Technics ST-8080 AM / FM tuner
Details and specifications for ST-8080 model are derived from Vintage Technics and The Vintage Knob websites :
Dark grey colour, cream lettering, tuning dial, signal strength and tuned VU indicators
Tuner Information Center : review of Kenwood L-02T vs Technics ST-8080 :
The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray. Last year, I raised the APS-9 15 feet over the rooftop, primarily to attempt to more consistently grab 88.7 east's signal. On recent attempts, it has been harder to capture and I've seen 88.7 west's signal much more often (off the back of the antenna, of course). I've blamed it on the time of year, weather conditions, etc. While working on my normal DX report for this tuner, I spent extra time trying to pull in 88.7 east, but attempts over several days still brought in 88.7 west more often. Upon further investigation, I learned that 88.7 west's power was raised from 3,000 to 10,000 watts in April.
And so, starting with the DX report, we got these results. I had a good clean sound with both tuners tuned to 88.7 west, with both in mono but with the L-02T in narrow mode. In stereo mode, the ST-8080 actually gave a cleaner signal when the L-02T was switched to stereo/wide mode. Then, through the L-02T, there was occasional splatter from a much stronger signal at 88.5. When the L-02T was switched to stereo/narrow mode, the tables turned and the L-02T had nice stereo with a very quiet background.
The ST-8080 had some background noise but now neither had problems with 88.5. On our other under-powered local station, 88.9, the ST-8080 gave a stereo sound, while the L-02T's stereo signal was very narrow with the stereo lamp flickering or going out. The L-02T hates this station! I was finally able to find 88.7 east during the third set of DX tests, but only on the L-02T and there was constant fading to nothingness. 88.7 west occasionally pushed its way in, as noted in the beginning of this report. The ST-8080 wasn't able to find 105.5 or 88.7 east. It just wasn't designed for DX games but it did nicely on locals, both strong and weak. To finish, the L-02T found a weak 105.5 signal that would drift completely in and out.
The ST-8080 has clean, smooth lines and looked very much at home sitting on the shelf. I'll give the good news first, which is always the most fun to report. The bass was punchy, strong and believable. The midrange was articulate and fun to sink into during listening sessions. The upper mids and highs came more forward into the room than the L-02T's, but didn't irritate like some tuners with this characteristic do. The weight of the bass didn't dig as deep as the L-02T, but didn't feel lacking when listened to alone. This tuner was difficult to place in the rankings. On the one hand, I enjoyed its musical performance, but on the other hand, the upper mids and highs were noticeably on the wrong side of neutral to rate too high on the list. But still, it is a nice music-making machine for those on a budget, those who love its looks, or just for the incurable collector. And... there looks to be easy access for DIY upgrades. Winner? The L-02T. - Jim
Features :
-:®:- 1977 - 1978 model
-:®:- Tuning frequency range : 88 to 108MHz
-:®:- Antenna types : 300 ohm balanced, 75ohm unbalanced
-:®:- Mono IHF sensitivity [dBF] : 10.8dBf [1.9uV]
-:®:- Signal strength for 50dB quieting : mono 13.6dBF [2.6uV] / stereo 34.3dBF [28.4uV]
-:®:- Signal / Noise ratio : 75dB mono
-:®:- Frequency response : 20Hz to 18kHz [+0.2dB / -0.8dB, variable out] 20 to 15kHz for fixed out
-:®:- Total Harmonic Distortion [1kHz, 100% modulation]: Mono 0.15% / stereo 0.3%
-:®:- Separation [1kHz]: 45dB 3.5dB [10kHz]
-:®:- Alternate channel selectivity : wide 85dB / narrow ?
-:®:- Capture ratio : 1.0
-:®:- Image rejection [98MHz]: 85dB IF rejection: 100dB, spurious response rejection: 95dB,
-:®:- AM rejection : 55dB
-:®:- Carrier leakage : -65dB [19kHz, variable out], -70dB [19/38kHz, fixed out]
-:®:- Output levels : 0 to 1.4V, variable out, 0.6V fixed
-:®:- Dimensions [W x H x D ]: 450 x 140 x 367mm
-:®:- Weight : 8.4kg, packed weight ~ 10kg
SOLD October 2011 on trademe to Wellington
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