Dumb question...does stereo matter?

mr.jones

AK Subscriber
Subscriber
My Proton 440 sounds great but the light indicating stereo sound does not come on for many of the stations that my newer Yamaha receiver picks up in stereo. The Proton sounds good and is static free but I am not sure if it is stereo. Do some tuners just put out mono when the signal is weak? I bought it new have used it on and off for almost 30 years. From what I remember it was always like that. It has something called Schotz circuity,,,,not sure what that is but it is supposed to make it a quieter tuner. All the tuners and receivers I have owned have had a "stereo" indicating light which I assume comes on when the signal is on stereo mode although it is my observation that having the stereo light come on does not always mean I am getting the best sound, In other words sometime the sound it better when it is tuned and the dial is tweaked a little bit till the stereo light goes out.

Has anyone else noticed this?
Thanks
 
Every tuner I've used will put out mono when a stereo signal is too weak. Generally a mono only option is also available to prevent a weaker signal from constantly going back and forth from mono to stereo, or to just listen to the quieter mono signal. On weak signals, mono will give you a cleaner signal without a doubt. If your tuner is in a location where you're right next to one speaker, that may explain why you're unable to tell if the signal is stereo or not while tuning.
 
Many tuners have a button to select how you want it to behave. Personally for a lot weak stations I'd rather hear clean mono than noisy stereo. But some tuners and antennas do a better job of pulling in those weak stations in stereo such that they aren't noisy. Maybe your Yamaha is just doing a better job of this? :dunno:
 
Most tuners will switch to mono if the stereo signal is weak. If you look on a spec sheet on any tuners, you will see the mono signal has a better signal to noise ratio than when it's in stereo. Which means a mono signal is cleaner than a stereo signal.
 
Thanks for the information....I prefer static free as well. I may need to get a better antenna for the Proton.
 
I bet that's why they still broadcast baseball games on AM, for the cleaner signal. :scratch2: Well, it sounds good enough to me, to call it a valid argument. :D
 
would just like to add, try this if you have got good listening ears;

Try an earphone and hear it for a while to check if its stereo. If you've got good listening skills, you will easily be telling if its stereo...& if that's the case, then your stereo indicator light bulb has gone kaput!
There is also a possibility of failed MPX which decodes stereo signals.

But of course, try all these only with a good antenna in place, else nothing certain will come out these tests.

Thanks,
Saket.
 
Thanks for the suggestion. I don't think it is a bad bulb because it does come on for the strong signals. Not sure about the MPX.
 
MPX = Multiplex = Stereo.

sounds like a classic case of not a strong enough signal to trip the decoder into making it stereo.
 
Add a better antenna to help pull the signal in.

Stereo (MPX) FM is a bit complicated. It sounds like your system is working but weak. The STEREO light does come on at times. 30 year old electronics may be why its struggling. Or, it may be just a poor tuner.

Here is a good explaination of FM MPX and how its done and recieved.

http://transmitters.tripod.com/stereo.htm
 
FWIW - "Schotz" circuit is a variable separation circuit in the MPX. The idea was as the signal got weaker, instead of just switching to mono, the signal would reduce separation until signal was very weak, in which it was all mono. The Proton was supposedly (I say supposedly because I never listened to one) a very good tuner, and sounds like alignment would help.
 
I agree with Sregor's comments and will expand on them. FM stereo for technical reasons requires more signal to sound 'clean' than does mono FM. In aging tuners the MPX section often will benefit from a proper alignment to get back to peak performance. I recently restored and highly modfied a late 1970's Kenwood KT-7550 tuner. The stereo in this was not functioning well, requiring switching between AM and FM to get the FM stereo to kick in. After I made all my mods I sent the tuner to Bill Ammons to do a proper RF/IF/MPX alignnment (I don't have the specialized test equipment) to do this. After Bill's work the FM was stellar.

I also have a Carver TX-11B which also has the Shotz noise reduction circuitry. It works beautifully. I have a local NPR station that at my location is usually on the edge for receiving clear stereo FM. Depending on reception conditions it can be pretty good or there can be noticeable noise in stereo. Many of my tuners have 'blend' circuits that to a greater or lesser degree can slightly reduce stereo separation while at the same time reducing the noise. The TX-11B has the best by far performance in this respect when listening to this station. For very little reduction in stereo separation it does an excellent job of eliminating the noise. This tuner has not been aligned since I've had it, but it's good performance after all these years may be the exception rather than the rule.
 
A 440 in good trim is very impressive also. I have one that has nver been touched and it is quieter in Stereo than some 50 other tuners I have tried, many VERY highly rated.
 
I found this thread because of a similar question I had a while back. I've a newish AVR that can pull in a fantastic amount of stations, one of my best tuners, and has a very wide open airy sound to it. When compared to my Mcintosh, its not as musical nor with as much say, heft, to the sound, but oh my the stereo 3D type of sound is just night and day. Never thought about the maintenance aspect of the mcintosh though.

So what should good FM stereo sound like anyway?
 
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