealed itself to be only a port. It only had a woofer/midrange or was it a midrange/tweeter? They didn't have any bass at all as I recall. But one day I discovered if you plugged headphones into the round hole below the turntable on top, you could get way better sound quality.
2. Craig brand... I think it was the Bedroom model. It had an 8 track player and unlike the Lloyds, the turntable was seperate. I was moving up! But the speakers still weren't as good as a television sets speakers. If I wanted better sound, I'd listen to the tv set.
3.Yorx brand, or was it Olympia? More features, but you had to buy your own speakers. I made a round opening in a cigar box and bought a $5.99 Radio Shack driver. A real improvement. Especially after I added another cigar box and driver for stereo.
4. Realistic STA 15. The tuner lights soon went out, and I discovered that I preferred to listen to music in the dark. This continues to this day.
5.. Bose...I don't think I have to say anything do I? Not as bad as many say on the forums. For some people it seems picking on Bose is their hobby.
6. Kenwood (model?). When you turned the knobs they felt hollow. It was a budget model of course. The first time I could feel proper slam in the bass, but FM hiss was a problem.
7.Sherwood S7010. A good tuner, but only 15 watts per channel. Pretty blue lights on the tuning dial. I thought of putting masking tape over them though, as I now liked to listen in the dark because of the Realistic
8. Sansui G7500. 90 watts per channel DC coupled, whatever that meant. High end was hard & brittle sounding on anything but duller cassettes. Now I was getting somewhere though. Lots of detail. And a very good tuner. Crisp.
9. Sansui G8000. Sounded the same as the G7500. I wasted my money. Take big steps when upgrading!
10. Luxman receiver. A nice piece to look at and listen to. The best of the bunch sonically. People are impressed if someone says they own Luxman. Until they see it is old Luxman, which didn't cost that much. At one point they were bought out by Alpine, and you could buy Luxman at Montgomery Ward. Really miss MW and also Winky's. Good hamburgers...and cheap! It's ashame about the prices now. That cartoon character on old Popeye cartoons who's line was always "I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger TODAY, that doesn't sound amusing anymore. I'm saving up for a combo meal..
Kinda sounds like my upbringing in stereo in the 70's and 80's. Parents had a Motorola console stereo with tube amp, sounded like nothing else in the neighborhood, loved it. Went from using my brothers hand me down Masterworks receiver, to the ubiquitous YORX all in one my parents bought me. later on, when I could afford it, went to Parasound and Harman Kardon equipment. Now, mostly '70s era equipment, non brand specific, its all good IMO, and they are old enough now that I can have a maintenance project to work on now and again.
That was Wimpy hamburgers. Pretty good for cheap hamburgers. And the chocolate shakes were delicious.
There was a Winky's hamburger franchise in business for decades. Check the internet for pictures.. Perhaps you're the one that is confused. Wimpy is the Popeye cartoon character always eating hamburgers, sometimes eating several in one hand at a time. Maybe there was a Wimpys hamburger place also. I never heard of it.
@@sidesup8286 The tag line “ I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today” was attributed to Wimpy, the character on popeye. Wimpy hamburgers was established in 1934 and out dates the Philadelphia burger Winkys by 40 years. My point was the line about paying later for the hamburger today was from Wimpy. By the way Wimpys hamburgers were huge but I’m older than you and that may be why you never heard of them.
Where I live we have a brilliant community radio station that plays wonderful music. They still put out on FM. I listen to it all the time. The quality is ok, i have an old system that gives pretty good sound. Streaming doesn't sound brilliant to me, nowhere near as good as radio in my opinion.
Most of the Adcom tuners suffer from open trimmer capacitors in the front end . An easy fix .
I do not listen to music radio, because the music sucks! I only switch on the radio for the news! I play my music only on CD, Vinyl, and DAT! No Bluetooth, Phone, DAB, Streamers for me!
Ofcourse Vintage stereos has a good quality sounds specially marantz Sansui pioneer luxman accuphase receivers they are good I have those so I know it’s good to buy vintage stereos
I see more and more vintage receivers for sale for cheap. I guess this thing is dying out, same as physical media.
Modern D class, despite all the negative feedback from audiophiles is thriving.
I can guess that in ten years' time, it will be a thing of the past, like vhs players.
If a receiver doesn’t have a tuner it’s not a receiver. There’s nothing to receive!
So right dude, hell I grew up listening to radio, it's great, get a good station or two...worked in a r.r. .engine house locomotives.. my boss
Paul Hallett always had a radio on.
Very important! Radio Stations are playing compressed audio from the computer, through analogue FM and AM. This is why it now sucks! DAB and Network Audio is compressed audio!
No not all stations. My local Public Radio hosts country and blues and the volunteer DJ’s haul their CD’s and vinyl into the studio every week.
I can’t believe the companies continue to make ugly stereo systems and the truth is they are on their way out for this blue tooth stuff but I much preferred the old way of the entire music experience CDS was as far as it should’ve stayed
Yes I use my pioneer SX880 for FM stereo use but what really amazes me is that you consider yourself an audio guy but do not own a copy of Boston's first album or never have on vinyl? Pathetic
Dude, that was years ago! Of course I have the album now.
Dunno.prolly not
The guy listens to Bluetooth primarily, which disqualifies him from any credibility in that in audio imho, since Bluetooth sounds horrible.
What gave you that idea? I use BT with my phone and wireless earbuds or car stereo. That's it. I have a NAS/streamer/DAC connected to my Marantz 2252 via RCA cables. Jesus, I even built a dual power supply to isolate the supplies to the RPi and DAC HAT, respectively. I use an interface to control the streamer on an iPad over WiFi. But we all know what happens when you assume.
I just can't take a dude with a pony tail seriously.