Date
1 - 9 of 9
Old tuners, modern equipment?
|
Ralph Bouch
Hi, I am an avid lurker to fm tuner info traffic, and had to ask about a recent tuner "experience". I found myself lucky enough to have a Sony stj60 spare so I hooked it up to my home theater system which has a Marantz nr 1603 at its core. The Marantz has always been good for "flash bang" movies, but music is not something it has ever reproduced well, no matter the input. It's reproduction of non movie sound has been devoid of character, the auditory equivalent of wallpaper paste for breakfast. So imagine my shock when I hooked up the Sony and the sound coming out of the receiver was suddenly breathtaking! I mean, even with the "flash bang" movies, it never sounded this spacious and authentic. So I ask this group, is this how much better a wonderful old piece of equipment like this is than the tuner sections on modern equipment, or is there something else at play? The specs on the tuner section of the Marantz aren't that different from the stj60 from what I can find, but the sound is light years apart. Thanks for any info you can offer, Ralph |
|
|
|
R.Kent Brown
An obvious case of specs/numbers don’t mean everything. The parts in your Sony are probably a much better grade, too.
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On May 2, 2021, at 8:08 PM, Ralph Bouch <ralph.bouch@...> wrote:
|
|
|
|
James Callahan
Check the input/output sensitivity on both . The Sony's output is 750mV the Marantz input is 130mV so I would say the Sony will be playing loud . I read you can upgrade the op-amp in Sony for better sound . -----Original Message-----
From: Ralph Bouch <ralph.bouch@...> To: FMtuners@groups.io Sent: Sun, May 2, 2021 8:08 pm Subject: [FMtuners] Old tuners, modern equipment? Hi,
I am an avid lurker to fm tuner info traffic, and had to ask about a recent tuner "experience". I found myself lucky enough to have a Sony stj60 spare so I hooked it up to my home theater system which has a Marantz nr 1603 at its core. The Marantz has always been good for "flash bang" movies, but music is not something it has ever reproduced well, no matter the input. It's reproduction of non movie sound has been devoid of character, the auditory equivalent of wallpaper paste for breakfast. So imagine my shock when I hooked up the Sony and the sound coming out of the receiver was suddenly breathtaking! I mean, even with the "flash bang" movies, it never sounded this spacious and authentic. So I ask this group, is this how much better a wonderful old piece of equipment like this is than the tuner sections on modern equipment, or is there something else at play? The specs on the tuner section of the Marantz aren't that different from the stj60 from what I can find, but the sound is light years apart. Thanks for any info you can offer, Ralph |
|
|
|
No surprise here. A recaped & aligned ST-J75 (the ST-J60's big brother) is my long-term keeper of all the tuners I've owned over the past 30yr. Superbly quiet background and great SQ. The 60 is likely very similar downstream of the tuner portion to the 75. My ST-J75 is on 24-7 and the main source for about 75% of my listening. Enjoy!!
Glenn |
|
|
|
I don't know about your Marantz, but your typical AV receiver tuner has a 3 gang front end, an IF section consisting of two 180 khz filters, and an AM/FM chip that contains all the functions that used to be performed by three separate chips. The detector is simpler and is not as low in distortion as older tuners. It is no wonder that you might prefer a better designed tuner with lower distortion and better separation.
|
|
|
|
bill koski
I just finished hotrodding a Pioneer SX580 receiver for a friend. When I got done recapping it and aligning it, the FM didn't have overly impressive quieting. I thought it may have been due to HD channel noise. It has 2 ceramic filters I pulled the one on the input and tested it and it had a -3db BW of 300 KHz. Probably was nominally a 280KHz? I matched a pair of 180KHz filters to both have the same center frequency (they were about 10.745) and measured BW of 200KHz. I only replace the input one and tried it and now the background was near dead quiet. So I didn't even bother changing the 2nd filter.
I hooked it into my main system like a tuner using the tape outs. I have a Marantz 10B in the system to compare it to. The Pioneer sounded ridiculously good! No it didn't sound AS good but it has great separation with a good sound stage. It sounded a bit dryer than the 10B and a little less dynamic. Vocals didn't pop quite as much. But we're talking about a lower end Pioneer vs what is arguably one of the best tuners ever made (I know, your mileage may vary!) So yes old tuners can sound surprisingly good! In Chicago we are blessed with at least 3 stations that aren't totally over processed. WXRT (rock) WFMT (classical) and WDCB (jazz/blues) With a good signal it's amazing how good FM CAN sound. BTW does anyone know if Pioneer had a tuner that was essentially the same as what was in the SX 580? |
|
|
|
It looks like the TX-6800 tuner is similar. It has the PA3001A detector chip and PA1001A Multiplex chip like the SX580. Both are 3 gangs and 2 ceramic filters.
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
Don ============================================================================== On Tue, May 4, 2021 at 09:32 AM, bill koski wrote:
BTW does anyone know if Pioneer had a tuner that was essentially the same as what was in the SX 580? |
|
|
|
j
Hi Ralph
Probably not the easiest to do. Go with your ears: remove the Marantz, replace with the Sony, press on. From what little I could find on the net, both are microprocess controlled. Reprogram the processor? my official language is solder. Change, listen, enjoy, find a new home for the Marantz. Maybe the last option would be to send the unit back to Marantz, with documentation of your grief. Pricey! May it be in your power to make it a good day: John Isles |
|
|
|
bill koski
Thanks!
The TX6800 does seem to be the likely match for the SX580. I checked it out on the tuner info and stereomono sites. Receiver and tuner both came out in 79. Looks like Pioneer put quite a bit of effort in making an affordable tuner with impressive performance. Seems to be a great bang for the buck tuner. I might have to look for a bargain one to play with for myself. |
|
|