| BUYING GUIDE - TUNERS - UNDER £200 |
| PRICES SHOWN ARE THOSE AT THE TIME OF REVIEW |
| Tuners |
£ |
Year |
Verdict |
| AMC T7 |
£130 |
Jul 97 |
Although it has a tempting price, its sound quality is poor compared with its rivals. |
| Arcam Alpha 7 |
£230 |
Mar 97 |
An attractive, smooth sounding tuner that won't break the bank |
| Cambridge T500 |
£180 |
Feb 99 |
The T500 is one of the most gifted tuners under £500; a very accomplished all-round performer. |
| Denon TU-260L MkII |
£130 |
Jun 99 |
With its smooth, inoffensive sound and abundant facilities, the MkII is a worthy addition to the tuner line-up. |
| Harman/Kardon TU 950 |
£200 |
Jul 96 |
Sound quality is generally impressive. Let down by a rather constricted sound stage, but still good value. |
| Kenwood KT-2080 |
£130 |
Feb 97 |
Smooth, even balance allows the KT-2080 to convince with whatever itís receiving. £130 well spent. |
| Marantz ST-57 |
£150 |
Oct 97 |
The ST-57 is a smooth, warm tuner but lacks a little clarity and transparency. |
| Mission Cyrus FM7 |
£299 |
Apr 94 |
Musical, communicative and extremely detailed and a steal at the price. |
| NAD 412 |
£190 |
Jun 96 |
A remarkably musical and natural sounding tuner. Unbeatable at the price, or even twice the price for that matter. |
| Onkyo T401 |
£160 |
May 94 |
A competent machine, but time has taken its toll on the sound quality. |
| Rega Radio |
£230 |
Jan 95 |
Sounds on the whole more than its price, but in other respects it isn't especially competitive. |
| Rotel RT-930AX |
£175 |
Aug 94 |
The RT-930AX is a glowing little bargain. real quality at a very realistic price. |
| Sony ST-SA3ES |
£250 |
Apr 97 |
The Sony is worth every penny of its asking price. If you're a fan of radio this is one to go for. |
| Sony ST-SE700 |
£180 |
Aug 97 |
The ST-SE700 is one of the best at this price. LW reception is a welcome bonus. |
| Teac T-460 |
£120 |
Oct 99 |
An inexpensive and versatile tuner, difficult to fault as such. Sound quality on the dryside. |
| Technics ST-GT-350L |
£140 |
Jun 95 |
Not a bad buy at all and a very good fit for budget and mid-price systems. |
| Tivoli Audio Model One |
£99 |
Jun 02 |
Tranny, mono radio with detailed, warm sound and a truely surprising amount of bass and three dimensionality. A real eye opener! |
| Yamaha TX580 RDS |
£200 |
Feb 95 |
If you want something for casual listening with superior æsthetics, this might be the one for you. |
| TUNERS - £200+ |
| Adcom GFT 555.2 |
£399 |
May 93 |
Quite musical but does not rejuvenate the waves! Good solid performance but less than luxurious. |
| Arcam Alpha 10 DRT |
- |
Jul 99 |
Arcam's digital radio couldn't be simpler to use. Compared with good FM the benefits are marginal as yet. |
| Burmester 931 |
£4347 |
Nov 94 |
This is not a cheap tuner, but its cheaper than buying a radio station, which is the only possible alternative. |
| Creek T43 |
£399 |
May 98 |
A great little tuner. This is the one in the price bracket. Good value and a fine sound. (updated review Feb 02) |
| Cyrus FM7.5 |
£400 |
Oct 99 |
Fine, smooth and musical; commendably simple in style and operation. Only its price counts against it. |
| Denon TU-S10 |
£400 |
Mar 98 |
A stylish, well-built tuner which has a detailed sound but needs careful partnering |
| Fanfare FT 1 |
£1350 |
Mar 95 |
Whether it's sweaty disco or symphony hall, the Fanfare comes up to scratch. |
| Kenwood KT-6050L |
£300 |
Oct 95 |
A good value, excellent sounding rds tuner, but lacks full EON facilities |
| Linn Kremlin |
£1645 |
Mar 92 |
Commendable basic performance but, considering the price there are limitations. |
| Linn Pekin |
£545 |
Aug 01 |
Good when it comes to facilities and features. The Pekin suffers from insensitivity and a slightly thin sound, although vocals are clear and detailed. |
| Magnum Dynalab FT101A |
£749 |
Apr 92 |
Worth auditioning but bass rather dry and light. |
| Marantz ST-17 |
£600 |
July 99 |
Knock-out build quality and rich velvety sound. Poor-signal mute a bit too enthusiastic. |
| Meridian 504 |
£660 |
Mar 96 |
A clear, natural sound with good punch. Has strong rivals at the price, but acquits itself well. |
| Micromega Tuner |
£700 |
Jul 95 |
An unusual design from Micromega that's well built but sonically unrewarding and expensive. |
| Musical Fidelity X-Plora |
£600 |
Aug 01 |
Natural and open, the X-Plora is at home with the likes of Radio 3 and 4 with its detailed sound. |
| Myryad MT100 |
£530 |
Nov 99 |
Low on facilities, but when it comes to looks and sonic performance, itís the business. |
| NAD 702 |
£330 |
Jul 94 |
Well worth auditioning, even if you've never previously considered a receiver. |
| Naim NAT 03 |
£499 |
Sep 93 |
Soft and pure, especially across the midband. Speech very well reproduced plus solid weighty bass. |
| Naim NAT 05 |
£725 |
Aug 01 |
A very fine tuner indeed., the NAT05 easily makes up for in sound what it lacks in facilities. |
| Nakamichi ST3S |
£350 |
Dec 94 |
Looks good, but the sound quality isn't really worth the asking price. |
| Pioneer F-504RDS |
£300 |
Dec 98 |
One sole mark against the class-leading transparency is its slightly dry character. |
| Pioneer F-504RDS |
£350 |
Nov 95 |
Well engineered and competent tuner, but a little uninspiring. |
| Roksan Caspian |
£695 |
Aug 01 |
A well built and good sounding tuner that should give many years of happy listening. |
| Rotel Michi RHT10 |
£895 |
Mar 94 |
This classy looking tuner can hold its head up high amongst the best tuners at the price. |
| Rotel RT-990BX |
£500 |
Apr 95 |
The price of twenty concert tickets, and for that you can listen as if you were there. A bargain. |
| TAG McLaren T20 |
£1100 |
Mar 99 |
Extremely well built with a lucid if slightly dry sound. The only real drawback is the high price |
| Thorens TRT-2000 |
£500 |
Dec 97 |
An otherwise competent tuner is let down by a rather processed character. |
