Yamaha CT-7000 Vintage FM Tuner - Serviced & Aligned

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General:
When FM tuner enthusiasts compile lists of the best tuners of all time, the Yamaha CT-7000 often makes the cut and then some.

Its legendary performance is matched by its beauty, featuring a clean faceplate with only two visible controls, power and tuning. The tuning knob is touch sensitive and activates an AFC circuit to prevent drift after a station has been tuned. If you want more detailed adjustments, flip down the front panel to reveal the obligatory convenience features like mono, blend, and variable muting.

Yamaha spared not expense on construction.

Its a shame the factory cabinet fully encloses the unit. Each primary circuit is covered with an anodized aluminum shield, keeping each functional block physically separated - Front End, IF, Discriminator, MPX. The MPX circuit is a completely discrete PLL design with no integrated circuits. After adjustment, it boasts some of the best stereo separation performance that we have ever seen. A truly beautiful piece of HiFi history in more ways than one. 

Best yet, this particular CT-7000 has been thoroughly serviced and properly aligned by our tech. This is a must for reliability and if you want performance close to how it came from the factory.

It will be shipped and packed with care so it arrives in its new home safely.

SkyFi Cosmetic Notes:
This unit has a few blemishes on the faceplate. The lower-left corner is very slightly deformed. Small scratches on the case and faceplate. The upper-left corner has a small black mark. The front indicator needles have lost a small amount of red coating over time (approx. 52 years). Overall this is simply nitpicking and this unit is in good presentable condition.

SkyFi Technical Notes:
The Achilles heal of the CT-7000 is the power supply. There are no vents on the bottom of the unit and the power supply board is mounted upside down. This board received a full rebuild along with some upgrades to keep the heat down. Select tantalum capacitors were replaced as needed. Select lamps were replaced as needed. All controls were cleaned and the unit was fully aligned according to the service manual. This CT-7000 has very tight dial tracking and some of the best stereo separation that we have ever measured in an FM tuner.

Brand Background:
Yamaha kabushiki gaisha, /ˈjæməˌhɑː/; Japanese pronunciation: [jamaha]) is a Japanese multinational corporation and conglomerate with a very wide range of products and services. It is one of the constituents of Nikkei 225 and is the world's largest musical instrument manufacturing company. The former motorcycle division was established in 1955 as Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd., which started as an affiliated company but later became independent, although Yamaha Corporation is still a major shareholder.

Ownership:
Unknown

Connections:
RCA, 300Ohm and 75ohm antenna connection, Captive power lead, Power outlet.

General Sound:
Smooth, uncolored, undistorted natural and clean

Cosmetic Condition:
6/10 = Fair. Three to four minor scratches, or one major scratch. See our detailed rating description here.

Working Condition:
Working perfectly and tested in our lab.

Included:
Just the unit and power cord.

Packing:
Will be packed using our highly developed in-house process and custom packing materials.Specs:
Type: Mono/Stereo Tuner
Tuning Bands: FM
Tuning Scale: Analogue
FM Tuning Range: 88 to 108 MHz
Sensitivity: 1.6uV (FM)
Signal to Noise Ratio: 75 dB (FM)
Distortion: 0.2% (FM)
Selectivity: 80dB (FM)
Frequency response: 30 Hz to 15 kHz (FM)
Output: 775mV
Semiconductors: 108 x transistors, 12 x FET, 7 x IC, 33 x diodes

Dimensions:
17.17 × 5.67 × 13.86 in

Weight:
28 lbs.

Approximate Age:
1974

Link to Manual:
Click Here

Recommended Cables:
Kimber Kable - RCA Interconnects - Better

Kimber Kable - RCA Interconnects - Best

Testing Process:
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 to a strong local station and monitor for drift over a minimum period of 2-3 hours.