hi rup,
should i hold out on my answer until ya tell me what ya dint like about the reference speakers or the sequerra met-7 on the compact monitor thread?
ok, well, i am nicer than that. i have never heard the famed marantz 10b. at one point i actually considered getting one. if you're lucky, ya can find one in good shape for ~$1500. these are something that can always be turned around w/o out of pocket expense, if they're not for you, or if cash is tight. but, the more i read about them, the less intrigued i became. it seems they *are* nice-sounding units, but by no means the best. collectability is at work here, big-time, yust like it is for the sequerra and mccintosh tunas. also, the marantz is expensive to keep in top operation condition, unless you're an expert electronics & tuna specialist. they go outta adjustment, & aren't so easy on tubes.
i am presently using a highly modified h/k citation 18. i wanted to try this, cuz of a conversation i had w/the owner of a stock one. he's gone thru many different tunas - the tandberg 3001a, the mccintosh mr78, the marantz 10b, to name some of the better & better-known ones. he prefers his citation 18 to all of 'em... so, when i had the opportunity to get a non-working one for $75, that was cosmetically excellent, i did, & had it shipped to stephen sank in albuquerque, who fixed it, replaced many many caps/diodes/resistors w/upgraded ones, aligned it, charged me $300, & sent it to me. it *is* fantastic!

even better than my mucho-expensive completely refurbished tandberg 3001a. (but not by much!) i haven't a-b'd it directly w/my rare & much-loved british onix bwd-1, but i believe it would yust eek past the onix in the detail dept, as the onix may be a bit warmer than true-life. even tho the onix is solid-state.
bottom line, there's a slew of vintage tuna, that, even after money is spent on mods, will perform at least as well as the spendy guys, if not better, for a total investment of way under $1k, usually under $500.
for tuna info, go here:
http://fmtunerinfo.com/for detailed discussions about tuna, antennae, & other sundry items, go here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FMtuners/regards,
doug s.