The ST-S703ES topped Sony's tuner line in 1988. It is a solidly built, excellent sounding unit with great ergononics. It includes a large, smoothly operating knob that can be used to tune stations manually or to jump between the 20 available presets. It also includes narrow/wide and stereo/mono/high-blend tuning modes for optimizing reception.
Here are some photos of my tuner. Click any photo to see a larger version.
My tuner has simulated wood side panels. I have read that some units had real wood (or veneered) panels, but I don't know for sure.
This photo shows the only cosmetic flaw. The right front corner of the top cover has four small dimples/dents. I used a flash to highlight the dimples.
I bought my tuner used about three years ago. It did not include the AM loop antenna that came with the original, so you will need to purchase your own AM antenna if AM reception is important to you.
The unit I bought also did not include a manual, but you can order one from Sony. I actually did that, but I somehow managed to lose it. Here's a link to the order page: ST-S730ES Manual (English) at Sony Direct Accessories & Parts Center (DAPC). The manual costs $5.00 plus shipping (which I think was about $2.00 when I ordered mine).
There are also several posts about this tuner at Yahoo's FM Tuners - High End FM Tuners discussion group. You will need to join the group in order to read and search for messages.
Finally, here's a link to a discussion about the ST-S730ES at Audio Asylum's Tuner forum. One of my responses describes how to store presets.
| FM Tuner | |
|---|---|
| Tuning range | 87.5 - 108 MHz |
| Antenna terminals | 75 ohms unbalanced |
| Intermediate frequency | 10.7 MHz |
| Sensitivity at 50 dB quieting (mono) | 16.8 dBf, 1.8 microvolts (mono) 37.9 dBf, 22.5 microvolts (stero) |
| Usable sensitivity | 10.3 dBf, 0.9 microvolts (IHF) |
| Signal-to-noise ratio at 75 kHz deviation | 96 db (mono) 92 dB (stereo) |
| Harmonic distortion | WIDE: 0.004% (mono), 0.0075% (stereo) NARROW: 0.04% (mono), ,0.07% (stereo) |
| IM distortion | WIDE: 0.004% (mono), 0.0075% (stereo) NARROW: 0.04% (mono), 0.07% (stereo) |
| Separation at 1 kHz | WIDE: 70 dB NARROW: 50 dB |
| Frequency response | 15 Hz - 15 kHz +/- 0.2 dB |
| Selectivity | NARROW: 65 dB at 300 kHz WIDE: 70 dB at 400 kHz |
| Capture ratio | WIDE: 1.0 dB |
| AM suppression ratio | 65 dB |
| Image response ratio | 100 dB |
| IF response ratio | > 120 dB |
| Spurious response ratio | > 120 dB |
| RF intermodulation | 83 dB (800 kHz) 93 dB (2.4 MHz) |
| Subcarrier product ratio | 45 dB (MPX filter off) 75 dB (MPX filter on) |
| Muting threshold | Approximately 29 dBf, 8 microvolts |
| Auto tuning threshold | 29 dBf |
| Output at 75 kHz deviation | 750 mV, 270 ohms |
| AM Tuner | |
|---|---|
| Tuning range | 530 - 1610 kHz (10 kHz step) 522 - 1611 kHz (9 kHz step) |
| Antenna | External antenna terminal |
| Intermediate frequency | 450 kHz |
| Usable sensitivity | External antenna: 30 microvolts/meter (at 999 or 1000 kHz) |
| Signal-to-noise ratio | 54 dB (50 mV/m) |
| Harmonic distortion | 0.3% (at 50 mV/m, 400 Hz) |
| Selectivity | NARROW: 65 dB at 9 kHz, 55 dB at 10 kHz WIDE: 50 dB at 9 kHz, 70 dB at 10 kHz |
| General | |
|---|---|
| Circuit system | FM stereo, FM/AM super-heterodyne tuner PLL quartz-locked digital synthesizer system |
| Power requirements | 120 V, 60 Hz |
| Power consumption | 19 watts |
| Dimensions | Approx. 470 x 86 x 372 mm (w/h/d) (18 x 3 1/2 x 14 1/4 inches) including projecting parts and controls |
| Weight | Approx. 5.2 kg (11 lb 8 oz) |