These days, with all the various sources available, CD, SACD, DVD-A, Streaming Audio, Music Servers, Vinyl, iPod. etc., I began to wonder how many folks have a McIntosh tuner in their system, which model, and whether FM stereo is even considered a viable music source to you any longer.
I have had several McIntosh tuners through the years. My first McIntosh tuner was a MR67, an FM only stereo tuner that I used with a MA230 integrated amp. It performed well, of course, I lived in San Francisco at the time, and all the stations I listened to had towers within a 15 mile radius, so reception was never a problem. The worst McIntosh tuner I owned was the MR7084. It had good specifications on paper, but poor reception, even with an outside antenna. I had it for 13 years, and listened to it very little because it was not a good performer. It was just in the rack looking cool, but that was about it. I now have the MR85, and it is the best McIntosh tuner I have owned. It is extremely sensitive, pulls in stations from 50 miles like they are next door, and has excellent seperation, low noise, and wide frequency response. I find myself listening to it almost every night when the University of Florida's station broadcasts their Jazz After Midnight show beginning at midnight. Their tower is 50 miles from my antenna, but the signal comes in on the MR85 clean and clear. I look forward to listening to this show at night. They play a ton of good jazz, they do not compress the signal, and it sounds great. It has been many years since I was last excited about listening to radio, but the McIntosh MR85 rekindled my fire.
So, do you have a McIntosh tuner in your system? Do you listen to it, or is it just filling rack space? Does it perform to your satisfaction?
I have had several McIntosh tuners through the years. My first McIntosh tuner was a MR67, an FM only stereo tuner that I used with a MA230 integrated amp. It performed well, of course, I lived in San Francisco at the time, and all the stations I listened to had towers within a 15 mile radius, so reception was never a problem. The worst McIntosh tuner I owned was the MR7084. It had good specifications on paper, but poor reception, even with an outside antenna. I had it for 13 years, and listened to it very little because it was not a good performer. It was just in the rack looking cool, but that was about it. I now have the MR85, and it is the best McIntosh tuner I have owned. It is extremely sensitive, pulls in stations from 50 miles like they are next door, and has excellent seperation, low noise, and wide frequency response. I find myself listening to it almost every night when the University of Florida's station broadcasts their Jazz After Midnight show beginning at midnight. Their tower is 50 miles from my antenna, but the signal comes in on the MR85 clean and clear. I look forward to listening to this show at night. They play a ton of good jazz, they do not compress the signal, and it sounds great. It has been many years since I was last excited about listening to radio, but the McIntosh MR85 rekindled my fire.
So, do you have a McIntosh tuner in your system? Do you listen to it, or is it just filling rack space? Does it perform to your satisfaction?
