Path: utzoo!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!caen!uwm.edu!csd4.csd.uwm.edu!info-high-audio-request
From: sundinKC@dna.lth.se (Anders Sundin)
Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
Subject: Re: High Sensitivity FM Tuners
Message-ID: <10049@uwm.edu>
Date: 8 Mar 91 13:36:39 GMT
Sender: news@uwm.edu
Lines: 51
Approved: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu
Originator: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu

In article <9746@uwm.edu>, jat@mitre.org (Jim Teunas) writes:
> I am looking to buy a Tuner....I live about 60 miles outside of Boston
> in the hills of New Hampshire so i have both the problem of
> many stations on top of each other and a low signal level...
> I like to listen to some low power stations ( college stations etc)
> so that is another requirement.. I am considering the
> Onyko (?) 9090 II and the Carver TX 11b..  both mail order for
> around ~$600.

My recommendation is a Yamaha TX-930. It has specs (independently tested) as
good as or better than anything on the market, including the very good Onkyo you
mention. It also has a remote (very nice on a tuner IMO) and two separate 
antenna inputs. Furthermore it is quite a bit cheaper (example: 339 $ at New 
York Wholesale) than the tuners you mention or Yamahas top-of-the line TX2000 
(also _very_ good).

IMHO the Yamaha TX-930 is about as good as any tuner in existance, and capable 
of VASTLY better performance than what is usually transmitted in the first 
place.

The problems you allude to will not go away by buying a more expensive tuner, the way to go is to see to that the tuner gets a good signal to start with. With
this class of tuners, I don't think I'm being very controversial if I claim 
that they are signal limited.

The two antenna inputs come in handy here. The most simple setup is to attach a 
dipole to each input, mounted perpendicular to each other. Switch between the 
antennas to get the signal which has the best combination of signal strength and
lack of interference.

The optimum might be to have two outdoor antennas, one omnidirectional, and
another highly directional/high gain antenna mounted on a rotor. Then you could 
use the omnidirectional to scan the programming, and when you have decided what 
you want to listen to, you could switch to the directional antenna and, if 
necessary, redirect it to an optimal orientation. 

Given that the TX-930 saves you almost 300$ you could easily afford this setup,
and still stay within budget.


                                          Jonas


I'm posting this from the account of a friend.
Please direct any E-mail to:
OK3JONAS@SELDC52.BITNET 
ok3jonas@gemini.ldc.se
-- 
 Anders Sundin                       e-mail: sundinKC@dna.lth.se
 Organic Chemistry 2,                        ok2aps@seldc52.bitnet
 P.O. Box 124                        phone:  +46 46 108214
 S-22100 Lund, Sweden                fax:    +46 46 108209