$500-600 Used Tuner

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If you can get by without remote control, you are in for a pleasant surprize. At $500-600 used there are so many excellent choices it will be difficult to pick the absolute best. Most of the best will be tubes in my opinion. McIntosh, HH Scott, Fisher, etc. I am using a modified Dyna FM3 that is wonderful and quite inexpensive. Good listening! Don

I agree with Magnum Dynalab FT-101A. I owned one new then upgraded to MD-100. Huge improvement, but retails for $1,600. Older Kenwood tuners, especially the KT-7500 or KT-8300 rival the Magnum models. These 2 are always on eBay for $150-400. I've used a KT-7500 for many years in a secondary ststem. It plays FM perfectly, almost as good as the MD-100. The key to FM enjoyment is a quality antenna. I use the Magnum Dynalab ST-2 indoor/outdoor antenna. I live in Pittsburgh, PA and do not have any reception problems with any local stations. We are lucky to have 3 Public Radio stations. WQED, WDUQ, and WYEP. One is classical, one is jazz and one is free-form music.

Good posts above.Dont forget the Mcintosh tuners.
I had a MINT MR-74 that smoked every other tuner I had heard.I paid $500 for it from a dealer.I have seen them for as low as $400.The Macs are beautiful pieces and hold their value well.

I purchased a Kenwood KT8005 tuner on Audiogon for $65. It was Kenwood's top of the line in 1973. It is large, heavy and looks gorgeous imho. I had it shipped directly from the seller to Don Scott, who cleaned it, aligned it and upgraded a few internal circuits for approximately $250. It is without a doubt the best value of any piece in my value orientated system. The sound is better than I ever thought possible from radio. It pulls in stations like a champ.

If you are serious about quality radio, I strongly suggest you contact Mr. Scott. He is a man of his word and very helpful.

Regards,
Paul