My 2 cents. I have both and am neither technically competent nor have golden ears. As for the stock tuners TU 919 vs. 717 who could tell which is better? At their age both were and would be in serious need of alignment and possibly recapping. I endorse the ranking on fmtunerinfo.com, however, which you should also check out for other information including modifications. Neither sounded very good to me when I first got them. Even those AK members with extensive experience with amplifiers would not necessarily have the experience and equipment to align the tuners, and so I sent my 717 off for a tune up and modifications including the Ammon's adder boarding and to allow it to use stock bulbs. This was at least 10 years ago before I discovered AK. I live in the country with limited reception and use only a dipole antenna. The sound of the modified TU 717 blew me away. It had rich bass, excellent stereo separation, and what I considered CD quality sound. More recently, about 4 years ago, I bought a TU 919 (I have both amplifiers) and sent it off to our resident tuner guru Punker X. I think that I went for the whole update including recapping, the adder board, and a switch that allows you to disable the tuner locking circuit. I made no comparisons, but did not miss replacing the TU 717 with the TU 919 in my everyday system which, by the way, includes bluesy's favorite the AU-X901. About 3 months ago the TU 919 started giving us tuning issues, it seemed to be locking where we didn't want it keeping us from getting our station despite turning off the locking circuit. I could manage but the frustration was too much for my wife who listens and hops channels while I'm at work. The modified 717 came down to replace the modified 919 and I don't miss it. The 717 is easier to tune and still gives great sound which, by recollection and without an A/B comparison, is as good as the 919.
The TU 919 digital station indicator IC is still available but is getting harder to find (I have a back-up). Any tuner this age will likely need aligning and some upkeep. The price difference between a TU 717 and TU 919 is about $400 to $500 in the USA and the TU-919 is significantly harder to find. The adder boards can be purchased independently and be shipped and other modifications are described on the fmtunersinfo site if you look around. I have acquired a fairly extensive collection of Sansuis over a decade and prices were cheaper when I began collecting. I am close to being done. If price and sound quality are the main considerations I would recommend getting the cheaper TU 717 and using the savings to update it with modifications including the adder board,
Marc
The TU 919 digital station indicator IC is still available but is getting harder to find (I have a back-up). Any tuner this age will likely need aligning and some upkeep. The price difference between a TU 717 and TU 919 is about $400 to $500 in the USA and the TU-919 is significantly harder to find. The adder boards can be purchased independently and be shipped and other modifications are described on the fmtunersinfo site if you look around. I have acquired a fairly extensive collection of Sansuis over a decade and prices were cheaper when I began collecting. I am close to being done. If price and sound quality are the main considerations I would recommend getting the cheaper TU 717 and using the savings to update it with modifications including the adder board,
Marc
