The following is a list of tuners that I presently own, all of which I believe are worthy of consideration as some of the top tuners ever made:
Revox B261 -- A behemoth of a tuner; beautifully built and great sounding -- the tuner website that did the shootout is a wonderful addition, and great benefit to this hobby. However, in my opinion the fellow who did the review of the B261 either had one that needed to be serviced, or has specific listening tastes. A number of people have remarked at what a superb sounding tuner the B261 is and that it easily holds its own with its even more famous sibling -- the B760. And while I have never heard a B760, I have to say that the B261 is a superb sounding tuner, and in my opinion more elegant looking than the B760. I have also noticed that the B760's regularly come up on the American Ebay site, however I have yet to see a B261 for sale on this site. I had to go to a foreign Ebay Website and use language translator software to purchase my B261 from a Swedish seller, who only spoke German. It was a lot of time and effort, but well worth it, since I finally have a tuner that I have wanted for many years. The B261 is a beautifully manufactured and engineered product that was built to offer years of faithful service.
*Note that the B261 has a green plastic strip installed between the two bulbs that are used to illuminate the tuning and digital readout displays, which gets burn marks on it after years of use, that diminish the intensity of the bulbs. Removing it altogether takes about 5 seconds, and brings back the brightness of these displays by a considerable margin.
Tandberg 3011A -- Built like a tank, great sounding, and one of the coolest looking tuners around, the 3011A is one of my favorite tuners. Its DXING capabilities are not amongst the best, but it has a warm lush midrange that is both articulate and addictive. It's great fun to revisit the 3011A after it's been sitting on the shelf for a time. However, I can say the same about the rest of my tuners, as well, since they are each unique in their own right. They were all purchased based on many years of researching which tuners were the best for the respective money. And there are so many tunerholics out there who offer their contributions, that it is almost impossible to buy a bad sounding tuner, as long as you stay within their recommendations.
*I have also wondered how much time most audiophiles spend listening to their respective pieces of gear. I probably spend 85% of my time listening to the radio, and split the rest between my turntable (Systemdek IIX with original Profile tonearm and Sumiko Blue Point Special MC cartridge), and tape decks (mint Nakamichi 700 Tri Tracer & Sony ProWalkman WMD-6C cassette decks).
Marantz Model 125 -- One of the prettiest tuners ever made, and just as good sounding as the Model 150 (the two are basically the same circuit topology -- the 150 differs only in its use of an oscilloscope, while the the Marantz 125 uses two vertically mounted tuning meters. As such, the Model 125 continues to rank as one of the best values in hi-end tuners. Regularly selling in good condition for under $300, and up to $400 for a mint unit, the Marantz 125 is an affordable classic that competes favorably with the best; even if its DX performance is slightly off that of the best tuners available. Its wonderful sound quailty has earned it the respect of tuner officionados the world over. And then there's that smoked perspex glass with the red, blue and tan lights, that are so reminscent of the flash of the 1970's audio market. The Model 125 is just plain cool, and great value in vintage tunerdom.
McIntosh MR-65B -- One of the rarest of all Mac tuners and most valuable -- Audio Classics sells these for $2000 in good condition (that is when they actually have them for sale at all). Given that they are nearly 50 years old, it's becoming tougher to find an MR-65B in nice shape. Only 1600 were ever built. The MR-65B was the first stereo tube tuner built by McIntosh. It was manufactured from 1962 until 1964. I recently acquired one, and am presently awaiting its delivery. I am hoping that it is in as good a condition as it was represented as being in.
NAD 402 -- Probably the best sounding tuner for the money ever built -- I paid $58 bucks for mine in mint condition with original factory packing and manual. The only caveat was that the backlight for the tuner display had burned out -- a common problem with all NAD gear that employs the use of digital displays. The British press went wild about this tuner back in the mid '90's, and after using mine for a few months I can see why. It has a rich warm midrange, with excellent DX capabilities, for an extremely modest price. If you can find one on Ebay in good shape for a reasonable price -- up to $100, snap it up. You won't be disappointed. The NAD 402 accomplishes the most important thing that any piece of audio gear can do -- it faithfully honors the music.
