Yamaha CT-1010 Vintage AM/FM Tuner - Great Performer

Free Shipping on *ALL* Electronics (Excluding Speakers, Contiguous 48 US States Only)

This simple Yamaha tuner impressed me with its ability to pull in stations with a very basic antenna. I set the sensitivity to high and was able to get great results.

Great looking piece too featuring traditional 1980's Yamaha cosmetics.

A great way to get back into FM without breaking the bank.

Not much work was needed to get this unit ready to sell, just a cleaning and testing of all the controls and detailing the cabinet. All bulbs work and every function does what it should.

SkyFi: Cosmetic Notes: Light scratching in bottom right corner of face next to the tuning knob. Felt discs were added to the bottom cover.

Click below to add our recommended matching cables from Kimber Kable, all brand new as SkyFi is an official Kimber dealer.

Kimber Kable - RCA Interconnects - Better

Kimber Kable - RCA Interconnects - Best 

The SkyFi Testing Process for Tuners:

We start with a visual inspection of all internal components to make sure that there are no signs of heat stress or damage. Capacitors are checked for telltale signs of predictive failure including bulging, shrunken wrappers, or physical leakage. We also inspect the PCBs for discoloration from resistors or transistors that may have been running hot. On vintage units we often spot check select capacitors for value and ESR. Vintage analog tuners also have moving parts related to the tuning gang and dial string. These parts are inspected for smooth operation.

If the unit passes visual inspection it is bench tested for a handful of key performance parameters using a Sencore SG80 AM/FM Stereo Analyzer. The SG80 allows us to “simulate” an ideal radio station using precision test signals instead of music. This device, in conjunction with an oscilloscope allows us to properly evaluate the following parameters:

1.  AM Reception (Where Applicable)

2.  FM Mono Reception & Tuning Meter Function

3.  FM MPX Reception (Stereo)

4.  Dial Tracking - How accurately the tuner dial or display indicates the actual frequency of the broadcast being received.

5.  Stereo Separation - A properly working stereo tuner will have minimal crosstalk between the left and right channel.

6.  Sensitivity & Signal Strength Meter Function - By lowering the output of the SG80 we can simulate weak stations and determine how well the tuner will be able to pull in weak distant stations. This adjustment also helps us verify signal strength meter function.

If the tuner has acceptable performance related to the parameters above we connect the unit for listening tests with a simple dipole antenna. We listen for audio reproduction quality of local stations and evaluate how many stations the tuner can receive while we sweep through the dial. We are looking to verify that the tuner can decode stereo on strong local broadcasts and pick up a wide variety of local stations at the bottom, middle, and top of the frequency band. At this point we also test convenience features such as muting, filters, built in oscilloscope function, etc.

We finish up with an extended listening test on our long term test rig. We tune in a strong local station and monitor for drift over a 2-3 hour period.

More from Yamaha:
Every crucial part of every Yamaha audio component is Yamaha-made. That's how we set our own quality standards. And that's how we can afford to innovate every step of the way: when a part or material doesn't do justice to the music we simply develop one that does.

When you have musicians and audio engineers speaking the same language the result is full natural sound fidelity, plus innovative features which translate directly into improved tonality or operating convenience. Yamaha's insistence on total music performance, not just isolated specs, is behind a revolutionary new approach to audio component design - one that gives the CT-1010 tuner music response amazingly faithful to the broadcast signal, audibly superior to others in its class and rivalling many of the world's most expensive components.

The unusual CT-1010 front-end circuitry and components pick up the most distant, low signal-strength stations with surprisingly high signal-to-noise ratio, excellent stability, and rejection of all forms of interference.

This pays off in a much wider choice of stations, and greatly increased listening enjoyment. And not even powerful local stations can seriously overload the CT-1010, so that reception is uniformly good in any area. The front end keeps the incoming signal clean and clear of external interference, and the IF stage is specially designed to prevent internally generated spurious signals from degrading quality. One secret is Yamaha's direct assessment of differential gain, and another is the use of special low loss, low spurious-content ceramic filters and six stages of current-limiter differential amplification!

This Yamaha-developed element is precision-formed with air gaps twice as wide as conventional types, for superb frequency calibration, accuracy and stability. It is complemented by dual gate MOSFETs in the front end RF and mixer stages, and a balanced type ratio detector which combines with two ICs in the IF stage. The results a an ultra-high standard of frequency calibration, complete stability, virtually complete rejection of interference waveforms and wide dynamic range.