TUNERS..anyone?

David - as several people have already posted, you are
probably receiving rock/metal/etc. without "slam" on the
drums due to the compression that most commercial radio
stations use to process their broadcast signal. Since you
seem to be getting a pretty decent signal with your current
Adcom tuner; you might want to try to tune in a local
college or PBS station and see how they sound. You might
be surprised to hear a lot of lower bass level information,
as most non-commercial stations do not "process" their
broadcast signal.
As for tuners under 1K that you might want to look
into; you might want to check out some of the older McIntosh
tuners. I have an older model MR-73 that I had aligned and
tuned up; and it sounds great. Best of all - it only cost
me a little over $500.00 for a tuner that works and looks
like new. Also, don't forget to use some decent interconnects. If you listen often, you will notice the
difference at once.

Thanks for all the great responses.
I've read this thread over several times and I've spent alot of time on eBay getting to know some of the tuners mentioned here.
I really like the looks of the Mac tuners.Specifically the MR-74 and MR-75.They go for such high prices though its scary!
I like the looks of the Sansui TU-717 quite a bit also.
They go for MUCH less than the Macs do of course.
Now,question....What would I be getting in sound quality with a Mac compared to the Sansui? Am I paying for the build,fit and finish of the Mac with some nostalgia thrown in for good measure? Will the Sansui hold its own against a Mac?? Which one would have better reception?
Thanks all,this is really helping alot!

One more thing..a friend is pushing me towards a Accuphase T-100..comments??

David, I would suggest you join this Yahoo group, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FMtuners/, as well as spend time on the afore mentioned Vintage Tuner site. This Yahoo group is dedicated to FM tuner users and there is a lot of experience there.

The vintage Mac's have a wonderful reputation and there are people that can steer you to which are better than others. From what little I have read, the Sansui may have the advantage at pulling in stations, but depending on the model, some Mac's will have an advantage in sound.

I own a Sansui, though I am not using it, and I can attest to it's ability to pull in stations.

Also, those that are really into FM listening fall into two groups, some like to find a happy medium, DX'ers and audiophiles. Audiophiles want the best sound possible from their tuners while DX'ers want to pull in as many stations as they can and from as far as they can.

This link, http://www.amfmdx.net/fmdx/tuners.html, ranks some tuners in "Top of the line", "Excellent", "Very good" and "Solid performers" in regards to DXing. The TU-717 falls under Very good, two Mac's are listed under Solid performers. Keep in mind, this is DX rating, not audiophile.

well,I came in my thread to dust the cob webs a bit.
as long as Im here I might as well tell ya all I bought a Mac MR-74.in fact,I just got it today and Im listening to it right now.
Its mint..MINT and it looks and SOUNDS AWESOME!!
my dealer hooked me up with it and gave me a price I couldnt resist.
I did bid on the accuphase T-100 but the price went a bit too high for my comfort level.
I'm very happy with the MR-74 and plan on keeping it around for a while.
It has a very clean and sweet midrange,nice deep bass and throws an impressive soundstage.
I still lacks good slam in the kick drum but it is better than my 1A
Im still using the rat shack antenna but the 74 pulls them in better than the 1A
on most stations the signal strength meter shows it gets it up to 8/10...wish I was as lucky!
does anyone know an interconnect that has a history of being a good match with a Mac tuner?
Im useing alpha-core micro purl silver right now.
also,I went to the 'wanted to buy' but I see thats on hold for now.I'm looking for a MR-74 owners manual.If anyone can sell me one,cool.
mario-thanks for finding me this beautiful tuner and the ALWAYS great price! info@tfta.com