Tuner choices - McIntosh, Sony, or Yamaha?

[FauxHall]

Just picked up a new replica walnut cabinet for the MR77 in Seoul for 120000 won, about $110

Quite a bargain as a new one in the US would be $300 plus shipping.

Looked good in the shop so now to lug it home to await Mike's miracle work.

Edit: here's a photo of the shop in Seoul. What a temptation!

 

[KentTeffeteller]

My vote would be McIntosh MR78, I like the sound of the MR80, but it is very temperamental and needs several updates to make it run reliably, hence my MR80 sits idle most of the time.
I bought my MR78 about 4 years ago, gets used daily, its great, very sensitive, great selectivity, very musical,I love the classic look.
The only problem with them is they are one of those legend products, so they can be a bit overpriced.

No De-emphisis switch though, you have to change out a couple of caps, I have the service information for that though, as I am in New Zealand where we are 50µS....

I liked the sound of the SX-1980 tuner I was working on the other day, what an awesome sound they pull in....
I think the tuner only is the TX9800....they are a very complex tuner and can have some issues if they have been fiddled with, but if its running right, brilliant!! I'd have one in a second!! Different sound than the MR78 though...

My 2 cents....

I like the MR 78, when I am in an overcrowded market where you have FM signals coming in from 2 medium or large cities, and you must have "Super Narrow" IF bandwidth. If an MR 74 can get it, I prefer the MR 74 or MX 113 or MX 114. I prefer the audio circuit design on the latter 3, to the all Richard Modafferi MR 78 (he's their best on RF front ends, his audio stages are lesser on sonics)

 

[nailer]

Got the tuner bug again. Going to sell my two Sonys - TA-SA5ES and TA-S3000ES. Both are "good enough" tuners but I can reach a little higher and match the other components a little better cosmetically.

Here's my thoughts:

1) McIntosh MR-74 - got a MA6200 to match and the MR74 is supposedly the best sounding solid state Mac.

2) Sony ST-5000FW - love the sound quality and the silver face will match my other Sony pieces.

3) Yamaha CT-7000 - a real physical beauty and sound quality is supposedly special.

RF signal is pretty good in my apartment and no adjacent or adjoining stations so RF performance not a big concern.

Opinions? Experiences?

A ST-5000FW was my FM source from the late 70's to mid 80's. A very nice tuner.

I have a CT-7000B and its performance/sound matches its looks.

Edit: Looks like a McIntosh won.

 

[FauxHall]

The MR77 matches the MA6200 perfectly so the pair will be a bit of nostalgia for this American expat.

 

[jlovda]

My big uncertainty was how much better sounding is the MR74 compared to the MR77. The circuits looked roughly similar except that the MR77 did not have an AM section. The lack of AM could explain the price difference when both were new at the same time.

The only thing that is common between the 74 and 77 is the "RIMO" IF strip (Mcintosh did not use the term RIMO for the 74 because it was their #2 offering). They have different front end RF amp and tuned circuits (4 gang vs 6 on the 77), different detector and different MPX. I just got an MX113 back from Terry Dewick. The 113 is a 74 with a preamp. Terry mentioned to me that the 113 (and I assume 74) has a very sensitive RF section but has poor separation compared to the 78 (and I assume the 77 because they are identical).

I have an MX113, an MR77 and an MR78. The 113 was just aligned, the 77 was never aligned since I bought it three yrs ago and the 78 was aligned, also by Terry, about 5-6 years ago. On a station 40 miles away using just a cheap telescoping rabbit ears, the 113 in the narrow mode has the most sensitivity and a very clean, quiet, listenable stereo signal. The 77 could provide a clean signal but could not switch to stereo. The 78 (in narrow mode) could get a stereo signal but not in normal. The sound was OK. I will admit I do NOT have golden ears. I need to thin things out and get rid of at least one of these units. Right now, my guess would be the 77 since the 113 seems to perform better and the 78 is "special." I bought the 113 because I wanted to try a 74 and a random, great bargain appeared. I'll have to do more tests later with a better antenna.

 

[FauxHall]

Based on Jlovda's insights in his posting above, I poured over the MR77 schematic I have. The RF front end on my schematic does have a 6 gang variable capacitor but the oscillator is double-tuner so one might call that a 5 gang front end. The more interesting feature is the double gangs in front of the first RF amp. FMtunerinfo suggests that arrangement provides better strong signal overload resistance albeit ata possibility lower ultimate sensitivity.

That lower sensitivity, if true, is OK in my situation. I haven't compared factory specs yet. The one station I listen to in my 32nd floor apartment gives me 60+ dBf with my C. Crane dipole as measured on my current Sony ES tuners.

Glad to see the MR77 has LC filters on the IF stage. My experience has been that LC filters provide a more pleasant sound, in general, than crystal designs. No narrow bandwidth choice though but I think my station is free of strong adjacent and alternate stations so not a requirement.

I had a MX113 a long time ago. It had never been aligned by the original owner and I didn't have the knowledge to have it done at the time. The sound was disappointing so I flipped it for a decent profit. A good alignment could have made a big difference. I don't need the super-RF performance of the MR78 and I didn't see any bargains on the MR74 when I was shopping nor did I need AM here. Hence, the MR77 purchase decision.

My unit is in the hands of Mike the Tuner Wizard right now. I'm sure he'll extract every bit of FM goodness out of the unit before I get it, eventually.

 

[Ricktptman]

I've owned all three nameplates. The answer to your question is, in my experiences, PIONEER. But that's not an outlying datapoint either. Lotsa people like 'em, not the least reasons including that they were built in sufficient numbers to not be unobtanium, while being nose (in front or behind, depending on the carbon date) in quality.

 

[FauxHall]

I was tempted by A Pioneer F-93, if only for the bling value.

 

[twiiii]

Mac tuners are so well sheilded that they require external antennas. I have used every Mac tuner they made up until and including the MR-80. If the stations are spread across the dial and not stacked on top of each other a 74 is great tuner. But if you have week stations and and strong ones adjacent to each other the 78 is the answer. I have both a 78 and a 80, and sound wise I prefer the 80 with a clear channel, but when things get sticky with multi path distortion the 78 if serviced recently is still the champ. Audio Classics has the designer of the 77 and 78 on staff and for extra bucks he will update either to a level of performance that is significantly better than new. He did a great job with my MR-80, too. MR-80's are known for touch button tuning issues, so I wouldn't buy one sight unseen unless serviced by an experienced technician.

 

[FauxHall]

I've got Mike at RadioX going over my new eBay purchase with a mandate to work his magic and make my new-to-me MR77 an audiophile's dream machine.

I'm listening to "Dinner Jazz" right now from Abu Dhabi Classics and that sounds fine on my Sony ST-3000ES but I know the MR77 will best it in sound quality and emotional involvement.