| Choosing a tuner for your system is of little | | | | stations. The greater its sensitivity, the |
| difference from choosing other components. | | | | better it can pick up weak or distant |
| When auditioning other components, people are | | | | stations. |
| primarily concerned with their sound quality, | | | | |
| not their technical performance. | | | | This aspect is more important in suburban or |
| | | | rural areas that are far from radio |
| For example, if a preamplifier under audition | | | | transmitters. |
| sounds good, you do not need to worry much | | | | |
| about its technical performance. Because .if | | | | On the other hand, a tuner characteristic of |
| it sounds good, then it is working well. | | | | greater importance to the city dweller is |
| | | | adjacent-channel selectivity or the ability |
| Tuners, on the other hand, exhibit great | | | | to pick up one station without interference |
| variability in their technical performance. | | | | from the station next to it on the dial. |
| It will not only concern the tuner?s sound; | | | | |
| tonal balance, sound staging, portrayal of | | | | This specification defines a tuner?s ability |
| timbre, etc., but also basic characteristics | | | | to reject a strong station two channels away |
| such as the ability to pick up weak or | | | | from the desired channel. When stations are |
| distant stations, reject adjacent stations, | | | | packed closely together, as they are in |
| provide a noise-free audio signal, and stay | | | | cities, adjacent-channel and |
| tuned to a station without drifting. | | | | alternate-channel selectivity are more |
| | | | important than sensitivity. |
| A tuner?s performance in these areas can be | | | | |
| accurately characterized by measurement; this | | | | Equally important to all listeners is the |
| makes tuner specifications much more | | | | tuner?s signal-to-noise ratio, a measure of |
| significant than those of other audio | | | | the difference in dB between background noise |
| components. | | | | and the maximum signal strength. A tuner with |
| | | | a poor signal-to-noise ratio will overlay the |
| There is a direct correlation between a | | | | music with an annoying background hiss. |
| tuner?s specifications and its sonic | | | | |
| performance. You still have to listen to the | | | | A poor tuner will have trouble receiving weak |
| tuner before you buy, but you can often | | | | stations, may lack the ability to select one |
| separate poor performing models from better | | | | station when that station is adjacent to |
| units by looking at the specification sheets. | | | | another station, have high background noise, |
| | | | and be overloaded by nearby FM transmitters |
| Unlike most audio products, the best high-end | | | | or other radio signal sources. |
| tuners have more features, front-panel | | | | |
| controls, and displays than the lower-end | | | | Many tuners have a high-blend circuit that |
| products. | | | | automatically switches the signal to mono |
| | | | when the signal strength falls below a |
| The price range for a good tuner from a | | | | certain level. |
| mass-market manufacturer is between $400 and | | | | |
| $1000. Some of the higher-end models from | | | | The difference between high-blend and the |
| mass-market companies offer excellent | | | | mono/stereo switch just described is that the |
| performance. | | | | high-blend circuit puts only the treble into |
| | | | mono, leaving the rest of the spectrum in |
| The price range from $750 to $1200 is very | | | | stereo. This gets rid of most of the noise, |
| competitive, with many superb units to choose | | | | but maintains stereo separation through most |
| from. The very best tuners cost as much as | | | | of the midrange and bass. |
| $12,000. | | | | |
| | | | Lastly, all good tuners have a 75-ohm coaxial |
| The differences between mediocre and | | | | antenna input as well as the more commonly |
| excellent tuners. | | | | used 300-ohm flat-lead input. The coaxial |
| | | | input should be used for best signal |
| Good tuners are characterized by their | | | | transmission between the antenna and tuner. |
| sensitivity or the ability to pull in weak | | | | |