This page is intended as a place to put simple lists of tuners that have one particular feature or another. We'll need input from readers to make the lists as comprehensive as possible. Please post additions to existing lists, or suggestions for new lists, in our FMtuners group. Tuners don't have to have TIC writeups in order to be listed here. We've renamed the page in honor of our contributor Don W., the most prolific creator of list topics.
MPX Decoder ICs
Don writes, "I have always wanted to see a list of tuners which have certain MPX decoder ICs. The 'big 3' I would like to see are the LA3450 and LM4500 (because of their unique decode waveforms), and the HA11223 (near universal praise as capable of excellent sound). I have compiled my own list, but I can't be sure it's completely correct. There was a discussion of this topic in FMtuners." If you can give us a hand and help us improve this list, let us know.
Tuners with National LM4500:
B&K TS-108
Fanfare FT-1
Magnum Dynalab FT-11 (some versions)
Magnum Dynalab FT-101A (some versions)
McIntosh MR 80
Meridian 504
Quad FM4*
*Our contributor Esmond says the Quad FM4 uses the Philips TCA4500, which appears to be identical to the LM4500. He believes that later Quad tuners also use it.
Our contributor Paul Baptista says the Arcam Delta 80 and Telefunken RT200 (whatever those are) use the TCA4500A, the Motorola and Siemens part number for the LM4500A.
Tuners with Hitachi HA11223 or HA11223W:
Aiwa AT-9700E
Denon TU-600
Denon TU-767
Denon TU-850
Denon TU-900
Heathkit AJ-1600
Hitachi FT-8000
Kenwood KT-9X and KT-9XG
Kenwood KT-815
Kenwood KT-917
Kenwood KT-1000 (has chip, but discreet implementation?)
Kenwood L-01T
Kenwood L-07T
Luxman T-12
NEC/Curtis Mathes AUT-8300E
Nikko Gamma I
Nikko Gamma V
Optonica ST-7405
Sansui TU-519
Sansui TU-719
Sansui TU-919
Sansui TU-S9
Sansui TU-X1
Sony ST-J75
Sony ST-J88B
Sumo Charlie
Teac TX-500
Our contributor John C. and our panelist Ray made additions to the above lists and also offer these:
Here's another good list suggestion from Don. The benefits of having wide and narrow IF bandwidths in a tuner are fairly basic: wider filters tend to produce the best audio quality, while narrower filters improve rejection of adjacent-channel interference. Three bandwidth settings, with intelligently chosen filters, can provide even greater flexibility for audiophiles and DXers alike. Only the T-85, to our knowledge, has four IF bandwidths.
Denon TU-800
Kenwood 600T
Kenwood KT-917
McIntosh MR 78
Onkyo Grand Integra T-G10
Onkyo T-9090 and T-9090II
Tandberg 3001 and 3001A
Yamaha TX-900U
Yamaha T-85
Tuners that have MPX implemented using discrete transistors (solid state) instead of an integrated circuit
Thanks to our contributor Paul for the idea. There should be other tuners in this list, but here are a few to start with:
Kenwood 600T
Kenwood KT-7000 and KT-7001
Kenwood KT-8005 and KT-8007
Kenwood KT-8300
Sansui TU-9900
Tandberg 3001 and 3001A
Yamaha CT-7000
Yamaha T-70 and T-80(?)
Don notes: "Here's the tricky part: Some tuner designs have a MPX chip that
is used to generate a 38 kHz clock locked to the 19 kHz pilot tone. The actual MPX decoding is then done by external circuitry. (At least that is my understanding.) My impression is that the T-70 falls into this category. Bob says: 'The KT-8007 uses an outboard MPX switching scheme very similar to the KT-8300. If working correctly, you should see 38 kHz square waves coming out of pins 4 and 5 when a 19 kHz pilot is present on the input.' I take this to mean that both these Kenwoods do the MPX decoding in discrete circuitry outside of the MPX chip."
Our panelist Bob confirms: "That's right, you can have:
1) Fully discrete, no chips - older tube and solid-state tuners, mostly
designed before 1975
2) Hybrid - MPX chip with outboard switching
3) Dedicated single MPX chip does all decoding - most solid-state tuners
4) MPX decoding using multiple chips and or discrete components together in an advanced modern design, in many (but not all) cases using pure sine wave decoding
In category 2 are many high-end tuners, including the KT-8007, KT-8300, 600T, TU-9900, T-70, and I think the Yamaha T-80 also. In category 4 you have the Yamaha T-85 and TX-1000/2000, Rotel RHT-10, most high-end digital Pioneers like the F-9, F-90 and F-99X, the Sansui TU-D99X, and most top-model digital Kenwoods."
Tuners with FM deviation meters
Here's a new list idea from our contributor Eli. We've just started this one so please post in our FMtuners group if you have any additions to the list.
