Denon TU-290 / TU-290G (c. 1996)
The Denon TU-290 is a Japanese-market FM/AM stereo tuner from the mid-1990s. It came in two versions: the standard black TU-290 and the TU-290G, which added a gold finish and side wood panels. The G cost ¥32,000 against ¥28,000 for the standard unit. It was made in Japan and, like most Japanese domestic gear of the era, was built for 100 V mains and the Japanese FM band - 76 to 90 MHz officially. At least one Russian owner reports receiving stations up to 108 MHz on a modified or re-aligned unit.
The headline feature is a 40-station random preset. You could store not just frequencies but also the names or nicknames of the stations, in 8-character alphanumeric strings, and recall them on the display. It also has an AM stereo demodulation circuit, a feature that mattered more in Japan than almost anywhere else. LC tuning circuits and ceramic filters are there to keep adjacent-channel interference in check. Denon also touted a low-impedance output circuit (400 Ω or less) for clean signal transfer to the amplifier.
On paper the FM section is respectable for the class: 12.8 dBf practical sensitivity, 77 dB stereo / 82 dB mono signal-to-noise, 0.4% stereo THD at 90% modulation, and 43 dB stereo separation at 1 kHz. The AM side is less remarkable, at 18 μV sensitivity and 26 dB separation. Power consumption is a modest 9 W. The TU-290 measures 434 × 75 × 313 mm and weighs 2.6 kg. The TU-290G is slightly wider and heavier at 470 × 76 × 313 mm and 2.9 kg.
Documentation is thin. No production years are confirmed beyond the "around 1996" price references, and no period reviews have surfaced. The surviving record is mostly marketplace listings: a few Russian sellers offering Japanese-import units, one of whom notes the tuner can be operated via remote control (the remote model isn't identified), and Yahoo Auctions results where TU-290s have changed hands for as little as ¥3,400. One listing paired it with a PMA-390II integrated amplifier, which suggests Denon may have intended it as a system component, but that's inference, not documentation. Outside Japan, budget for a step-down transformer, since the official spec is 100 VAC only.
- Type: FM/AM stereo tuner, 40-station random preset with alphanumeric station-name memory
- FM: 76–90 MHz, 12.8 dBf sensitivity, 77 dB (stereo) / 82 dB (mono) S/N
- AM: 522–1629 kHz, 18 μV sensitivity, AM stereo demodulation
- Output: low-impedance (400 Ω or less) circuit
- Power: 100 VAC, 50/60 Hz, 9 W
- Dimensions: 434 × 75 × 313 mm (TU-290); 470 × 76 × 313 mm (TU-290G)
- Weight: 2.6 kg (TU-290); 2.9 kg (TU-290G)
- Original price: ¥28,000 (TU-290); ¥32,000 (TU-290G), circa 1996
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