JjR Posted July 30, 2004 Share Posted July 30, 2004 I'm looking at getting a tuner that matches my Fisher X-202-B I- amp, I believe that it is called the FM-200-B tuner. The seller said that is is working sort of and that the I think one channel gets a little noisy after about 30 minutes of operation. I know that this question is very vague but would anybody venture a guess what the problem is with the unit and its value in this condition? TIA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted July 30, 2004 Share Posted July 30, 2004 Almost anything ! I would first test all the tubes could simple be a weak tube Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Number 9 Posted July 30, 2004 Share Posted July 30, 2004 Have not looked lately, but prices can be highly variable. I've seen some sell for as high as $500 or go for as low as $200 depending on condition (serviced lately, by whom or not). Given the tuner is approximately 40 years old, you can surely bet that it needs to have quite a few of its caps changed, probably a couple of tubes too, selenium rectifier, a realignment would be in order ... basically its old ... but tube tuners sure can sound sweet. Because tube tuners are finicky they need to be serviced by someone who really knows what they are doing. You can check out the fmtunerinfo.com site for a list of qualified technicians. Many techs claim they can do an alignment but be wary, they need to have the right equipment. BTW ...that's a nice preamp you've got there. Have you seen this? http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=14974&item=5711111723&rd=1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben. Posted July 30, 2004 Share Posted July 30, 2004 Wow. For that kind of scratch you'd think Paul would turn a light on to take the pics! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted July 30, 2004 Share Posted July 30, 2004 I had to put that on my watch page ! It will be interesting if someone pays that much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JjR Posted July 30, 2004 Author Share Posted July 30, 2004 ---------------- On 7/30/2004 9:57:55 AM Number 9 wrote: Have not looked lately, but prices can be highly variable. I've seen some sell for as high as $500 or go for as low as $200 depending on condition (serviced lately, by whom or not). Given the tuner is approximately 40 years old, you can surely bet that it needs to have quite a few of its caps changed, probably a couple of tubes too, selenium rectifier, a realignment would be in order ... basically its old ... but tube tuners sure can sound sweet. Because tube tuners are finicky they need to be serviced by someone who really knows what they are doing. You can check out the fmtunerinfo.com site for a list of qualified technicians. Many techs claim they can do an alignment but be wary, they need to have the right equipment. BTW ...that's a nice preamp you've got there. Have you seen this? http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=14974&item=5711111723&rd=1 ---------------- Servicing is no problem as there is a repair shop here in Chicago that works on all that stuff ,plus they are a certified Fisher among others service shop. The thing is that is it really worth to but a tube tuner over a newer analog SS one? I really listen to only a couple channels here and they come in clear on anything. The main reason that I was considering the 200FM as it would be a match for the X-202-B cosmetic wise. How would a Nice SS tuner sound compared to the Tube 202 FM? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben. Posted July 30, 2004 Share Posted July 30, 2004 My Marantz 2020 is a pretty good performer for the money. I think they can be had for $50 to $100. I paid $8 for mine as part of a pawn shop lot. It sounded a little thin until I got into the MC30s and Paragon 12. It sounds nice now, especially on NPR and a jazz station out of Toronto. I have it connected to my big antenna on the roof w/ a rotor, so sensitivity isn't a big issue so much as selectivity, which it handles fine. My only only real gripe is the size. It's quite tall. SS tuners can sound pretty good (though I admit I've never heard a tube tuner that's working properly), and I don't listen to enough radio to justify the average expense of a decent tube unit. At least not right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben. Posted July 30, 2004 Share Posted July 30, 2004 Shot of my rack this past spring with Marantz 2020 on the bottom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Number 9 Posted July 31, 2004 Share Posted July 31, 2004 Jjr >> How would a Nice SS tuner sound compared to the Tube 202 FM? I am biased because I have what I consider one of the best tube tuners out there, the McIntosh MR-67. It was serviced by Paul Grzybek of Bizzy Bee Audio in Chicago, which you may well know, is the king of Fisher restoration. He is extremely busy lately ... I listen to FM a lot, and only on a few stations, but it is still way worth it in my opinion. The sound, just glorious. Deep bass, the sound just flows into the room. Beautiful tonality. I had tried various solid-state tuners, some with good reps, but none really did it for me like the MR-67 now does. Vacuum Tube Valley had a tube tuner shootout back in '96 I believe (I have the issue somewhere in my garage). The 200 was considered very nice, but they actually preferred the 100. In the end, a tube tuner can sound very good ONLY IF it is serviced properly. A good realignement. Caps swapped. Their key weakness is they are slightly shy of the top sensitivity of the best solid-state designs, and overall not very selective. A good antenna nulifies these two aspects. I would say go for it and have it upgraded, and you will never look back and second-guess if you can do better. On fmtunerinfo.com there is a brief rundown of tube tuners if you find the link on the sidebar. Also check out the Yahoo tuner discussion forum ... even though some people own "uber" tuners like Sansui TU-X1s, many also hold an MR-67 because they sound so "sweet". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JjR Posted July 31, 2004 Author Share Posted July 31, 2004 ---------------- On 7/31/2004 1:13:45 PM Number 9 wrote: Jjr >> How would a Nice SS tuner sound compared to the Tube 202 FM? I am biased because I have what I consider one of the best tube tuners out there, the McIntosh MR-67. It was serviced by Paul Grzybek of Bizzy Bee Audio in Chicago, which you may well know, is the king of Fisher restoration. He is extremely busy lately ... I listen to FM a lot, and only on a few stations, but it is still way worth it in my opinion. The sound, just glorious. Deep bass, the sound just flows into the room. Beautiful tonality. I had tried various solid-state tuners, some with good reps, but none really did it for me like the MR-67 now does. Vacuum Tube Valley had a tube tuner shootout back in '96 I believe (I have the issue somewhere in my garage). The 200 was considered very nice, but they actually preferred the 100. In the end, a tube tuner can sound very good ONLY IF it is serviced properly. A good realignement. Caps swapped. Their key weakness is they are slightly shy of the top sensitivity of the best solid-state designs, and overall not very selective. A good antenna nulifies these two aspects. I would say go for it and have it upgraded, and you will never look back and second-guess if you can do better. On fmtunerinfo.com there is a brief rundown of tube tuners if you find the link on the sidebar. Also check out the Yahoo tuner discussion forum ... even though some people own "uber" tuners like Sansui TU-X1s, many also hold an MR-67 because they sound so "sweet". ---------------- FWIW I have had many SS tuners over the years and all worked well here in Chicago as the radio stations that I listen to here all broadcast here. So I'm not ready to invest a fortune just to listed to a station that broadcast's 5 miles away. I had called Paul BTW and he is not talking any work he says that he is on other projects. If you are in Chicago there is a fine Factory Certified Fisher repair service here right on N Halsted Street http://www.deltronicschicago.com/index.htm I have had them do repair on various units over the years but must admit have yet to have them any Fisher work. I do feel that they are fully qualified though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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