Adrian,

I am not sure if I understand you correctly but if I do then I did NOT experience this effect with both  of my TU-X1.  Does is exist only with one station? If yes, then the station might possess signal in some odd way…

You might check the output stage by driving the TU-X1’s internal generator and looking at the scope the cleanness of sinusoid. You can also to look what the whole tuner does with a clean wave. You need to buy a couple dozen dollars transmitter and set to TU-X1 a signal from generator.

Do not forget it is 30 years old devise and anything might be wrong with it. To me the absolutely the best way to check sound of tuner for defect is to hear piano play.  If anything is wrong then modulations and distortions are very auditable at the key strike attacks…

Adrian, how do you find your TU-X1 after those two month? Did anything changed? Do you observer the same effect on all stations? How about switching it in mono?

I have to say that I can’t be happier with TU-X1. Particularly recently  after I spent time bitching  to program directors of my local classical stations about their sound quality and was able to get some very tangible improvement in their sound. If you can play 88/24 then I can send you some recording from my TU-X1 and you might comment if your “collapse to nothingness” effect manifests itself on my tuner and my stations. Who know, it might be learning and beneficial for both of us.

Romy the Cat wrote:

Also, there are a lot of people out there who love to propose to modify and to improve the TU-X1. Be careful with it and might be done but very accurately. In fact I spoke with a few modification specialists and was a bit afraid what they proposed. My own modification projects when also not too far. The right modification for this tuner I did not see anybody propose. <BR><BR>The Cat

drdna wrote:

Honestly for now, the character of the tuner is unobtrusive enough that I notice mostly the problems I have with the preamplifier and the electricity. However, I would be interested about what you had thought at this point to be modified (I recall your experiments before and comparing your two Sansui tuners before and after, but I wonder how you feel now some time later).

drdna wrote:

If you know a specialist out in this area, then let me know. I was thinking to get the tuner aligned and have a local guy, Evgeniy, recommended to me to do it. However, I have not been unhappy with the sound to really want anyone to mess with the tuner at this point.

Romy the Cat wrote:

My attitude with my main TU-X1 is “do not harm” as I pretty much have no complains of frustration to it’s sound and I would be pity to loose what I have now from this tuner. I have some people told me about specific mods but none of them were able to describe to me the Sonic benefits they were able to get after their mods in the terms that I would consider not idiotic.

drdna wrote:

Romy the Cat wrote:   My attitude with my main TU-X1 is “do not harm” as I pretty much have no complains of frustration to it’s sound and I would be pity to loose what I have now from this tuner. I have some people told me about specific mods but none of them were able to describe to me the Sonic benefits they were able to get after their mods in the terms that I would consider not idiotic.    After reading about the TU-X1 heavily modified in: http://www.goodsoundclub.com/Forums/ShowPost.aspx?postID=9084#9084 I was considering whether to send th tuner to this Mr. Chow at http://www.componentplususa.com/pages/upgrades.html but of course I am hesitant because, after I have the TU-X1 because of its wonderful tone. I do not want that to be lost with some upgrade to "better parts" like the prominently mentioned Blackgate capacitors. It would be helpful to hear about some experiences with before and after the modifications. The TU-X1 continues to evolve in its sound over the time I have had it. Initially I had the odd character of expanding and collapsing images in the soundstage. Now, the soundstage is very much not an issue, that is to say it has become less obvious overall in listening. At the same time, the liveliness or "random" factor in the sound has diminished as well. I cannot complain about the tonal balance; the sounds are very precisely soft and silky without being excessively emphasized. It seems correct, but it is somehow less involving emotionally. Adrian

Well, it might be something is still not right with your TU-X1 or person some is not right with me. My TU-X1 is the most “involving” among all of audio sources and I have no absolutely no complain in this department.

Regarding the modifications – I do not know. If you tuner was not alight then it is unquestionably need to be done to make sure that the tuner dose what it topology permits. As far as the parts swapping – you are at your own to decide.  I would call Mr. Chow and would ask his views how the specific part exchange will let sonically lead to specific sonic consequences. I would see how comfortably he will be defending his modifications.

You see there is a catch in all of it. It takes a different mindset to properly align tuner and to voice tuner with parts. To properly align tuner any BS about the tuner sound and sonic character shell be dropped and person shell be motivated and fallow only he his knowledge of RF sections and his ability to properly measure proposer things, his ability (and willingness) to interpret the measurements, and his ability (and willingness) to react upon the interpretations. It sound like it is hay nerdy work but in fact it is not and a good alignment in many instances is very creative process, but the process that is very much bounded with objectively of fact. Many technicians who do good alignment do not even listed to tuner and it is what I would prefer. To make the assessment what parts after detector might be exchanged in order to make it sound “different” usually requires another side of brain… It is possible that it might be done by one person but I would be cautious with those expectations.

BTW, you can make your own changes of some parts on your TU-X1, after it was aligned. It is very simple, he TU-X1 has very easy access, the schematic is available and the parts are well marked. You can do one per time and tom observes what happens in very well-controlled conditions. The parts change in output section will not affect your alignment.

drdna wrote:

I sent Mr Chow an e-mail, but have received no reply yet. However, the interesting thing is that tonight the music on the local classical channel was fantastic. Maybe the electricity was particularly good today? I think I am still very much in the learning stage of getting to know the sound of the TU-X1. The variation of sound with electricity, however, more than ever I find intriguing regarding in what way small signal variations and noise can impact the sound. I believe that if we can systematically analyze the effects, we can come to a solution.

I found that my TU-X1 is much less susceptive to electricity problems then my other sources. I have no idea why. I generally have no problems or concerns about the TU-X1, I do not like some aspects of its front end but it is another subject. Sound-wide I feel it is perfect.  Still, I am also at learning stage of getting to know Sound via TU-X1. I was not home entire Friday but I have scheduled the BSO’s matinee live broadest. Today I head what it was and it was fantastic and in a way unique as it was the ONLY concert and on Saturday it was completely different program

The concert started with Schubert’s Fantasie in F minor for piano four-hands. It was played by Daniel Barenboim and believe or not but by James Levine himself. What the Sound they produced! It was true a celebration! Then Daniel Barenboim proceed to Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with BSO and Levine’s conducting.  Very good play! You want more celebration? You can not get more than this: the next in concert was world premiere of Elliot Carter’s “Interventions for piano and orchestra”. This premiere was dedicated to Carter 100 birthday on that took place on Thursday and Elliot Carter himself was on the stage at the “Interventions…” premiere. It needs to be heard LIVE to get all that Boston Symphony atmosphere and how all that “human electricity” intermingles with music. The concert finished by Levine leading BSO with Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring”, that was OK but I am sure it would be more fun if Stravinsky was sitting at the second balcony…

I mean a tuner is not only about sonic effect but also about some “realty transmission” and “realty preservation” if you record live broadcast. There is something about TU-X1 that make it very powerful tool in this journey…

drdna wrote:

However, I would be interested about what you had thought at this point to be modified... 

here is the LIVE recording from today via TU-X1 (the file is 94Meg in 24/88). Even considering that you do not know how our Boston Handel and Haydn Society sounds in Symphony Hall, still, purely abstractly, what– what specific character of sound you would like to modify of improved?

http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=90bf495150d17540d2db6fb9a8902bda

Romy the Cat wrote:

here is the LIVE recording from today via TU-X1. Purely abstractly, what– what specific character of sound you would like to modify of improved?

Adrian,

when you comment that “live broadcast is simply dramatically more alive, more dynamic, more involving. One cannot help but be drawn into the music emotionally and begin to think immediately about the compositional structure” then did you made a general assumption you described your practical experiences with another tuner? Was this another tuner getting the station?  I mean what you getting your station with TU-X1 and experience this “imagination blockage” then can you run another tuner from the same antenna and to get “think immediately about the compositional structure”. I mean that if was the case then it would be worth to look into design idiosyncrasies of that another tuner and to see what in it might be so in like to your  particular station and to your particular load.  It is also possible that your tuner is not aligned, it will do it. Look at the following site and get estimate how strong your stations:

http://www.radio-locator.com/

With the max out of your antenna, do you get 100% signal’s strength on the TU-X1 meter?  Doe you multipath is moving when a strong modulation going through? Do you have any auditable background FM noise? Do you use an antenna attenuator? I just try to estimate the state of your TU-X1.

Romy the Cat wrote:

Then can you run another tuner from the same antenna.

Romy the Cat wrote:

It is also possible that your tuner is not aligned, it will do it.

Romy the Cat wrote:

With the max out of your antenna, do you get 100% signal’s strength on the TU-X1 meter? Does you multipath is moving when a strong modulation going through? Do you have any audible background FM noise? Do you use an antenna attenuator?