Renewed over a longer period than integrated amplifiers, the analog tuner remains a product that the Japanese Accuphase doesn’t want to abandon.
In 2018, the brand had already surprised us by renewing the T-1100 after eight years of loyal service. By the way, the T-1200 had already lost dab+, i.e. terrestrial radio, to concentrate on what tuner afficionados are still looking for: FM radio.
After seven years, the T-1200 is bowing out to make way for the T-1300. And this will come as no surprise to fans of the Yokohama-based manufacturer: the newcomer appears with very discreet cosmetic changes. As with every new product, the modifications appear limited, like the gold ring around the large knob, seen around all the volume knobs on recent models, and now around the knob for manually changing the frequency on the tuner.
The dual red LED display has been slightly reworked, as have the button positions, with the “memory” button moving from right to left in a line of ten rectangular station memory buttons (each doubled to store up to 20 frequency ranges). At the rear, the changes are even more subtle, with a section for the antenna, RCA and XLR outputs, a coaxial output, and an IEC socket for connection to the mains.
Inside, again, the improvements are slight. The signal still enters via the antenna to an attenuator that leads to a dual circuit separated by an RF amplifier, with phase control by a DDS oscillator. A bandwidth selector maintains the T-1200’s six frequency choices (50, 75, 100, 150, 250, 500 kHz), managed by DSP. But in the end, all measurement curves are further refined, and the signal-to-noise ratio gains 2dB in both mono (94dB) and stereo (78dB), while the device weighs 100g (13.1 kg).
The new Accuphase T-1300 is no revolution compared with previous models, but it shows that engineers still believe in this segment, and therefore in the interest of certain music lovers in getting the most out of radio. With it, the Japanese brand remains in the race to maintain a benchmark product in FM listening.
01/06/2025
