Tuner Nat 05 versus Nat 05 XS

The NAT02 is a very fine tuner indeed - second only to the NAT01. Although some may argue that the NAT101 is on a par with the 02, or maybe even slightly better... 

I'd say about 7, having owned both an 01 and an 02. But..... the 02 is bloody good and if you never hear an 01 you won't know what you are missing. 

It depends how much you value FM. If you really want the best then hold out for a late 01. Just remember whether 01 or 02  you need a strong signal to allow the tuner to do its best so a decent antenna and coax is required (along with an aerial installer who understands what he is doing, not your sky installer type rubbish)

So 7 vs. 9. Given the 2x price differential, 02 still offers good values.

The last 20% of improvement is so expensive....

PTCM posted:

The last 20% of improvement is so expensive....

Do you want the nth level of performance, or not?

C.

Just go for the 01. You'll always be wondering if you should have bought it if you get the 02 - it'll cost you less in the long run to get the 01 now rather than buy an 02 only to sell it later for an 01...

And remember that unless you have a top notch aerial you won't hear what either is capable of anyway. 

Hungryhalibut posted:

And remember that unless you have a top notch aerial you won't hear what either is capable of anyway. 

Can you please give me an example of a top notch aerial (brand/model no.) ?

Many thanks

Ron Smith Galaxie-17's are the most popular/recommended for NAT's,  Naim have numbers of the bigger G-23's on the factory  .........  https://www.ronsmithaerials.com/.        They are a bit obtrusive with 3 rows of horizontal elements,  but that aside they really do work.  If that is a problem,   an 8 element Blake is a very good alternative make ......... https://www.blake-uk.com/vhf-b...i-fm/180-fm3468.html

..........  and another thing is your location,  even with a good aerial if you are in a poor signal strength area it might be better to think about something with more sensitivity.  Magnum Dynalab's are a good place to start looking  

PTCM posted:

Hungryhalibut posted:

And remember that unless you have a top notch aerial you won't hear what either is capable of anyway. 

Can you please give me an example of a top notch aerial (brand/model no.) ?

Many thanks

Naim's recommendation is the Ron Smith Galaxie, the G17 being probably the most popular model for use with the NAT01/101/02.

When I put one on my roof I needed to get planning permission, and could only put it on the rear of the house, and not the roof. Even then I had to chop some of it off and make it into a G14. 

These days I'm very content with the FM module in my 272, fed by a five element aerial on the roof. With an NDX and a Supernait 2, I really do wonder if you are getting carried away and that a NAT05 is all you need.....

Mike-B posted:

Ron Smith Galaxie-17's are the most popular/recommended for NAT's,  Naim have numbers of the bigger G-23's on the factory  .........  https://www.ronsmithaerials.com/.        They are a bit obtrusive with 3 rows of horizontal elements,  but that aside they really do work.  If that is a problem,   an 8 element Blake is a very good alternative make ......... https://www.blake-uk.com/vhf-b...i-fm/180-fm3468.html

..........  and another thing is your location,  even with a good aerial if you are in a poor signal strength area it might be better to think about something with more sensitivity.  Magnum Dynalab's are a good place to start looking  

Thanks to you and Richard,

I am in HK and do not have the space luxury for this type of Ron Smith aerial.  I am told by a friend about this ST2. Is it just as good or not even close?

Magnum Dynalab - ST-2 

Living in HK changes the whole game,  do you have any uncompressed FM radio service ??   I doubt it, & IMO a NAT-01 & 02 is a bit pointless.  NAT-05 is a good alternative & more suitable for you.

The ST-2 is nowhere near close to a G-17,  MD claim it has 2.5dB gain,  a G-17 has 33.7dB.   

PTCM posted:

I am in HK and do not have the space luxury for this type of Ron Smith aerial.

Might have been worth mentioning this a bit earlier in the thread...

I'd go with Mikes good advice above regarding the tuner. 

Looking back at the original post, three weeks and three pages ago, it seems that the OP already owns an 05, with which he is very happy. So over the next three weeks and three pages we have gone all the way to suggesting an 01, which turns out to be impractical, only to recommend that the OP purchases what they have already.....

It's like Dickens' circumlocution office, and yet another example of where if people put in their profile where they lived, and provided all relevant information in their original post, a lot of wasted time would be avoided. 

Mike-B posted:

Living in HK changes the whole game,  do you have any uncompressed FM radio service ??   I doubt it, & IMO a NAT-01 & 02 is a bit pointless.  NAT-05 is a good alternative & more suitable for you.

The ST-2 is nowhere near close to a G-17,  MD claim it has 2.5dB gain,  a G-17 has 33.7dB.   

There is an antenna outlet available on wall that connects to the roof of the building, which is 30 storey high.  Is that good enough for 01/02 ?

Could be a conduit to letting in noise and other trouble.  Still, give it a go and see how you get on.  For all that, I'd forget a NAT01/02 if I were you and get something more suitable for your environment.

Just got the 02 and is on.  Even without fancy attenna, the 02 sounds gooood.  Thanks again to those who recommended 01/02.  01 is not so easy to get in this part of the world, but I will try to get that at some point.

Looks like you'll need a new rack first!!

Clearly collecting equipment takes priority over making it work properly. Sometimes, in fact increasingly often, one wonders why one bothers. 

Clearly "properly" is an arbitray term in audio world depending who you ask, which is pointless. Love the 02's slowness.  The 05 just can't do that.

PTCM posted:

Just got the 02 and is on.  Even without fancy attenna, the 02 sounds gooood.  Thanks again to those who recommended 01/02.  01 is not so easy to get in this part of the world, but I will try to get that at some point.

That was quick. Anyway glad you have it sorted. Enjoy the 02 

As far as aerials, a strong topic of mine, you should indeed talk to a proper aerial installer - you need to discuss stations that you want to receive with them and they should check the installation with an analyzer/meter - having the highest gain Yagi aerial you can is not necessarily the best solution. Also having a aerial with many elements can really add to its wind loading potentially causing unintended structural damage elsewhere. To  achieve  maximise SNR ratio with a typical house  you should ensure a good quality balun is fitted at the aerial assuming it is a dipole or Yagi and you are using coax cable. (this is all about ensuring the coax shield remains a shield and not become part of the antenna picking up interference/noise - it can also help optimise the performance  of the aerial). A regular 5 element Yagi with a folded dipole mounted well in the clear above the roof line  with balun and good quality low loss downlead should be absolutely fine for many circumstances. 

Get it right and a good aerial makes a great difference... with almost totally silent stereo decoding with no/minimal sibilance... get it wrong and you will hear low level warbles and noise on stereo stations with noticeable sibilance.

Simon

So Simon, just what are you saying about my roof-mounted rugby posts lain flat (yagi) where my stereo light comes on and there is no sibilance on my NAT03?

Chris

Simon,

Thanks for your comprehensive input on attenna.  

In the context of signal quality on 01/02, does the light on stereo equate a "good" or superior signal? 

I am told that magnum dynalab 205 can make huge diff on 01/02 setup. No idea how it functions differently relative to Smith's type of aereial.

That said, it costs half of 02's price. Do you guys have experience with that product?