None

Unlike some reviewers, I actually decided to listen to the component involved before offering my opinion.

My unit is actually the TX-930, which is the close sibling of the TX-950. The 930 has 24 presets rather than 40 for the 950, but otherwise these are the same units. I currently have an Onkyo Integra DTR-7 receiver but was looking for a better tuner since I do listen to FM quite a bit. I live in a suburban area that is within reasonable distance of more than a dozen FM stations.

Well I was not disappointed. This tuner can really pull in the stations and produce excellent stereo sound. Unlike the receiver, there are a number of controls that can be tweeked to pull in weak stations and also to reduce distortion on very strong stations. These settings are pulled into memory when using the presets. Overall this is an excellent sounding tuner, maybe this is the reason it commands a good price used.

over priced and over hyped

First of all, I have to admit that I've never seen or heard one of these tuners and am not here to judge it's sound quality or bash the tuner but rather to comment on it's relative value. I was recently in the market for a tuner and almost got caught up into over paying for one of these. Why anyone would pay a penny more than the original MSRP of $429 for a used tuner with no warranty is beyond me (and that's even too much). Furthermore, when these tuners were on the market new, I'd bet the street price was more like $275. I did bid $429 for one that was listed on eBay and it still made me cringe even though it was described as being in new condition. I'm glad I didn't win the auction. I'm still getting occasional responses to some "WTB" posts that I made on various other on-line audio forums. The most recent was from an ambitious seller asking $495. I can't believe the prices that these tuners are going for used. How many other audio products (other than say classic stuff like McIntosh or [insert your favorite classic brand here]) go for more used than they did new? I'm definitely not an FM expert but come on.... FM radio is only so good and a lot of it has to do with the antenna you use with the tuner and the area you live in. A mediocre tuner with a good outdoor antenna will likely sound better than a good tuner with your average indoor amplified antenna (most people would agree with this). While I'm sure this is a fine tuner, there *are* other (arguably better) options for the same money.

Based on my personal experience and nothing else (I've bought and sold my personal audio gear on the used market), if this were any other tuner it would probably be going for more like ~$180 (based on the original MSRP and street price when new). If you add a 25%-50% premium because of the glowing reviews and FM performance, that's like $225-$270. It would be interesting to know what the Orion blue book value is on this tuner.

Because I simply wanted to have *the best* tuner I researched this more than perhaps I should have. After all, I don't really listen to the radio that much anyway. What did seem to ring true in my research is that the specs mean a lot more when tuner shopping than they do when shopping for other components. If you're looking to plunk down over $400 for a tuner, you might consider looking at the following new tuners of at least similar quality (these are the tuners that made my short list in the order that I ranked them):

Sony ST-SA50ES:
This is what I ended up selecting. It actually has better published specs than the Yamaha and has an excellent warranty (without digging through my paperwork - 5 years?). I purchased mine for $405 shipped using www.liquidprice.com. I like the dual antenna inputs, the control layout, the auto tuning and most of all the performance. I like rack mountable equipment but unfortunately, this one is not rack mountable (no kit either).

Parasound TDQ 1600:
Supposedly a very well built tuner (thicker circuit board etc. - who cares?) that is also listed on the Audiophile's recommended components list (category B, I think). This tuner is probably a little over hyped but still a good tuner none the less. You'll have to seek out an authorized dealer willing to discount this one. If you look hard enough, you can get it for close to $300 or even less. Consider posting "WTB ads in the various audio forums and newsgroups; many dealers watch for these ads and will work something out with you. This one can be purchased in a rack mount version or a rack mount kit can be purchased after the fact. 10 year warranty. I didn't like the control lay out and the lack of a rotary dial (yes, I know it's just a digital tuner anyway but it's just one of things I gotta have) compared to the others.

Denon TU 1500RD:
I found this tuner (actually the rack mountable TU 1500RDP) to be a very popular tuner at commercial supply houses (it was almost always the only tuner listed in the sub-thousand price range). They are sold as monitoring tuners for radio stations or as the tuner addition to a commercial rack system. This tuner supports RDS (if that's important to you). Though the specs aren't quite as good as the Yamaha, the specs are indeed pretty good. Using the Yahoo store, this tuner can be found for $265.

Honorable Mention: Marantz ST 6000 (don't remember why this one didn't make the cut (I think the Sony's specs warranty and features were better).

Used tuners:
According to my research, look for used tuners from the 1980's. That's when FM was supposedly at it's peak and there were many good tuners made back then. There are a lot of tuners out there for less than half of what this Yamaha is going for. Good brands to consider (but not limited to) are: Yamaha, Carver, NAD, Onkyo, Sony ES etc. Also consider analog tuners by some of the more esoteric names like Magnum Dynalab or McIntosh (better performance fewer features).

My point here isn't to lower the rating or even talk you out of buying this tuner; I just want to share that there are new tuners that you will likely please you for the same or lower price. Use search engines like google to find more comments and information than just what is listed here. Don't blindly buy this tuners because of the good ratings here - especially at these overly inflated prices. Do your research if a good tuner is really that important. Besides, from what I understand, before long we'll be using digital signals anyway. Poor value at present prices. Four stars.

Similar Products Used:

older Adcom tuner from the 80's, NAD 4300, Sony ST-SA50ES & tuners in Pioneer Elite VSX-29TX & B&K Reference 30

Automatic Tuneing, Presets, Great Tuner

None

I bought this on Ebay and have been very pleased so far. It really tunes in the stations well and sounds good and quiet to boot. I like all the automatic functions it has. It is a good component to my system anyway. I enjoy it. I agree with previous reviewers it is a fine Tuner. Yamaha should have kept it in there Lineup.

Similar Products Used:

Built in Tuner Recievers

Truly Incredible at pulling in week stations. This not only receives them, but makes them sound MUSICAL.

small buttons

This, and the Yamaha TX-930 which is the same tuner with slightly different cosmetics, are the two finest tuners I have ever heard. I owned a TX-930 that was lost in a fire, and when I went to replace it, the TX-950 had replaced it. The TX-930 was easier to use, but the TX-950 sounds just as good. I wonder why other companies aren't making products that sound anywhere near this good for less than many thousands of dollars??? If you care about FM, you owe it to your ears to buy one of these two tuners if you get the chance!

Similar Products Used:

Carver TX-11a & Sansui TU-717

PERFORMANCE, features, quality

Optional remote

Well, my brother has owned one of these for about 3 years, and whenever I'd go over to his place(Chicago suburbs), I'd ask what CD he was playing. Of course, his response was usually "the radio". Funny thing is, I was the one who originally pointed him to the Yammy after reading the rave about it in "The Audio Critic". At the time, I wasn't much of tuner listener.
Over the past few years, I've had the chance to audition a fair number of tuners, and even though there were a few that I felt were pretty decent, none of them grabbed me like my brother's. So-a-searchin' I went.
Much to my dismay, I discovered that Yamaha made the foolish(my opinion) decision to stop making this well-received(pun intended) piece of equipment. I called them up, and it appears that they're getting out of the separate tuner business altogether. Dumb...dumb...dumb... OK, so maybe sour grapes cause I couldn't find one.
After searching for months, I finally found one on Ebay, and ended up paying close to full retail for it. OUCH!!
But, gotta tell ya... it is really one fine piece of equipment, and probably better than stuff that costs up to $1500. All for $429 list! Yamaha really goofed by discontinuing it. Even the signal on AM comes in quiet and clear. Distant FM stations come in amazing. In the city, I don't get any bleed-over from nearby stations. And the features? Well, let's just say that the term "full-featured" is an understatement. Except for that optional remote. Sorry for all the gushing. I'll relax now...maybe go listen for a bit.

Similar Products Used:

Kenwood KR-7400 receiver, Nad tuner, old Marantz tuner

Well, I got my tuner. It has nice features, the switchable ant. and other such. I think my old Pioneer VSX 1 Elite sounded better though. If had it to do over again would have kept shopping. Lesson learned, don't buy before hearing. It sounds nice, just not "special" as others I have heard on my system.

Just about everything about it, incl. dual ant. inputs, blend control, incredible sound, sensitivity

nothing really

i found this tuner for $242 as an open box buy in miami. it came with a two year warranty, so i bought it. that's about $200 off the price as yamaha unfortunately disco'd it. what a shame. what a sound this thing creates. i am not much of a radio buff, as radio in miami is perfectly atrocious unless you like hip hop, salsa, merengue, and kid rock -- but you can actually discern good from bad recordings with the tuner. if the station broadcasts a quality signal, casual listeners can not discern the sound from cd. and the am reception is superb, simply. a throw-away feature on most tuners, the am band comes in with very little background noise. of course, your results may vary based on locale, but i cannot imagine a better tuner priced under $1000. at $242, it is the steal of the millenium.

setup:

nad c340 amp
yamaha cdc-765 cd player
tx-950 tuner
kef k-160 speakers
yamaha dsp-e492 av amp/processor
r/s home theater gold balanced interconnects
monster cable speaker wire

all of this equipment cost under $1300 (closeouts and open box buys)!! i can't imagine a better set up at the price.

Features and quality

Sound not as musical as old T-7.

I bought this tuner to replace my old Yamaha T-7. The T-7 has a little better sound but in every other way, the TX-950 is better. It's features are unmatched by anything in this price category. The only thing it doesn't have is RDS.
The reception and build quality is very good. Also compare the signal to noise ratio specifications with just about any tuner. It hardly can be beat. I think this is a great buy. There is one pestky problem. If I don't play it for a long time, the presets get lost.

I bought this based on the Audio Critic review, which unlike most audi press reviews, actually analyzed the circuit features and measured the unit. They said it outperformed every tuner out there but a $10,000 Accuphase.

I bought it and have been delighted. The sound is exceptionally low in distortion, and the selectivity controls are great. If the station is anywhere in your area, it will pick it up as well as can be.

Too bad it was dropped by Yamaha - it had a very well engineered IF filter and carefula ttention to detail.

What a shame!

If you can find one used, jump on it. In fact, I am looking to pick one up as a back-up unit.