WTB McIntosh Tube Tuner

schwarcw

A long shot I know. An MR67, MR71 or MR 74 is good condition. These are collectable and many sellers on Audiogon and eBay have these over priced. "A one of a kind museum piece for only $100K". Many of the older ones need realigned, recapped, etc. Polkies are mostly an honest group of fine people. I don't want to overpay for a piece of **** that need a ton of work.

I would also consider a MR77, it's an SS but a fine piece of equipment. Thanks for looking, PM me if you have a piece or a lead on a decent quality item.

RuSsMaN

I had every single one of those last year, hell two 67's and two 74's. Is someone really trying to get 100K for a Mac tuna?

schwarcw

RuSsMaN wrote: »

Is someone really trying to get 100K for a Mac tuna?

A gross exaggeration on my behalf. But, I have seen $500 - $700 units that people are asking $1,300 - $1,700. Hell, none of these units make the top 25 in the tuner shoot outs. Whereas a Sansui 717 is usually in the top 10 and can be had for $200 or less. It's the Mac mystic at work here.

Carl

BaggedLancer

http://boston.craigslist.org/bmw/ele/436196127.html

i know its not what you are looking for, but maybe you can contact him and see what else he has.

I know bobman lives in derry, NH......maybe he help arrange a deal......or its not even that far from I could probably drive it out for you if he has what you need.

bl

Face

I might be selling my MX115 soon, but I'm still up in the air.

schwarcw

BaggedLancer wrote: »

http://boston.craigslist.org/bmw/ele/436196127.html

Thanks BL, posting expired. He must have sold whatever was listed.

schwarcw

Face wrote: »

I might be selling my MX115 soon, but I'm still up in the air.

I'd be very interested in the MX115. Let me know when you decide what you want to do. Thanks!

BaggedLancer

schwarcw wrote: »

Thanks BL, posting expired. He must have sold whatever was listed.

Lucky for you I left the window open last night.

sale-436196127@craigslist.org

McIntosh Stereo Preamplifier - $899

McIntosh C33 Stereo Preamplifier. In excellent condition with walnut cabinet. Other McIntosh equipment also available.

Location: Derry NH

schwarcw

I got no reply from that guy, just some strange message about his email. Maybe a scammer???

A MX110 would be real nice!

Carl

bikezappa

http://www.fmtunerinfo.com/

I'm sure you know about this Yahoo group. They talk about FM tuners all day.

You could join and ask them if anyone wants to sell one.

Peter

bikezappa

Here is an exchange on the FM Tuner Group Forum about some one wanting a Mac Tuber Tuner also.

hi herman,

imo, the sound quality of what you have will be better than any s/s
mac tuna, provided you have a good signal. (and, the mr77 & mr74,
while having slightly less reception ability of the mr78, will both
sound better than the mr78.) you would be better off yust buying a
new antenna, imo. roof mounted yagi on a rotor would be best.

if you are wanting a tuna w/improved sound quality *and* better
signal grabbing capabilities, you can do better than the s/s macs,
for the same price or less, imo. a few that come to mind are the
sansui tu9900, mitsubishi da-f20, philips ah673, hk citation 18, aiwa
au9700t, revox b261 or b760, accuphase t100 or t101, audiolab 8000t,
rotel rht10 or rt990bx, denon tu850, heathkit aj1600. i'm sure
others can chime in w/other tunas that sound better than the s/s macs.

doug s.

--- In FMtuners@yahoogroups.com, Herman Ford <hford653@...> wrote:
>
> Hank: I live just outside Cleveland, OH in a small
> community where most stations are pulled in from
> either Cleveland or Akron. I use an indoor antennae
> which seems to work ok with stronger signals.
> Sometimes it is difficult to pull in the weaker
> stations with the MX-112 or the Sansui Tu-519. Yet, I
> can turn on some of my more up to date Radios and pick
> them up. That's one of the reasons why I was
> considering the MR-78. Additionally, I was looking for
> a better sonic performace in terms of sound quality
> and imaging so when I actually have the time to sit
> and listen in stead of working and listening I can
> really appreciate the abilities of the equipment.
> Thanks again for your help, Herman
>
>
> --- Hank Arnold <hankarnold@...> wrote:
>
> > Herman,
> >
> > Are you looking for both a sonic and performance
> > increase? Do you use an
> > outdoor antennae? Are you located in a city or
> > suburban area, ie, many
> > stations (NYC) or the dial isn't overly crowded?
> >
> > That info will help.
> >
> > Hank
> >
> >
> > On 10/10/07, hford653 <hford653@...> wrote:
> > >
> > > Currently have MCIntosh MX-112 with AM FM tuner.
> > Considering buying
> > > MCIntosh MR-78. Can anyone tell me if there is an
> > appreciable
> > > difference in the sound and perfromance quality of
> > the MR-78 that would
> > > support making such a change. I welcome any
> > opinions on this subject.
> > > Thanks for your help, Herman
> > >

BaggedLancer

schwarcw wrote: »

I got no reply from that guy, just some strange message about his email. Maybe a scammer???

A MX110 would be real nice!

Carl

Sorry I tried!

schwarcw

Peter, Thanks for the info and the references. Some good stuff there for sure. Some of the tuners referenced, sansui tu9900, revox b261 or b760, accuphase t100 are some of the holy grail of tuners. And they cost a pretty penney. The Audiokarma Tuner Forum has a lot of good info and discussion on these product, as well as the tuner shoot off Forum.

If you read some of the Mac Forums, MR-67 is considered one of the finest and sweetest sounding tube tuners. Many consider their sound better than the Marantz 10B. Like anything, old electronics sometimes needs work, caps, resistors, terminals, etc.

I'm interested in the MR67 or the MX-110 which contains the MR67 circuitry plus a preamp (which includes a phono preamp). These units are usually much cheaper than the Marantz 10B and sound very nice.

The MX-110 for reasonable money would have me doing an end zone dance. There are some sellers that price these things at a rediculous level hoping that a Saudi prince has a jones to collect one.

I'm hoping the good people at Club Polk can come up with one for me.

Come on Russman!:D

bikezappa

Schwarcw

I have had the tuner bug for a few years and finally bought a Revox B 260 for about $600. It's a real nice quality tuner to use because it is remote controlled.

My advice to you is that most any good tuner with a rotor and roof antenna will be better than the most expensive tuner made with an indoor antenna. So if you get any nice tuner get the rotor/antenna. In fact get the antenna/rotor first. Cost will be about $250 if you install yourself.

mhardy6647

If your interest in a McIntosh tuner is for sound quality (as opposed to its "radio" performance), you might want to consider a vintage Sherwood, Fisher, or Scott tube tuner (mono or stereo). Many of them offer outstanding sound quality, decent RF performance (sensitivity, selectivity) at a far more rational price than the Macs.

There are quite a few tuners at my house, even some "good" ones by FMtunerinfo's standards (e.g., a Sansui TU-717). The one I actually use is a Sherwood S-2000 mono AM/FM. Wonderful sounding little piece. You shouldn't need to pay more than $50 for one. Add an FM MPX adaptor (e.g., an EICO MX-99, a personal favorite) if you wish and you'll still have terrific sound at a bargain price.

If your interest in the Big Mac is cosmetic, or the "mystique"... well... I understand.

bikezappa

McIntosh Tuners are very nice and keep there value.

As mhardy says you can get the same performance for less $.

bikezappa

www.audio-ideas.com/reviews/tuners/aig-tuner-project-intro.html

interesting tuner article.

mhardy6647

interesting tuner article.

It is that... pretty eclectic assortment of tuners, so far.

As mhardy says you can get the same performance for less $.

Well, I don't know if I quite said that :-) I think I would say "you can get pretty dang good performance for much less $".

The trick with tuners is that there are two flavors of performance: as a radio and as an audio component (source). Most of the interest nowadays seems (IMO) to be focused on the former. Personally, I am much more interested in the latter. There are some fine sounding tuners that (still) fly under the radar in this "FMtunerinfo" world.

schwarcw

Mark,

Any thoughts on the KM-60, I could pick one up local for about $200. The seller says that it's been serviced, but he tends to "exaggerate" a little.

I like the Sansui 717, but the mx-110 interests me as it has the phono option.

Mark, you may also recall this thread from AK that I started earlier this Summer. Look Here

I appreciate all the input, great discussion.

Carl

bikezappa

schwarcw wrote: »

Mark

I appreciate all the input, great discussion.

Carl

The most important factor for good tuner oerformace is getting a good FM antenna and rotor. Getting a Mac and using a dipole is like driving Ferrari with bald tires.

BaggedLancer

bikezappa wrote: »

Getting a Mac and using a dipole is like driving Ferrari with bald tires.

Maybe so but imagine the burnouts

schwarcw

bikezappa wrote: »

The most important factor for good tuner oerformace is getting a good FM antenna and rotor. Getting a Mac and using a dipole is like driving Ferrari with bald tires.

Somewhat true. I live in a suburban area where most of the stations I listen to are within 25 miles. I use a folded dipole that works very well. The signal on the Marantz scope is very strong from the four or so stations that I listen to.

Initially I do plan on getting a roof mounted (probably a dual dipole) just so I don't have to run the power line for the rotor. A 9 ft Yagi would be nice. The advantage for a better antenna would be to explore the remote stations. But if you look where I live, the big Yagi would enable me to get into deep West Virginia, Central Pennsylvania, Western Maryland. There might be something worth listening to in central Ohio and Cleveland. I don't know if the big Yagi would get me into the DC area (225 miles away on the Interstate) or into the Philly or NY area. These cities are over 300 miles away.

This thread will stimulate a new obsession for me "TUNERS"!!! Most are cheap and fun to play with. Except for the Marantz 10B, a few of the Kenwoods, Sansuis, etc.

I like the input from you guys, keep it coming.

Carl

PS I am watch a MX-110 tuner on eBay (end Monday). I don't know how high I would go for it. The cool thing is that it is in Cleveland, an easy 2 hour drive. Anyone have a recommendation for a top price

bikezappa

schwarcw wrote: »

Somewhat true. I live in a suburban area where most of the stations I listen to are within 25 miles. I use a folded dipole that works very well. The signal on the Marantz scope is very strong from the four or so stations that I listen to.

Initially I do plan on getting a roof mounted (probably a dual dipole) just so I don't have to run the power line for the rotor. A 9 ft Yagi would be nice. The advantage for a better antenna would be to explore the remote stations. But if you look where I live, the big Yagi would enable me to get into deep West Virginia, Central Pennsylvania, Western Maryland. There might be something worth listening to in central Ohio and Cleveland. I don't know if the big Yagi would get me into the DC area (225 miles away on the Interstate) or into the Philly or NY area. These cities are over 300 miles away.

This thread will stimulate a new obsession for me "TUNERS"!!! Most are cheap and fun to play with. Except for the Marantz 10B, a few of the Kenwoods, Sansuis, etc.

I like the input from you guys, keep it coming.

Carl

PS I am watch a MX-110 tuner on eBay (end Monday). I don't know how high I would go for it. The cool thing is that it is in Cleveland, an easy 2 hour drive. Anyone have a recommendation for a top price

Sometimes you can get multipath from all the reflected signals and a small Yagi with rotor would help. But you are right if you live that close a dipole will work great.

I can't recieve any quiet stations over 75 miles distance except in mono.

Tuner prices are funny depending on the condition and if the owner spent big money on modifications. I have had the best success buying from original owners and people in the tuner group. There are enough tuners out there so you can wait for the right one. I waited over a year to get a Revox.

Face

I just checked Ebay's completed auctions.

A clean but not working MX110 for $677. Then a clean, working, and unmolested MX110 with wood case for $1,128, wow!

I wonder how much for one reworked by Richard Modafferi would go for?

mhardy6647

I would think a KM-60 in good tune would be pretty nice. It was the kit version of one of the middling Fishers... I don't know them well enough to know which one. I would think, having been a kit, it would be relatively easy to align.

Yeah... get a REL :-)

tonyb

Just a thought......aren't all those analog tuners going to be obsolete in a few years when all radio goes digital??

bikezappa

tonyb wrote: »

Just a thought......aren't all those analog tuners going to be obsolete in a few years when all radio goes digital??

AM is still here.

No one knows what will happen but there are many analog tuners out there.

schwarcw

The Mac MX-110 went for $1,550, there ws one on the "Gon fo $1,300. I like the Cleveland unit becuase i could examine he unit, listen to it, then carry it home. It probably had too much gain for my Parsound Halo C2 pre/pro.

I'm back looking for a MR-67,71 or 74 from a polk member of a local seller. Thanks for your advice and PMs. I eally appreciate it,

thanks!

BaggedLancer

http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/ele/453955512.html

McIntosh Power Amp MC2300 $700

Not a tube, but still looks nice

Face

Not a tuner either.

Great amp, just not the most desired due to it's appearance.

BaggedLancer

Face wrote: »

Not a tuner either.

Great amp, just not the most desired due to it's appearance.

Yea, I dunno saw McIntosh, figured the McIntosh are people are always die hard McIntosh people, figured id post it.