Thanks again doug s.
Just been looking at your gallery, you have quite few tuners which in your opinion is your best?
Thanks
Chris
first, let me clarify - i don't still own all tunas in the gallery pics. but, i
do admit i own more than my share, & a lot of them are not in the gallery...
as far as which is best, i must first clarify that, in fact, differences between top tunas are really pretty small. similar to differences in top digital set-ups, imo - once you reach a certain level, the law of diminishing returns kicks in. and, things might get "different", but not necessarily "better".
if i could have only one tuna, it would be either my modded sansui tu-x1, or my modded harman kardon citation 18. the hk 18 has been one of the earliest tunas to come into my possession, since i became afflicted with tuna disease, & it's been able to see off all comers, until the arrival of the tu-x1. it may have finally met its match, but i have not done direct blind a-b, so i cannot be sure. in any ewent, both are stellar performers, & i could be happy w/either. but, i have others that are so close, that the differences are not readily apparent w/o extreme close comparisons. i could also be happy with these. examples are:
-aiwa at9700u (which could be further improved w/a refurb & mods)
-heathkit aj1600 w/full mods & refurb
-sony st-a6b w/full mods & refurb
-sansui tu9900 w/full mods & refurb
-rotel rht-10 (which could be further improved w/a refurb & mods)
-roksan caspian (i am not sure if this modern tuna can be modded or not)
then, there's others that i could still be extremely happy with, but are a hair off the pace of the above (all, which could be further improved w/a refurb & mods):
-onix bwd1 w/soap-2 power supply (the best of this group, imo)
-revox b261
-heathkit aj1600
-jvc fx1100bk
-nikko gamma 1
-sansui tu717
-scott 312d
-creek 3140
then, there's some that i have sold, that still rank in the first group, but cuz of one reason or another, i sold them anyways:
-accuphase t109 (modded & refurb'd)
-accuphase t100, aligned (which could be further improved w/a refurb & mods)
-accuphase t101 (which could be further improved w/a refurb & mods)
-mitsubishi da-f20 (which could be further improved w/a refurb & mods)
-mitsubishi da-f20 (modded & refurb'd)
-philips ah673/6731 (which could be further improved w/a refurb & mods)
-marantz 20, refurb'd & aligned (a bit behind in sensitivity, imo)
then there's a lot i've sold, which would rank in the second - still excellent - group. a few, off the top of my head:
-pioneer f91
-revox b760
-tandberg 3001a (refurb'd & aligned - extremely overpriced for its performance, imo)
-hitachi ft8000
-rotel rt2100
-sony st730es
-luxman t12 (a bit behind in sensitivity, imo)
-sumo charlie
-sumo aurora
-yamaha t2
-meridian 204 (a bit behind in sensitivity, imo)
i am sure i have forgotten several here.
then, there's tubed tunas. i have not owned the marantz 10b, but, fwiw, many tuna freaks & marantz freaks say the s/s 20 is better than the 10b. i dunno, i have tried the 20, but not the 10. these tunas are, as a rule not quite as sensitive reception-wise as the s/s tunas...
i owned a completely refurb'd modded to the hilt mcintosh mr65b. beautiful, excellent sound, decent reception for a tuber. squarely in the middle of the second "keeper" group for sonics. (i gave it to carlman as partial trade for his piegas, i am still awaiting his opinion about it, i think he's almost finished building his new listening room.)
the sherwood tunas, s3000lll & above, stereo or mono w/modern outboard mpx decoder, have reception capabilities a tad better than the mcintosh, tho still not as good as the s/s tunas. sonics, however, even properly working unrefurb'd models, are as good as it gets - first group, right up there w/the tu-x1 & hk 18. seriously. imo, i mean!
two other mono tube tunas warrent this praise sonically, when used w/modern s/s mpx stereo decoders - the sansui fm8, which has decent but not stellar reception, & the stromberg carlson sr445 & 443 (fm-only iteration of the 445). the reception on the s-c's is positively mediocre, tho. (as is the reception of a completely refurb'd & modded dyna fm3 i own - i have not yet been able to give it a proper sonic audition because of this, tho those who have, rank it as one of the best, if not
the best, after mods...)
there is one tuna i have not tried that i really want to try - the new accuphase t1000. those who have, say this tuna is actually significantly enough better than even the next-best, so it's not splitting hairs, when it is run thru an outboard dac... it may take the sale of my tu-x1 to generate the funds to find out...
another comment - unless you are a certified mcintosh fanatic, stay away from their solid-state tuna offerings. the mr78 could have been recommended for its exceptional dx'ing capabilities, but now that the sony xdr f1-hd is out, that's a lot to pay for good reception. the sonics of the s/s mac tunas are subpar, imo, & certainly not worth the prices they command. the mr74 & mr77 are acknowledged to be mac's best sounding s/s tunas; i owned a 77 got it refurb'd, & it was mediocre sounding. i recently got a mint 74, more than anything to prove to myself my feelings about the s/s macs, & it might be a bit better than the 77, but still nothing to write home about. it will be going up f/s shortly. (anyone here interested?)
and, one last comment. mods & refurb can make a big difference - the lowly kenwood kt7500 is really a dull sounding tuna in stock form, imo. however, when modded, it vaults to the top group. in fact, it is still the fave of the tuna "shootout" author jim rivers, from fmtunerinfo.com.
so, if you have quality (read: public) broadcasts in your area that play tunes you like, get a quality tuna, get it refurb'd/aligned/modded; set up a decent antenna, & enjoy music whose sound quality will rival your cd & winyl sources...
doug s.
