What's the difference between Tuner and Radio?

[egellings]

What's the difference between Tuner and Radio? Why so many people use tuner? The radio is much more cheaper and convenience, why not just use a radio?

A tuner has all the radio reception and station selection capabilities, but no audio amplification and speaker built in, such as what you'd have in a table radio. A receiver has the tuner plus audio amplification capabilities and needs only speakers and perhaps an antenna to work. A radio has what a receiver has plus a built-in speaker, all in one.

 

[Gorgonzola]

A receiver conclude a tuner and power amplifier?

But many AV receivers don't have tuners. So a AV receiver is not a traditional receiver?

The way I look at it if an AV "receiver" doesn't have a tuner, it isn't a "receiver" strictly speaking.

I guess one will encounter some AV "receivers" without tuners and the reason for that is the declining popularity of AM/FM off-the-air radio. Most radio station can be accessed by Internet streaming and some stations only by the Internet.

In fact nowadays it's pretty hard to find new stand-alone tuners. If you want one you might buy a "vintage" tuner. Actually vintage tuners are good deal: tuners are very robust compare to most audio components and generally last for decades. Most stand-alone vintage tuners will far out perform tuners in current receivers. There are lots of them for sale on eBay. My circa 1985 Denon TU-767 AM/FM digitally-tune tuner is great and works like new. I paid about C$85 for around 15 years ago for it which had a new price in current money of perhaps $500; today you'll pay even less.

My Denon tuner ...

 

[mhardy6647]

There are an... embarrassing... number of tuners here.
Analog mono-compatible stereo FM broadcast radio was/is a remarkable, and remarkably clever and robust, bit of engineering.

Here are a few of the faves here.




(listening to AM from Boston when this photo was taken )
[url=https://flic.kr/p/rvC9kJ]


[url=https://flic.kr/p/qEmwtN]
Trio/Kenwood was, first and foremost, a radio company - their tuners were excellent.




OK, not MPX stereo, but very vintage and oh-so-cute.