A modded vintage tuner can be absolute outstanding and cost is little compared to what you can spend for much less. A modded Kenwood Kt 7500 I have amazes me still after two years. You can also go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FMtuners/
These guys know all there is to know about vintage or modern tuners. You'll find you're on the right track with the vintage tuners. I like the way they look better too. I should add a friend bought a Magnum Ft101, his reaction was that he was very disappointed considering the money he spent. He said it sounded no better than his Denon 747 tuner from the eighties that he paid 40 dollars for. I didn't hear them side by side but heard both at different times and my impression of the Magnum that it was a bad joke for the 700 I believe he paid. Go for a modded vintage or at least a good used Sansui 717 or something similar. Those usually go for a good 250 but there's some other tuners that sound decent for under a 100 depending on what you care to spend.
These guys know all there is to know about vintage or modern tuners. You'll find you're on the right track with the vintage tuners. I like the way they look better too. I should add a friend bought a Magnum Ft101, his reaction was that he was very disappointed considering the money he spent. He said it sounded no better than his Denon 747 tuner from the eighties that he paid 40 dollars for. I didn't hear them side by side but heard both at different times and my impression of the Magnum that it was a bad joke for the 700 I believe he paid. Go for a modded vintage or at least a good used Sansui 717 or something similar. Those usually go for a good 250 but there's some other tuners that sound decent for under a 100 depending on what you care to spend.