I don't think that McIntosh would sell anything that was not good - all their personnel have that rare pride in their company (obviously, otherwise they would have died off long ago or would be like Marantz is today).
I personally have only listened to the MR80 and 7082 and they both equally had remarkable soundstaging and sound quality. Reception is so antenna-dependant that there is no point in commenting on it. I will be getting a SS Mcintosh tuner when I can afford it but right now I have an older Sony ES that is suprisingly good, but not quite Mcintosh (not in price either...). I have been watching MR78s sell on ebay like crazy for upwards of $1800! I would like to hear one to see what they are all about.
All in all, I think McIntosh is the best and that most people just prefer tubes over SS. I found a friend's older Yamaha tuner (don't remember the model but was claimed to be good) to not have the sound refinement that even my Sony 550ES has. Good luck. Arthur
I personally have only listened to the MR80 and 7082 and they both equally had remarkable soundstaging and sound quality. Reception is so antenna-dependant that there is no point in commenting on it. I will be getting a SS Mcintosh tuner when I can afford it but right now I have an older Sony ES that is suprisingly good, but not quite Mcintosh (not in price either...). I have been watching MR78s sell on ebay like crazy for upwards of $1800! I would like to hear one to see what they are all about.
All in all, I think McIntosh is the best and that most people just prefer tubes over SS. I found a friend's older Yamaha tuner (don't remember the model but was claimed to be good) to not have the sound refinement that even my Sony 550ES has. Good luck. Arthur