FM4

About the FM4

The Quad FM4 is an FM-only stereo tuner produced between 1982 and 1995, designed with a manual tuning knob and 7 preset buttons. It features a digital display controlled by a microprocessor that manages presets and frequency readout, but the tuner circuitry itself is analog. The FM4 is styled to complement the Quad 44 preamplifier and is known for its natural sound quality. It includes automatic frequency control (AFC) and muting between stations, making it user-friendly. The tuner requires a 75 ohm coaxial antenna input and is optimized for a 100 kOhm load, typical of Quad preamplifiers. Its output voltage is about 100mV, which may require additional amplification with some modern equipment. The FM4 is compact and solidly built, measuring 321 x 64 x 207 mm and weighing 3 kg. It has a sensitivity of 2.7 µV for mono and 25 µV for stereo, a signal-to-noise ratio of 70 dB, distortion of 0.15%, and a frequency response of 20 Hz to 15 kHz. The tuner is noted for its clear midrange and slightly forward highs, though bass response can be affected by the load impedance of the connected preamplifier. The FM4 was discontinued in 1995 but remains sought after for its sound quality and build.