troughline 3 stereo tuner
Posted by: mathew farley on 30 January 2003
Has anyone got one of these , and what do they sound like? I only listen to radio 1 on a denon TU-260L but i would like another tuner for my second "sistem"
Posted on: 30 January 2003 by davewarehouse
I'd get another TU260L if I were you(if funds are tight), The Troughline 3 was okay in its day but is sadly lacking by todays standards...and don't even consider if you live in a built up area, you get cabbies, CB'ers etc breaking over the tuned station. The Troughline sank into obscurity during the 70's and 80's due to its poor performance but was hyped up in the early 90s by Haden Boardman who wrote articles for Hifi World magazine...and who purchased a warehouse full of new"old stock" Troughlines a year or so beforehand!!
Other good'uns include Hitachi FT5500, Pioneer F737, Sugden T48/DT48, Musical Fidelity T1. No doubt the Linn or Naim models are superior again, albeit at a price.
PS The Linn Pekin is shite!!, find a Kudos instead!
Other good'uns include Hitachi FT5500, Pioneer F737, Sugden T48/DT48, Musical Fidelity T1. No doubt the Linn or Naim models are superior again, albeit at a price.
PS The Linn Pekin is shite!!, find a Kudos instead!
Posted on: 31 January 2003 by Rockingdoc
I bought a Troughline because of the hype. It was rubbish, so I sent it for a very expensive "make-over". It is still rubbish. Needs loads of signal and is sill quite noisey, with a slight metallic edge to vocals.
Not worth the fuss.
Malcolm
Not worth the fuss.
Malcolm
Posted on: 31 January 2003 by Markus S
Well, I own a Troughline 3; use it in mono, didn't need to be refurbished, just some alignment by a technician who knew what he was doing (important consideration).
It was fairly cheap (70 gbp, if I remember correctly), it's been working for about five years without giving me trouble, I get all local stations without interference, and it sounds o.k. to me. As I listen to the radio mostly when I'm in the car, it's good enough for me.
The sound is classic valve: rolled-off on top and bottom, but over a broad midrange quite natural, and free from the transistor compression that most affordable tuners suffer from (ugh!).
For people who listen to a lot of radio at home, or people who can't get used to mono, it's probably worth investing in a good modern tuner, though. I once auditioned a Nato 3 which I liked a lot. I understand the current 5 series incarnation isn't all that different, so that or a s/h Nato 2 would be my first starting point.
It was fairly cheap (70 gbp, if I remember correctly), it's been working for about five years without giving me trouble, I get all local stations without interference, and it sounds o.k. to me. As I listen to the radio mostly when I'm in the car, it's good enough for me.
The sound is classic valve: rolled-off on top and bottom, but over a broad midrange quite natural, and free from the transistor compression that most affordable tuners suffer from (ugh!).
For people who listen to a lot of radio at home, or people who can't get used to mono, it's probably worth investing in a good modern tuner, though. I once auditioned a Nato 3 which I liked a lot. I understand the current 5 series incarnation isn't all that different, so that or a s/h Nato 2 would be my first starting point.