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Onix TU39 search eBay
Jim is our only panelist who has ever seen a TU39. See how one sample sounded compared to other top tuners on our Shootouts page.

Onkyo Tuners can be found on a separate page.

Optonica ST-3636 search eBay
Our panelist Ray says his research revealed that the ST-3636 is "an earlier all-analog version of the ST-7405." It has 5 FM gangs and 3 AM gangs, and wide and narrow FM bandwidth settings, but unfortunately has the overactive 'Opto-Lock' circuitry described in the ST-7405 writeup below. Ray and our panelist Bob speculated that the ST-3636, with 3 narrow filters and 3 IF amps, may be a good performer when modded, particularly for DXing once the lock is defeated. Here's Ray's subsequent report: "We put the ST-3636, sans Opto-Lock, into the tuner shootout system last night. It sat between the TX-9800 and the RFM-815 [modified KT-815 - Editor]. It got whupped! A 21 KW signal from 143 miles away was stereo/narrow listenable on the TX-9800, mono/narrow listenable on the RFM-815 and... no reception at all on the ST-3636. On bigger signals, the ST-3636 sounds similar to the Pioneer, but a little lean compared to the modded Kenwood. I've since removed the antenna circuit balun, which moved the S-meter up about half a pointer's worth. These are all 5-gang tuners, so I expected better from the Optonica. Bob suggests that it needs tweaking up front, and that will eventually get done. Next, though, it gets a matched set of filters from Bill Ammons. It has 4 280s stock, but will get 2 280s and a 150 in narrow plus another 280 for wide/narrow on advice from Bob." After having been tweaked by Ray and aligned by Bob, Ray's ST-3636 was reviewed by our panelist Jim on the Modified Tuner Report page. The ST-3636 seems to be fairly common on eBay and usually sells for $25-50, but one went for $104 in 2/06. [BF][RFM][JR]

Optonica ST-4405 search eBay
The ST-4405 is a 4-gang tuner about which we know nothing. If you have one, please post in our FMtuners group and tell us about it. The ST-4405 can sell for $10-50 on eBay.

Optonica ST-7405 search eBay
Our panelist Ray reports, "I picked off an ST-7405 some months back just because it was cheap, had bandwidth selection, was an analog with digital readout, and I was curious. Well, to my astonishment, it has 5 FM gangs and 4 filters in narrow, has discrete outputs, and gives a very good account of itself compared to the better known/respected units in my stable. But I have been quite frustrated with Optonica's 'Opto-Lock' feature which is also found in their ST-3636. It's much too active, pulling in stronger signals and locking them from as much as 400 kHz away. Both tuners are 5-gangers with wide and narrow bandwidth settings, but the Opto-Lock negates all that selectivity potential and it's not defeatable via any front or rear panel controls. BUT, there is hope! Last night I lifted the collector of TR602, which is a switch for the Opto-Lock circuitry. From the bench, this seems to have rendered the ST-7405 'normal,' i.e., like pre-opto-synchro-whatever lock tuners. If you want a very good sounding and sensitive tuner that is easy to tune, the ST-7405 can be highly recommended. If you are a DXer, forget it unless you also like to D.I.Y." The ST-7405 is rare on eBay and one sold for $52 in 7/04. [RFM]

Parasound T/DQ-1600 search eBay
The very common T/DQ-1600 was probably the best of the relatively inexpensive modern tuners manufactured by Parasound. It was recommended by Stereophile, but that's about all we know. Please post in our FMtuners group if you have any information about any Parasound tuner. The T/DQ-1600 usually sells for $120-180 on eBay, but as high as $230 or as low as $100 (usually if the remote is missing) are possible.

Perreaux TU-3 (Stereo Review review) search eBay
Perreaux designed some gorgeous and generally well-regarded modern tuners, but we'd never seen one in the flesh until Jim had a chance to play with a TU-3: "The TU-3 is an attractive thin-line tuner. The rack-mountable face is 19 inches wide by only 1-3/4 inches high. The color is a matte silver that reminds me of Conrad-Johnson's old Motif line of audio gear. The small frequency display window presents fluorescent blue numbers that contrast interestingly with a separate red LED signal level meter. The front has six memory presets, store, on/off and a stereo/mono muting switch. Tuning is done via a detent feel, round analog-type knob. Sweet and simple, turn on the music and listen. The rear has a three-way de-emphasis switch for 75, 50, and 25 microseconds. There is an IEC connection that looks stock. The inside is sparse but there are two power transformers and a more liberal than normal use of film caps around the audio section. The TU-3 requires a PAL to F antenna adaptor." See how this one TU-3 sounded compared to other top tuners on our Shootouts page. Three TU-3s sold for $102, $225 and $188 on eBay in 1-2/04. [JR]

Phase Linear - Phase Linear may be "The "Emperor's New Clothes" of tuner manufacturers, based on our reviews: big empty boxes, lots of lights, but very little substance. Two websites that once offered a more respectful view of the company's products, VintagePhase.com and Anthony Young's site at phaselinearhistory.com, seem to have thrown in the towel and disappeared.

Phase Linear Model 5000 (1976, $580, photo) search eBay
The Model 5000 is a fairly rare 5-gang tuner with a very large cabinet in relation to its contents. Like the Model 5100 Series Two, the 5000 had only two ceramic filters. Our contributor Ryan says, "This tuner grossly overemphasizes the treble. Here's my theory: The 5000 has some sort of audio expansion circuit built into it, probably something akin to a DBX 1BX or something like that, and I don't think the thing ever switches completely out of the circuit, even when set to zero expansion. While some might like this expansion compared to a 'normal' tuner, I simply found it annoying after extended listening. Now, onto the reception: It's not great, but decent. There is no switchable bandwidth, but it is readily apparent that the tuner is engineered for middle-of-the-road performance tending more toward decent DX reception than local wideband performance. It never sounded terribly great on local stations, but seems to be quite selective. Beneficially, the stereo threshold seems quite low. Internally, the PL 5000 is a tuner on a bunch of chips with a face lit up like a candle. I've never seen so many fuse bulbs used to light up a face. There isn't hardly a discreet component in the thing: everything's on a chip, but most of them are actually socketed as opposed to soldered right on, so upgrades might actually be a fairly easy endeavor. Consequently, the tuner doesn't weight a whole lot, and wastes a ton of space inside the chassis. I could have designed this thing on a breadboard from Radio Shack. So there you have it: If you want a built in expander, go for it. But be prepared for one of the strangest-sounding tuners you've ever heard. It's bright - really bright." Mike Zuccaro confirms that the 5000 is "one of the very few tuners that includes a volume expander, which helps a bit to 'un-compress' some of the over-compressed signals on the air." But overall, Mike agrees that the 5000 "is one big tuner, with surprisingly little inside - not one to go out of your way to pick up." The Model 5000 usually sells for $135-180 on eBay, with occasional inexplicable spikes to $250-300 or even higher.

Phase Linear Model 5000 Series Two (1978, $580) search eBay
The Model 5000 Series Two (sometimes called the "5000II"), like the original Model 5000, has 5 gangs and two ceramic filters. Like the Model 5000, the Series Two has a dynamic range expander with 0 dB, 9 dB and 4 dB selections. This simple tuner, with its simple circuit, has a total consumption of 75 watts as listed on the back. Probably 60 of those watts are attributable to the 13 lamps! There is a dimmer switch on the rear for the lamps, along with adjustments for the smallish tuning meters. At the right front, there are 3 LEDs that indicate multipath. Their constant flashing can be quite distracting, especially in a darkened room, and might compel someone to get a better antenna. The Series Two has no electrolytics between the MPX chip and the output - maybe a reason for its inoffensive sound (presumably the original 5000 has the same circuit). See how one Series Two sounded compared to many top tuners on our Shootouts page. The Series Two usually sells for $155-225 on eBay, but the low $100s and over $300 are both possible, and the all-time high was $431 in 3/03. [JR]

Phase Linear Model 5100 Series Two (1979, $500, photo) search eBay
The Model 5100 Series Two (sometimes called the "5100II") is an attractive silver-faced FM-only rack mount style tuner, with a gold inlay under the front-panel glass. The 5100II is digitally synthesized and has six presets. It has the electronic equivalent of 4 gangs but only two ceramic filters. There is no IF bandwidth setting and the Muting On-Off and Stereo-Mono settings are combined in one button, making it impossible for the user to choose to listen to weak stations in slightly noisy stereo. The 5100II has a recording level calibration tone button but no other nice features - just the bare necessities. Worst of all is the tuner's selectivity, as one might expect from the two filters: quite poor on alternate channels and virtually non-existent on adjacents. THIS was a $500 tuner?! The Model 5100 Series Two usually sells for $120-175 on eBay, but we believe it is a very poor value even at the low end of that range... and pity the poor soul who paid $280 for this very common tuner in 1/06. [EF]

Phase Linear T 5200 (1982, $495, left side, right side) search eBay
A sleek, very attractive digital synthesized tuner, the T 5200 has wide and narrow IF bandwidth settings for both FM and AM. We don't know anything else about it except that it is supposedly identical inside to the Pioneer F-9. The T 5200's normal price range on eBay is $40-75 ($66 for a mint one in 2/06), with a high of $152 in 3/05.

Philips AH673 (1977, $600/orig $500, front1, front2, back, sales brochure, owner's manual, full service manual, schematic, alignment guide, board assemblies) search eBay
A very large analog tuner with some sophisticated "bells and whistles," the AH673 has 5 FM gangs and an excellent AM section. Our panelist Bob reports: "Wow, very different for a 1977 tuner. No ceramic filters anywhere inside. The IF filter, a single path, has 3 banks of 8 LC filters, yes, that is 24 LC elements! Next surprise: It was built entirely in the USA, possibly one of the last high performance U.S.-built tuners, besides the McIntosh and Sequerra units. Very interesting use of backlit etched tinned circuit boards for dial and meter displays, with incredible 100 kHz resolution ticks on the tuning dial. Touch-sensitive switches are the last interesting design element. Also nice is the continuously variable analog knob for muting, and the FM-only selection that totally mutes all but valid stereo signals regardless of strength. Selectivity is excellent and sound is superb, with a very natural midrange and accurate tone on violins and brass. Inside is a 5-gang FM tuning cap, and removable circuit boards with spring contacts similar to the Kenwood 600T. Very few ICs, almost entirely discrete design inside. This unit appears to have a very high-performance AM section as well, but I have not tested it yet. The AM section has a normal and high fidelity selection, as well as a 10 kHz filter. Overall, an interesting and unusual tuner that is well worth checking out if you stumble on one." Bob's review is a close match for one Jim just found in the "The Complete Buyer's Guide to Stereo/Hi-Fi Equipment" from 1978: "The Philips AH673, while quite costly for a conventional (non-synthesized) tuner, offers a number of sophisticated features to help offset the price. There's an automatic noise cancelling circuit, variable muting and output level, multipath indication, and 'touch controls' for switching functions. In addition, the AM section is one of the best we've seen in a high-fidelity tuner." Our contributor Jean-Pierre adds that the AH673 sounds far better than the Kenwood 600T and has a better midrange than the McIntosh MR 78. Our contributor Brian L. says, "I've owned the McIntosh MR 77 since new and it has gone up against some very good tuners and its sound has consistently been the winner. When I put it up against my AH-6731, it was neck and neck for sound. Very close, with the Mac being slightly more smooth and preferred to the Philips."

We don't have an explanation for this, but there appears to have been a very rare all-black AH673. The AH6731 (photo, left, middle, right) is the normal (but still rare) all-black equivalent of the AH673. See how one AH6731 sounded compared to other top tuners on our Shootouts page, and read our panelist David "A"'s Ricochet for another viewpoint. Our contributor Dan adds, "All I can say is wow! I have a modded Sansui TU-517 and the AH6731 is just a cut above. For sensitivity, selectivity and sound, it flat out beats it hands down. It is just a marvelous sounding tuner - crystal-clear and very detailed, right through the frequency range." The normal sale price range for both the AH673 and AH6731 on eBay is $350-615. The alltime high was a bizarre $855 for a 673 in 5/03, and the recent low was $316 for a 6731 in 4/06. [BF][JR]

Pilot T601 (1947) search eBay
See the Tube Tuners page for info on this diminutive tuner.

Pioneer Tuners can be found on a separate page.

Proton 440 (1984, $300, photo, Audio review) search eBay
The extremely common 440 is a very sensitive and extremely quiet black digital tuner. The 440 has Schotz noise reduction circuitry and sounds great, according to one of our audiophile contributors, but has poor adjacent channel selectivity in stock form. Consequently, it is a prime candidate for a filter mod, and becomes an excellent tuner for DXing when two of its 3 filters are replaced with narrower ones. Our contributor Dave reports that the 440 "has WIDE filters, which accounts for its clear, clean sound. The bass is deep and loud in the bottom octave, but I haven't figured out why yet. I wound up using 180 kHz filters in it, because anything else just destroyed its sound - I think it came with 280s. It's sensitive but not greatly selective." The 440 usually sells for $40-80 on eBay, but in the last couple of years we've seen as low as $10 (in 11/04) and as high as $127 (in 1/05). Our contributor John V. cautions that Proton tuners were apparently not built to stand up to rough handling in shipping. [EH]

Proton AT-670 (1989, $400, inside, Audio review) search eBay
Our panelist Ray offers this review: "The AT-670 is large at 18.5" wide x 3.88" high x 15.63" deep and weighs a hefty 15 pounds. Its most differentiating feature is Schotz Noise Reduction (SNR) circuitry. Within are 5 FM gangs in the double tuned - dual gate - double tuned - mixer format. The IF section consists of two 230 kHz GDT ceramic filters in Wide bandwidth mode, with two more 150 kHz CFs added in Narrow. Following that is an LA1266 IF amp/quadrature detector and an LA3410 MPX chip. It appears that the SNR circuitry is switched in between the MPX and audio-out buffers. The rear panel sports 50/75 uS de-emphasis and 9/10 kHz AM spacing. In the Audio magazine review and specs, its quieting curves show little done by the SNR circuitry and RFM's frequency response tests show it strangely adding a +4.0 dB shelf above 4 kHz. It's a nice tuner with SNR in the off position. I found the AT-670 to be an effective DXer (might be those two 150 kHz CFs in Narrow) and good-sounding to boot." Less common than the ubiquitous 440, the AT-670 usually sells for $100-150 on eBay, with lows around $65 and a high of $187 in 2/06. [RFM]

PS Audio ST-1 (1985, $450, photo) search eBay
A "poor man's Magnum Dynalab," the ST-1 is a sleek, unusually attractive black digital tuner. The inside layout looks to be a close copy of a Magnum without the meter circuitry. The ST-1's 4 gangs and 3 ceramic filters make it a reasonably good performer, and our panelist Jim describes the sound as "quick, punchy and acceptable but not quite up to par with a modified Kenwood or Sansui." Unfortunately for those who might want to modify it, the ST-1's main RF, power supply and audio board is soldered to a larger board through multiple standoffs. To separate the two boards to upgrade the power supply or audio section, or even replace the 3 filters for increased selectivity, would be a complicated job. The ST-1 usually sells for around $150 on eBay. [JR]

Quad search eBay
This British manufacturer designed tuners for an FM band with little more than a few widely spaced BBC stations. If you're looking for a top tuner, look elsewhere - unless you live somewhere where there are very few stations. Retro Hi-Fi has a page on the Quad FM3 (note the awful specs). Our contributors Tim and Ann add: "We've listened to the Quad FM3, FM4 and FM5 (not side-by-side in any kind of shootout, it was casual listening) and would summarize our impression as nice sound {but not the absolute best}, poor sensitivity, and below-average to average selectivity. Our favorite, from a sound quality perspective, was the FM3. A Quad would probably be a good choice for someone who already had an all-Quad system and did not need to DX or need to conduct critical listening to many closely packed stations, but we would not buy one as a stand-alone tuner in a separates system as we feel there are better choices for what Quads typically sell for." See how one FM4 sounded in comparison to many top tuners on our Shootouts page. The very common FM4 usually sells for $215-350 on eBay, but over $400 is possible and one went for a bizarre $601 in 7/05 (please don't ask us to explain any of this). The 3-gang FM3 usually sells for $150-225 on eBay, but one inexplicably sold for just $41 in 11/04 and $100-120 is possible.

Realistic TM-1000 (1975, $170/orig $160, photo) search eBay
The TM-1000 is a small tuner with 4 gangs and 3 ceramic filters that's a decent performer when modified and tuned up, according to our contributor Ed Hanlon (an unabashed Radio Shack fan): "It's as good as a TM-1001, except that the TM-1000 lacks a multipath meter and wide/narrow bandwidth settings. It's remarkably good-sounding after mods." The TM-1000 resembles the Pioneer TX-6200 cosmetically, and Pioneer did manufacture tuners for Radio Shack under the Allied brand name. However, based on input from a former Shack audio buyer, we now doubt that Pioneer had anything to do with the TM-1000. The TM-1000 usually sells for $10-40 on eBay, but up to $75 is possible. /P>

Realistic TM-1001 (1979, $180, photo, schematic) search eBay
Much more attractive, cosmetically, than the TM-1000, the TM-1001 is solidly built, with 4 gangs and 4 filters. Based on input from former Shack employees, we now believe that the TM-1001 was built by Foster Electronics for Radio Shack. Our contributor Eli offers this review: "I found a Realistic TM-1001 for $9.99 in a used record store and couldn't resist. When I got it home and hooked it up, I was truly amazed at how good it is! It picks up most of my difficult stations with reception quality comparable to my ST-A6Bs, TX-9500IIs and KT-7500. It may actually be better than these. It's within shouting distance of the T-85 and TX-1000, although the reception is not totally consistent. It seems to have more trouble on some stations than others for reasons that are not clear. But it will pick out my "torture" test 90.5 from Victoria, BC which has local stations at 90.3 and 90.7 on either side. It brings that sucker in just fine with no splatter from the adjacents. I don't know how it pulls off this performance. It has Wide and Narrow IF bandwidth selection, but, as I understand it from previous descriptions, it uses four 280 kHz filters, so I don't know why it's so selective. I looked inside, but I could only find two filters. I'm not sure where the other two are hiding. The sound quality of the TM-1001 is not up to the standards of my top tuners, but it doesn't suck. And that is actually high praise in my book, because so many tuners *do* suck. Nearly every stock tuner I have heard has excessive distortion in the upper mid and high frequencies. Those that don't are rare in my experience. This one lacks deep bass, lacks some detail and the big 3-D imaging that I hear on the TX-1000, but it is very pleasant, with only slight distortion in the upper mids and highs. Not objectionable at all. I would rather listen to this than my stock KT-7500. The AM section is very good, too, even with just the included ferrite bar antenna. I wonder if someone gave this machine a tune-up, as it seems to be in a very good state of alignment. Much better than the average tuner I have bought off eBay. In addition to the good reception, the dial indicator is very close to spot-on all the way across. Anyway, this is by far the best bargain I've gotten in audio (aside from stuff I've found in the dumpster). I think these often sell for $30-50. From other tuners in that price range I think you'd have a hard time finding better reception than I am getting. There may be others that offer the deep bass, fine detail and imaging that this one lacks, but on reception terms it is very impressive. Others who have modded these report that the sound improves dramatically with relatively simple mods. It is not the classiest-looking thing around, but it comes stock with a real walnut veneer cabinet. The tuning knob doesn't have the classy feel of the Pioneers or Kenwoods, but the other switches all seem substantial and everything is metal. The construction quality is pretty good, not much different from the Kenwood/Pioneer/Sony standard. It's not lacking for features, either: It has a variable output level on the back panel; a multipath meter! (this performs strangely on mine, going up when a station is first tuned, then dropping back to 0); auto-locking tuning that works quite well (this can be switched off); high-blend (doesn't do anything on mine); switchable muting; switchable mono/stereo; and two IF bandwidths. It has a signal-strength meter, but no center-tuning meter. There is also a 25 uS/75 uS deemphasis switch for Dolby, which is useless without Dolby, but if you want to add mods that require a switch, you've got an extra switch to play with on the front panel. The full spec sheet and detailed parts list are available from radioshack.com."

Our contributor Ed Hanlon comments: "Before mods, the T-1001 lacks sensitivity and isn't very selective with its stock 280 kHz filters. After adding an amplified filter board and replacing the stock filters, it's a pretty good tuner for the money spent. Selectivity can be as sharp as you want to make it, and the AFB really picks up the sensitivity. The stock output caps must go. Realistic's 'Auto-Magic' tuning is similar to Sansui's quartz lock, but Realistic thought to make Auto-Magic defeatable." The TM-1001 usually sells for $35-70 on eBay, with a recent low of $15 in 9/05 and a high of $99 for stock ones, while a TM-1001 with audiophile and DX mods sold for $167 in 12/05. See how one TM-1001 sounded compared to other top tuners on our Shootouts page, and read our contributor Paul's extensive mods for the TM-1001 on the DIY Mods page. [JR]

REL Precedent (1954, $325 chassis only/$335 rack/$360 tabletop, head shot, angled, left side, right side, inside) search eBay
Here's Mike Zuccaro's review:
REL, or Radio Engineering Laboratories Inc., was a manufacturer of amateur radio equipment that started in Yonkers, New York in the 1920s. Owner Randy Runyon was a longtime friend of Edwin Armstrong, and REL quickly got into early two-way commercial radio equipment and built the first experimental FM gear for Armstrong in the prewar years. Postwar, they were heavily into troposcatter radio gear for the military and defense work. REL was NOT a consumer company and the Precedent was their only foray into the consumer market. Designed by engineers Benji Hara and George Pappamarcos, the Precedent was a redesign of REL's earlier 1940's broadcast monitor using Loktal tubes (model 648?), and its offical model number is 646 or 646c. The "C" has an untuned antenna input, while the "C1" has the antenna tuned. There is no tuning capacitor -- it's fully permeability tuned with the LO coil deposited on a glass form. No AFC was needed. Cascode front end, 4 IF cans (not including the mixer IF transformer), one untuned IF amp, three prelimiter stages, and 2 limiter tubes which are diode type, as in the Marantz 10B. In fact, according to Dick Sequerra, the Precedent was the inspiration for the 10B. The Precedent had monocoque construction of the chassis (a big square with a hole in the middle) and superb industrial design, a very sexy light-up gold Plexiglass front panel. It had a surprisingly short dial scale -- I don't know why it wasn't made longer, since they had the room. It had a bead chain drive to the front end to move the tuning slugs in and out.

There was never an outboard stereo MPX unit made for the Precedent, though it does had a demod output for early MPX applications (not stereo). I have used it with outboard demods and it works surprisingly well in stereo mode, I'm sure it could be optimized a bit. Selectivity was rated at 170kc@6dB down, 2 uV sensitivity across 75 ohms for 40 dB quieting. It has a front panel RF gain control (no AGC). The Precedent is the very, very last tuner in the world that one should consider diddling with, modifying or "improving" (after the 10B!). Service info is hard to find, and that's a good thing. My unit came from the estate of George Pappamarcos, who was a teacher at Florida Atlantic University when he and Benji followed REL to Florida in the early '70s. The Precedent was reviewed only once (that I know about) in Audio, in 1954 or '55. It was a very sketchy review, long before they started taking independent measurements. Pretty much just a tube rundown, and "nice unit, sounds good" kind of thing.

See the Tube Tuners page for more on the Precedent. And check your bank account balance before bidding on one: particularly nice ones have sold for $2,250-3,025 on eBay, while Precedents that need work can go for $1,400-2,000.

Restek FM 3003 (photo) search eBay
The 7-gang FM 3003 sounds most intriguing out of all of the rare tuners manufactured by this German company. See Wieschhoff for more on the FM 3003's designer, Reinhard Wieschhoff-van Rijn, and other Restek tuners. One FM 3003 sold for 3,095 Euros (about $3,338) on eBay Germany in 1/03.

Restek Metric search eBay
Our panelist Jim got to play with one of these rare German tuners, owned by our benefactor Jesse, and reports: "The Metric has four boards, two pairs stacked horizontally one above the other. The display/function board is mounted vertically, behind the face, and a smaller audio board/A/B antennas is at the rear. The MPX chip is a Philips TDA1578A. The gang box is enclosed on all four sides and is tagged ALPS on the side. Tuning is continuously variable but with digital readout. There is an Alps brand dual 10K level pot at the rear. The tuner has balanced and 'normal' RCA outputs and an IEC power cord connector. There are ferrite cores with 6 holes per bead before the input to the four outputs. These are on all legs for a total of 10 beads. If I'm looking at them correctly, there are 2-1/2 turns. Also, it looks like they put DC blocking caps on the hot and ground audio leads going to the board, from the MPX, to float them for the balanced outputs? Each audio stage has a 5534 mono op-amp. There are separate relays for each audio channel and another relay to switch the A/B antenna input, on the same board. The antenna inputs will require a PAL to F for use with a standard F-connector. The top, sides and front are aluminum for nice cosmetics, and the case is steel. The face is black with gold buttons and tuning knob, and all display information is in red. The tuning display is interesting: The signal level meter has 12 bars of increasing height. With 3 bars lit on the Restek, I read about 30-35 dBf on the L-02T; 4 bars, about 50 dBf; 5 bars, about 55 dBf; and 6 bars, around 70dBf. I say about because as the signal strength increased the last bar to light would go from dim to full brightness, then the next bar would light. There is a spread of LEDs to each side of the center tuning indicator that light as you off-tune." See how this one Metric sounded compared to other top tuners on our Shootouts page. Our panelist Bob provides a further technical analysis: "The Metric has LC 'can' filters. Appears to be a very nice design, at least from a distance. The metal cans are IF filters, with CA3053 single-stage differential amps between them used for IF gain stages. The audio board shows pro audio type differential outputs, along with normal single-ended outputs. The single-ended outputs do, in fact, use ferrite beads on both + and ground to isolate the tuner from incoming RFI/EMI that may be picked up on the RCA interconnects, a nice touch. You used to see that same idea on some of the tube integrated amps, except they used a small value capacitor to ground from the + line right at the RCA jack. I would guess this unit is from the early to mid-'80s from the design of the MPX chip. I can't really tell, but it appears to have more going on in there than a typical MPX chip - perhaps a more elaborate discrete MPX section, with the chip providing the 38 kHz only." [BF][JR]

Revox B160 (1988, $990) search eBay
We don't know anything about the B160, which is the baby of the Revoxes. It usually sells for $270-350 on eBay, with a low of $183 in 7/04 and a high of $500 in 12/05.

Revox B260 (1988, $2,000, photo, Audio review) search eBay
The B260 and its relatives are big, heavy, well-built digital tuners from Studer Revox of Switzerland that Stereophile and other reviewers have found to be highly sensitive. All the Revoxes have mostly good reputations among audiophiles, but some have called the sound "sterile" (whatever that means). Our contributor Thrassyvoulos praises the B260's "truly fabulous DX potential" but adds, "I have heard three B260s in different high-end systems. IMHO their sound is very thin, too bright and with little body or presence." Our contributor Peter M. reports, "I like the very precise signal strength indicator on the unit (31 bars) and the awesome amount of features it offers. Against stations that are too strong it offers an antenna attenuation switch, attenuating input by 4 dB, selection of the scanning steps at 10/50 kHz, narrow and wide selectivity and blend mode. It allows programming stations [into the presets] with set parameters - station in mono/stereo, antenna attenuation on/off, setting each station input level, station identification input, scanning by programming content, etc. You can also enter the frequency of the station numerically to either store it or listen to it. Talk about bells and whistles - this unit has it all and is well built. The station and frequency indicator even adjusts itself to the room light conditions. The transformer is so big you would expect it in a 100W amp, the circuit boards are cleanly laid out. Operation after one try is very easy - even the programming part. Sound is excellent with good bass reproduction. There is also a remote available." The B260 usually sells for $600-900 on eBay, but one went for just $395 in 1/04. See how one B260 sounded compared to other top tuners on our Shootouts page. [JR]

Revox B260-S (1989, $2,500) search eBay
We don't know much about the B260-S except that it has dual antenna inputs and an astonishing 60 station presets. Our contributor Peter R., who calls the B260-S the quietest tuner he has ever used, points out that station paremeters can be programmed into the presets, as in the B260. The B260-S usually sells for $520-660 on eBay, but one with the B208 remote control went for $795 in 4/05. The alltime highs are around $1,000.

Revox B261 (1982, $1,500, photo) search eBay
The B261 has many bells and whistles including dials and switches for variable muting and stereo thresholds, variable output, and a choice of auto tuning in 50 kHz or 12.5 kHz steps. It is one of the few tuners with a headphone jack with volume control, and has manual controls for mono, stereo only, high blend, muting and calibration tone. Our panelist Jim prefers the B261's back-lit LCD display (which can display call letters or station frequencies) to the more common fluorescent display. There is also a matching backlit signal strength and tuning meter. The B261 usually sells for $300-560 on eBay, with a high of $699 in 6/04 for one sold with the optional B208 remote control. See how one B261 sounded compared to other top tuners on our Shootouts page. While Jim's B261 sample didn't match the performance of his B760, our contributor doug s. feels that the B261 is "every bit the equal of the B760 in all respects." [JR]

Revox B760 (1978, $1,650, closed, open) search eBay
The superbly built, 24-pound B760 is one of the few tuners with a headphone jack and volume control. It has two types of muting, each with a variable threshold, and switches for 50/75 uS de-emphasis and Dolby. A handy button that tunes up by 25 kHz rather than the B760's standard 50 kHz steps enables one to off-tune slightly to escape an interfering adjacent channel station. A curious aspect of the B760 is its tuning range that goes down to an unusually low 87.00, allowing one to tune in the audio portion of TV channel 6 (at 87.75) or pirate stations transmitting below the normal FM band. In a side-by-side shootout with the Kenwood L-02T, our panelist Eric found the B760 to be the L-02T's equal for weak-signal reception and quieting, even pulling in one weak station in fairly quiet stereo where the L-02T remained in mono. The B760 usually sells for $450-700 on eBay when sold by reputable sellers and guaranteed to work, or as low as $300 or so when sold "as is." The all-time high was $1,225 in 8/04. See how one B760 sounded compared to other top tuners on our Shootouts page, and read our panelist David "A"'s Ricochet. [EF][JR]

Rohde & Schwarz search eBay
Our panelist Jim reviews a Rohde & Schwarz tube "relay receiver" and matching transistor stereo decoder on our Tube tuners page. A similar set sold for $2,989 on eBay in 11/02, and another set went for $2,190 in 6/03. Another one with a custom-made decoder sold for $2,690 in 5/03.

Roksan Caspian search eBay
Our contributor Rick reviews this uncommon minimalist British tuner: "The Caspian is a very simple tuner to use, with just two knobs and two buttons. I also had the optional remote which duplicates functions on the tuner panel. The left knob selects from the fifty channels (presets) available and the right knob is for tuning which is in 10 kHz increments. It will also scan if you spin the knob hard, and will then stop on a reasonably strong station. This unit will not auto scan-and-store as featured on the new ones. The left button is a stereo/mono switch and the right button is a channel store. For RF performance I found it to be good but far from excellent. At my location 10 miles south of Hartford, CT, I get by with a pair of Radio Shack rabbit ears. My two challenging stations are WFCR in Amherst, MA (40 mi) and WSHU in Fairfield, CT (40 mi), with WSHU being the harder to capture requiring a narrow IF bandwidth. The Caspian had no trouble with locals and captured WFCR with full quieting in mono, some noise in stereo. But there was too much noise even in mono on WSHU. I suspect one reason is that the selected single IF is too wide. I paid $365 for it and, just to compare, my Yamaha T-80 (stock, $75), Kenwood KT-5020 and Sansui TU-X1 had no trouble with WSHU. Another tuner that can't receive it is my Fanfare FT-1. The Fanfare has something in common with the Roksan: both are expensive ($1,000+) modern tuners. They must have put most of their money into audio performance because this is where the Caspian excels, with deep bass and a nice richness to the sound. Most of my tuners outperformed the Roksan except in the area of sound, where only the KT-5020 and TU-X1 were better. I sold the Caspian on Ebay for $250. For me it wasn't a keeper."

Rotel RHT10 (1993, $1,499, photo) search eBay
The RHT10, known as the "Michi" (which means "The Path" or "The Way" in Japanese), received good reviews from both audiophiles and DXers. It has 6 gangs and 5 ceramic filters. Antenna Performance worked on one belonging to a tuner collector who called it his quietest tuner, and APS agreed that, post-mod, it was the equal of the Kenwood 600T for both sound (extremely quiet) and RF performance. Our panelist David "A" "would put the RHT10 in about 11th place [out of all tuners] in terms of sound quality (higher if the detector, MPX and audio are totally redone). Getting the best out of the RHT10 requires many changes, and most RHT10s are out of alignment from the factory. So if you own one and like it, send it to a good tuner center for alignment and you'll like it even better. Overall, it's one of the better modern tuners, but on an absolute basis it's not worth the money and effort unless you are a good designer and have lots of time (or money) to play with post-IF mods." Our panelist Jim took a peek inside: "Inside the box, we find a toroidal power transformer, no less than 22 Black Gates, and two large Nichicon power supply caps marked Great Supply. There are no Black Gates in the power supply proper, which is on a seperate board. Some ICs include an LA3433, two LA1235s and three 5532s. Finally, there are about 15 polystyerene caps." Our panelist Bob worked on one belonging to our contributor Ken, putting in different op-amps with Class A JFET bias and custom-selected filters, and Ken reports, "The sound is stunning. I haven't yet had a chance to do my own shootout between the TU-X1, Accuphase T-109V, and the Rotel, but a quick comparison last night favored the Rotel. It is VERY quiet, dynamic, with great bass and imaging - not to mention beautiful sound. Interestingly enough, it sounds very similar to the Accuphase, but may have a very slight edge in dynamics and bass and is quieter." Bob was lucky enough to play with a second RHT10 and reports that it was "just as good as the first, after alignment and mods. I also own two RT-990BXs; more on the similarities to the RHT10 later. First, the stock factory alignment on the second stock RHT10 was off by a good bit. Can't say too much for the first unit, as someone aligned it "by ear." It was in the weeds - totally absurd, but I won't dwell on that. The narrow filter on the RHT10 and RT-990BX is a very unusual circuit, and I don't think anyone has ever really talked about it before, so here is my opinion/analysis. The two tuners are essentially identical, and in both, the narrow IF uses two ceramic filters: a Murata 110 kHz ceramic filter, and some other unknown short, red 3-pin filter. Those two filters, in combination, produce the most horrible 'narrow IF' distortion I've ever seen/measured in a modern stock tuner. These are '90s tuners, so why does the stock tuner in narrow IF measure 1-2% distortion? Those are the full modulation readings I took from a stock RHT10 (narrow, 2%) and RT-990BX (narrow, 1%). All I can say is 2% distortion is clearly audible, and needs to be fixed, in my opinion. My simple mod was to remove the 'red' filter, and replace it with a 230 kHz ceramic filter centered on exactly 10.70, leaving thus a 110 + 230 in narrow. This simple mod lowered the narrow distortion to the more expected 0.2%, while still using the 110 filter for exceptional selectivity. There is hearsay that Don Scott was involved in the selection of the RHT10/RT-990BX narrow filters; if so, all I can say is I disagree with his choices. Now that I've mentioned the oddball easily fixed matters, the rest of my report on the RHT10/RT-990BX is very positive. The RF front end is as follows: In the normal setting, there is one gang in front of the RF amp (for 3 total in the RF path). When you engage a front panel selectable control marked 'RF ATT,' the tuner uses diode switches to engage a second gang (for 4 total in the RF path, 2 before and 2 after the single RF amp). So I guess this arrangement gives one the best of both worlds. This sort of design is a great starting point for an RF front end design that has good resistance to strong signal IM and IP3 [intermodulation] problems." The RHT10 only shows up about once a year, on average, on eBay. One sold for $585 in 3/06, and the alltime highs are $1,200 and $960 in 5-7/02. [DA][EH][JR]

Rotel RT-830A (1989, $200) search eBay
The RT-830A is a low-profile analog tuner with a tiny tuning capacitor, 3 FM gangs and 2 ceramic filters. It lacks a center-tuning meter, its signal-strength meter is 5 LEDs, and muting and stereo/mono are on the same switch (meaning you can't choose to listen to a weak FM station in slightly noisy stereo). The surprise is a sensitive, astoundingly selective and excellent-sounding AM section! We're not sure how Rotel did it, particularly since the RT-830A has only 2 gangs for AM, but the AM noise filter button shows that they were serious about it. While the tuner's FM performance is run-of-the-mill, its AM was almost good enough to get our panelist Eric to start DXing AM again. We'll have to investigate whether any other Rotels from that time period might share the same great AM section while offering superior performance on FM. The RT-830A and the presumably similar RT-830 sell for $40-60 on eBay. We're guessing that the RT-850 and RT-850A may also be similar; their typical sale prices are about the same, with a high of $86 for an RT-850 in 4/06. [EF]

Rotel RT-990BX (1993, $750) search eBay
The FM-only RT-990BX is almost as good as the very similar RHT10 at a much lower price, according to our panelist Bob (see Bob's review of the RHT10 above). It is almost as rare as the RHT10, and sells for $300-400 or more on eBay. It has a remote control, which is required to access the 16 presets, but Bob says the RT-990BX sounds so good that it is worth buying even without the remote. Other front-panel controls are stereo/mono switch, RF attenuator, wide/narrow bandwidth selector and signal-strength indicator. Our contributor David Rich notes that the RT-990BX has a double-tuned filter at the antenna and is double-tuned after the RF amp. Here's Bob's comparison of the RHT10 and RT-990BX: "The RHT10 and RT-990BX are essentially the same tuner, with major cosmetic and minor parts and circuit differences. They use the same remote control codes, although again, the remotes are different in appearance. They also use the same circuit board and parts designations on the board, although the boards are different in color. The RT-990BX is missing parts in one area, where the stereo blend circuit is implemented. They have the same RF front end and sine wave type stereo MPX circuit. Alignment procedure is the same for both. Here is a list of functional differences I've compiled:

RHT10/RT-990BX
Power Cord - IEC three-prong receptacle/standard dedicated two-prong cord
Transformer - potted round/potted square
stereo blend - yes, front panel/no stereo blend
RF signal level - numeric, 1-10/5 LED bars to indicate level
output op-amp - AD847/NE5534
audio circuit resistors - "boutique"/standard metal film
Black Gate caps - yes/yes, same number and type

For looks alone I prefer the RHT10; it is one of the best-looking tuners ever made, in my opinion. But they are extremely rare, so rest assured, you are getting in essence the same tuner, less a few fancy resistors, if you buy the more common RT-990BX." [BF]

Rotel RT-1024 (1976, $570, photo) search eBay
The RT-1024 has 5 gangs, 4 filters, and sensitivity and selectivity similar to a Pioneer TX-9100 or TX-9500. The RT-1024 has a discrete output stage (no op-amps), so it has excellent sound. Our contributor Ben says it's one of his 3 favorite tuners, along with a Marantz 2130 and a Kenwood KT-8300. The RT-1024's unusual onboard Dolby processing circuit, originally intended for decoding broadcasts in the now defunct Dolby FM system, allows it to be used with tape decks as a general purpose outboard Dolby processor, for both recording and playback. This function is totally independent of the tuner circuit. The RT-1024 usually sells for $185-325 on eBay but up to $450 is possible. [BF]

Rotel RT-2000 (1979, $430 or $460, photo) search eBay
The RT-2000 is a clunky-looking 4-gang tuner with wide and normal IF bandwidth settings, servo-lock tuning, and a tuning meter that doubles as a multipath meter. Contrary to what one forgotten contributor suggested, our panelist Ray doubts that the 2-gang AM section is anything special. The RT-2000 usually sells for $100-200 on eBay, but one sold for just $64 in 3/06.

Rotel RT-2100 (1979, $600 or $640, photo, schematic, Audio review) search eBay
The scarce RT-2100 is a 5-gang, rack-mount, FM-only analog tuner with excellent sensitivity. It has wide and narrow IF bandwidth settings, a multipath meter, some sort of quartz lock tuning circuitry, an output level control and recording check switch. It can have either a black or silver case and has a digital readout as well as an analog dial. The RT-2100 usually sells for $150-305 on eBay, with a low of $99 in 11/03.

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