Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I cannot believe this is radio.
I bought the Marantz ST7001 to fit into my hi-fi system after trying another, inexpensive digital tuner. My thought was to have the radio in the house sound as good as the radio in my car. I did not want to spend four figures on a radio component, which put Magnum Dynalab and Fanfare out of my league. I also did not want to make a hobby out of fussing with the technical details of radio. Thus, the many outstanding vintage tuners were of limited interest.
I did some research before buying this tuner. One important thing I learned was that antennas are important and that your tuner is only as good as its reception.
At the time of my decision I was aware of the following competitive mid-priced (under $500) component tuners available in the US market:
1. Marantz ST7001 - Reviewed as a little less detailed than some but with a fuller sound.
2. NAD C425 - Reviewed as highly detailed and transparent, a bit bright and thin sounding. This is consistent with what I have heard from NAD tuners.
3. Onkyo T-4555 Multi Platform Tuner - No meaningful review comments on sound quality, but reviews indicated lots of format capabilities. Sadly, they also indicated poor reliability and very bad customer service.
4. Yamaha TX-497 Natural Sound AM/FM Stereo Tuner - Only one review, which indicated an ordinary, cheap plastic tuner with ordinary sound.
5. Cambridge Audio 340T AM/FM Tuner - I know nothing about this tuner. I did not like the looks of it, and the absence of readily available comments from popular websites made me hesitate.
6. Denon TU-1500RD AM/FM Tuner - This is likely the closest competition to the Marantz, with one review indicating that they share some common parts. That review also indicated that the Denon is a little more detailed and has a less boomy bass, but at the expense of some warmth. I noticed that it is also has plastic panels. IMO Denon sometimes produces some very good equipment in its higher priced lines, this firm does not have the same reputation for audiophile candy that Marantz has.
7. Music Hall T25.2 AM/FM Tuner - I know nothing about this except that it is designed to aesthetically match the rest of the excellent Music Hall 25.2 system, and Music Hall is well regarded.
8. Jolida JD 402A AM/FM Tuner - Reviews indicated phenomenal potential for the knowledgeable person or the audiophile willing to swap tubes. As is consistent with Jolida's reputation in other components, there were some quality issues reported and the product was best suited to someone who doesn't mind tinkering a little bit. I mind.
Based on this research, it seemed to me that the Marantz had a premium look and well regarded sound. It was noteworthy enough to have been reviewed in several high-fi magazines in its native England, and several of the customer reviews from other tuners referred to this as a better choice, with comments like, `returned my whatever and bought the Marantz,' or `tuner X is hard to use, should be like the Marantz.' I got the impression that the Marantz had set an important standard for mid-priced tuners.
So, I bought one.
My initial efforts at antenna management have been imprecise. I connected a cheap, passive, wire type 300 ohm FM antenna (a fine example comes in the box). Then I crumpled it up, dropped it behind the credenza in a heap, and tuned in my local NPR station. NPR was broadcasting a recently recorded Dvorak symphony, and music filled the room like a CD. Instruments were precisely placed, I heard the weird fade you get in concert halls where it sounds like the walls are covered in blankets, and some dude coughed faintly to my right.
More importantly, I found the balance of the sound convincing and satisfying. When reception is good and the source broadcast is quality, this tuner sounds natural and open and full. Textures are rich and instruments sound like they should. I did not measure the sound with meters, but I have been to concerts and I know what live music sounds like. This sounds like that. Could I tell the difference with my eyes closed? Absolutely. But this radio cost less than a 6-concert pass at my local symphony orchestra ticket office.
I am totally happy with this tuner and consider it a significant bargain. The next step is to find a better antenna and really see what it can do.
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