Here is a spreadsheet of some Mac tuner specs taken from either Mac literature or Roger Russell. From the spec, the MX118 and MX130 seem to be the only cousins of the 7083. The MR500 is a real sleeper.
Nice chart. You'll notice that the MR77, MR78 and MR80 all have a THD spec of
0.2% in stereo mode.
I have both the MR77 and MR80, and the performance of the latter is pulling in stations near and far was excellent, living in a big city. The
logarithmic signal strength display was also great. It even had an
antenna switch in the top compartment to do
A-B antenna comparison. That was the idea of the Chicago FM Log project.. comparing signal strength of a
Yagi beam to a
turnstile FM antenna. Also logged whet was whether the
Auto filter came on, and what IF bandwidth was selected. Let's see if the Chicago FM Log can be uploaded somehow.
To sum up, I was very happy with the MR80 and don't regret spending 1.6k back in 1988 for it. It did have some issues with the FOUR
preset buttons. Sometimes they'd work and other times not. Maybe it was the room humidity. No matter, didn't use them.
The
MR77 is more of a novelty to me. Would have liked to try out an MR78. Certainly a very high performer with CLASSIC McIntosh styling. The usability of the MR80 is going to be superior though.
-Greg