What's the difference between Tuner and Radio?

[Kimbrough Xu]

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?

 

[Gorgonzola]

Well simply, a "tuner"just converts radio waves to audio frequencies and pass the audio signal on to an exteranal amplifier (or preamp+amp) which in turn drives the user's speakers.

By contrast and by usual definition a "radio" incorporates the a tuner, built-in amp, and speaker(s) in one unit.

Tuners can be more expensive because ostensibly they provide a more distortion-free audio signal to the downstream amplification than does a cheaper radio to its own built-in amp.

A "receiver" incorporates a tuner and amplification but not any speakers which the user must separately supply.

 

[BluesDaddy]

One might also differentiate between A radio (a device as described above) and THE radio (i.e. broadcasts over radio waves that are received by radios and tuners). Hence, I can use a tuner to listen to the radio.

 

[BluesDaddy]

This post did prompt my memory that I have a Sansui tuner from the 1980s boxed away in a closet since I have either a receiver or a pre-processor that includes a tuner for all three of the systems set up in my house. I can't remember, however, the last time I listened to the radio outside my car or, sometimes, streamed over the Internet.

 

[solderdude]

Tuner: A device that converts radio waves to audio and has line-out . requires amplifier + speakers.
Receiver: A device incorporating a tuner + power amplifier and possibly other functionality. Requires external speakers.
Radio: A complete device with tuner, amplifier and speaker all combined in one device.
Car radio ... well is more a receiver (radio + built-in amp) which requires external speakers.

 

[dasdoing]

I never understood tuners, when receivers existed. or was there ant benefit in seperating tuner and amp and often even the pre-amp?

 

[solderdude]

When one already has an amp + record player + CDP + tape or whatnot it is handy to have a separate tuner. |
There was quite some quality differences between tuners as well.
A receiver offers no choices.

 

[dasdoing]

yea, but it didn't make a lot of sense to buy an amp when everybody heard radio

 

[raif71]

♫ Tuner Ga Ga ♫..... Nah, I prefer ♫ Radio Ga Ga ♫

 

[solderdude]

yea, but it didn't make a lot of sense to buy an amp when everybody heard radio

I remember the time that it became fashionable to buy an 'all in one'.
Vinyl + cassette + tuner + amplifier. Large devices. Worked great until one thing broke (mostly cassette player). You had to have it repaired, not use that part or buy something new.
Then came the small 'stacks' with individual components which became 'all in ones' again... CD, tape, tuner, amplifier, alarmclock. The same problem... one thing died (CD or tape usually) and you had to have it repaired or bin it.

That right there as well as flexibility and 'upgraditis' is the reason for a tuner and amp instead of a receiver.
Of course some liked dial tuning and others liked digital and presets. A separate tuner would be a cheaper 'upgrade path'.

The receiver made more sense and was less problematic (in failure rate) than the 'all in one' thingies.

 

[Achim1812]

Sometimes I miss my Klein & Hummel FM2002 tuner. He passed away as a best ager, only 45 years old. In the times of good, old UHF radio stations it was a fantastic way of listening. Not to compare with this mostly (!) garbage sound quality from internet radio.

 

[Kimbrough Xu]

Well simply, a "tuner"just converts radio waves to audio frequencies and pass the audio signal on to an exteranal amplifier (or preamp+amp) which in turn drives the user's speakers.

By contrast and by usual definition a "radio" incorporates the a tuner, downstream amp, and speaker(s) in one unit.

Tuners can be more expensive because ostensibly they provide a more distortion-free audio signal to the downstream amplification than does a cheaper radio to its own built-in amp.

A "receiver" incorporates a tuner and amplification but not any speakers which the user must separately supply.

Thank you, the explanation is pretty clear. Radio = tuner + amp + speakers.

One more question, is it the separate tuner is better than the tuner in a radio so that it can provide a more distortion-free audio signal? If my radio is very good quality, can it provide the more distortion-free audio signal too?

 

[Kimbrough Xu]

With a radio, the listener is stuck with someone else's choice of amp and speaker ..... usually cheap and mediocre quality. With a tuner, the listener can use their own choice of amp and speakers ..... usually higher quality.

If you have access to a high quality signal, the tuner makes more sense. If your signal quality is poor, just use the radio.

Jim

So the tuner can provide more choices, amplifiers and speakers, that's lot of fun.

 

[DVDdoug]

One more question, is it the separate tuner is better than the tuner in a radio so that it can provide a more distortion-free audio signal? If my radio is very good quality, can it provide the more distortion-free audio signal too?

No. It seems like "separates" used to be more popular and "audiophiles" still prefer separates. But mostly you're just paying more because every device needs a cabinet, power supply, front panel, etc. And they are "specialty items", manufactured and sold in small quantities which adds to the cost. And a higher price makes anything more desirable to "audiophiles". Analog radio is the weakest link in audio anyway.

This post did prompt my memory that I have a Sansui tuner from the 1980s boxed away in a closet

I think I have on in a closet too, but maybe I gave it away. I don't remember the brand, maybe Technics. It wasn't too expensive in the 1970's, maybe $100 USD. Oh, it is/was FM only.

 

[Kimbrough Xu]

Tuner: A device that converts radio waves to audio and has line-out . requires amplifier + speakers.
Receiver: A device incorporating a tuner + power amplifier and possibly other functionality. Requires external speakers.
Radio: A complete device with tuner, amplifier and speaker all combined in one device.
Car radio ... well is more a receiver (radio + built-in amp) which requires external speakers.

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?

 

[Kimbrough Xu]

I remember the time that it became fashionable to buy an 'all in one'.
Vinyl + cassette + tuner + amplifier. Large devices. Worked great until one thing broke (mostly cassette player). You had to have it repaired, not use that part or buy something new.
Then came the small 'stacks' with individual components which became 'all in ones' again... CD, tape, tuner, amplifier, alarmclock. The same problem... one thing died (CD or tape usually) and you had to have it repaired or bin it.

That right there as well as flexibility and 'upgraditis' is the reason for a tuner and amp instead of a receiver.
Of course some liked dial tuning and others liked digital and presets. A separate tuner would be a cheaper 'upgrade path'.

The receiver made more sense and was less problematic (in failure rate) than the 'all in one' thingies.

So if the receiver has a tuner output, then if the tuner is broken, you can use the receiver as a power amplifier; and if you don't like the amplifier in the tuner, you can also connect to an external power amplifier too.

 

[Kimbrough Xu]

No. It seems like "separates" used to be more popular and "audiophiles" still prefer separates. But mostly you're just paying more because every device needs a cabinet, power supply, front panel, etc. And they are "specialty items", manufactured and sold in small quantities which adds to the cost. And a higher price makes anything more desirable to "audiophiles". Analog radio is the weakest link in audio anyway.


I think I have on in a closet too, but maybe I gave it away. I don't remember the brand, maybe Technics. It wasn't too expensive in the 1970's, maybe $100 USD. Oh, it is/was FM only.

Thanks.

 

[RayDunzl]

One more question, is it the separate tuner is better than the tuner in a radio so that it can provide a more distortion-free audio signal?

I suspect most consumer tuners are a chip now, outputting analog and/or digits that go to the nearest DAC (internal or external)

I send the digits from mine to the main DAC, same as everything else here.



Auvio AM/FM/HDRadio tuner insides.

Power supply on left, the big chip on the right runs the display and decodes the broadcast signal into analog and digits.

It can turn analog broadcasts into digital, and digital broadcasts into analog, as desired.

I have no measurements or specs for it.

 

[radix]

Back in the analog days, there was a lot of difference between tuners. A "radio" (i.e. a compact thing, like a car radio or portable radio receiver) usually had a very cheap and poor receiver circuit that could not provide high-quality audio. High-end tuners had sophisticated electronics.

You could take a look at this website for some background: https://www.fmtunerinfo.com/index.html#technical

Even in the digital world, there is still quite some difference between tuners, with things like digitally synthesized frequency, HD radio, software defined radios, etc. Note that HD is a compressed signal, so it's not necessarily better analog audio. Though I've seen some say that many FM broadcasters are pretty sloppy with their modulation nowadays, so you don't get the best FM can deliver there either.

 

[solderdude]

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?

AV receivers are more a hub for various digital and analog sources with lots of extra functionality. They can have amps inside but do not have to. No idea where the terminology 'AV receiver' comes from. Perhaps because it 'receives' input from various devices ?
Also most have DAB, FM, BT, WiFi or internet radio tuners on board so those are 'receivers' in the old sense.

The receivers I was talking about are simply tuners combined with a pre-amp and poweramp.

Also ham-receivers are called receivers and receive radio signals. They can have an onboard speaker as well. Basically they are radio's but with a lot more frequency bands and demodulators.

Then we have a receiver in baseball...