High-End Tuners For Sale

[DanTana]

Here is an Audiogon posting with a Tandberg, Telefunken, Heathkit and Philips tuners for sale.

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?misctunr&1130863444

Tandberg 3001A is regarded as one of the all time best.

[L'wood]

That's Doug S. from the FM Tuners forum.

[Brian]

That Telefunken looks like serious time. I have the 6731 and can attest that it is as good as they say. 1st tuner I've owned that can hold its own sonically against my MR77 that I bought new.

[bob adams]

The 3001A sells for $1000 on the best day. The 6731 goes for maybe $700 at the top. That's leaves a lot of money on the table for the German stuff. Is it really worth all that?

[bob adams]

Opps forgot the heathkit. What do they go for?

[boxoboom]

A standard AJ1600 will run about 100 bucks + or- on the bay, without the optional Dolby card ... (I have three, one with the card) ... they are really good tuners. Tweaks not withstanding ... he's askin a long dollar for that particular tuner.

[DanTana]

Bill Ammons refurbished and modded the Heathkit. I would guess that would been in the neighborhood of $300.00 minimum. The Telefunken tuner is probably too rare to get any consistent values.

[Brian]

There was only 1 6731 that got near that dollar range. The $475 is towards the high end of the price range, especially with nicks on the top edge. Closer to probably $350 as an average price. Great tuner that b/c it has Philips on it does not get the respect (price) it deserves. I think he is somewhat on the top rung of the asking prices on all but the Telefunken which I have no idea as to its going market price. Would love to have it for a couple of weeks to try.

[L'wood]

His dollar amount cost on the list is a very simple 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6=$12345.60

It doesn't really add up to that obviously....

[bob adams]

Yeah I remember when about three or four years ago a 673 and the matching Philips amp sold for something like $275 on eBay. Hell nobody knew. All of sudden people got very interested in them and this was before the shootout. Then the post shootout run up and if I'm not mistaken some of the 6731s did run up briefly to the 600-700 dollar range. A year ago 3001As were bringing 900 to 1000 but just lately I think the last two sold for 650 thereabouts. I listed them over on the Good Stuff thread. Need to check back. Tuner prices seem to be in flux right now. Two or three years ago I saw some guy buy a Marantz 2130 for over 1800. Even then it was an outrageous sum. He wanted it bad. Right now I don't think a mint 2130 would bring over 1000.

Those exotic German tuners do come up from time to time, and not as infrequently as you might think. Masterviewer sell some of them. But I can't recall ever seeing one of those sell for the kind of money the Audiogon guy is "asking". I think 2500 to 3000 would be my offer and then ask him to see any documentation on the MSRP for the German rig if he balked. Maybe $4500 for everthing at the outside?

[Brian]

Did not see the Philips 3 or 4 years ago but about 2 years ago (time flies) I saw the 3 piece set at a flea market and did not even stop to look. About 6 months later I stopped by again and they were still sitting. I had a batch of stuff collecting dust so I did a swap - no cash. My investment in the stuff I traded was about $100. I had no idea what the Philips was, did not know it was from the US and even its spec, it simply took up fewer cubic feet. Went home hooked it up and had to do some control cleaning. Everything worked at first. Only after litening to it all and initially impressed, especially with the tuner did I do a search and came across TIC. They had just reviewed the tuner so it was only then I saw the review. I had already decided that if nothing else I now had an AM tuner for the Mc system which uses my MR77. I find that I am using it more and more and currently using it as a source into the Dyna SCA35 hooked to the Wharfedale W70s. AS for the runup in the $600-700 range at the time I scratched my head thinking for that price I'd prefer a MX110 and get a darn fine preamp for almost free. At the $400 range, I think it is somewhat undervalued since I compare it to the MR77 (FM only) and the Marantz 20b both of which I think are soundwise (forgetting that neither are DX'ers nor have AM) it competition and sell for considerably more. Name for its own sale has value but not that much IMHO. Since he is a contributor to the TIC, I wonder if it is the tuner that was used in the shootout.

[Negotiableterms]

I keep hearing that the 3001A is terrific, then I hear that it's grossly over-rated. Anyone have one or have a strong opinion?

[radioactive]

don't have the telefnken or the tanbeg but i will say that th phililps will do the am broadcast band like no other tuner that has been manufactuered for the american market at the time except for the mckey dymek am5.the interesting thing is the mckay dymek company produced a range of products that were geared towards the general market.to say it didnt sell well would be an understatement but it was built to high standards.
i grew up with s/w listening and all the classic boatanchor recievers from the 50's & 60's and if you want to hear qality am you should pick up thishttp://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5805039903&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1
otherwise for the $300 which this will go for i'd be surrprised if you could get a s/w communication receiver for that price
chris

[Punker X]

I'm in the camp that thinks the 3001 is over rated. Also hate the small tuning dial. Found it difficult to use. The 673 is a very nice sounding tuner, been a while since I listened to one, but it would probably be in my top 10. AM is truly amazing, the only thing that comes close for AM is the TU-X1.

X

[timoteus]

Here are the Telefunken, Heathkit, Tandberg, and Philips auctions...

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZtheseedguyQQhtZ-1

[Brian]

Funny, he is not as "excited" over the 3001 as either the Philips or Telefunken in terms of sound. Only the Philips does he mention that he may regret selling it. May only be hype but interesting anyway.

[bob adams]

The seller has them on eBay now. He's starting the Telefunken at around $1300.

[doug s.]

hi all,

it's sorta funny reading a thread about stuff yure tryin' to sell. :D ok, here's my honest take about these four tunas. 1st off, i owned a refurb'd mac mr77, and all these put the 77 on the trailer, imo. as a matter of fact, yust about every tuna i've listened to over the past several years has put the 77 on the trailer, w/exception of a bone-stock kenwood kt-9900 (beautiful bronze iteration of the 8300) - it was equally bland. ;)

ok, now about the tfk, tandberg, philips, & heathkit. in a nutshell, they are all outstanding performers, sonically *and* reception-wise. the tandberg, imo, is a hair off the pace of the other three, which you could flip a coin about.

the tfk is really cool, but, it's hard to make a fair assessment about it, cuz it won't play (or at least i don't know how to make it play) w/o a mpx decoder. it works equally well w/my stock fisher mpx100 (last iteration, supposedly like the scott 335), or w/my modded studio-12 decoder. i only wonder about how a r&s or tfk decoder mite work w/this, but those are *really* expensive! :) as far as what the real retail price was, i am only rehashing what i heard elsewhere; i really am not sure about it.

the heathkit *did* have a few dollars thrown at it, thus the relatively high asking price. it *is* really good, tho. the tactile feel of the knob is great - one twirl gets ya from one end of the tuning band to the other. i have seen stock ones sell from anywhere between $100 & $275.

the philips could be the best bet here - it's bone-stock & still is right there w/the modded heath & the tfk. i can only imagine what it would cost to do up a tfk!?! and, the am is supposed to be outstanding; all i know is that it *works* - i am not into am.

the tandberg is wery nice, but i would only recommend them for folk that love the name or the look, or really want an analog tuna w/presets. and, make sure ya get one that someone (like me!) has awreddy spent a bundle on, getting it to work right. :lmao: if not, ya certainly will later - i know of *no* 3001 owner that hasn't spent a lot of money getting it to preform properly. :)

regards,

doug s.

[doug s.]

hey, all these sold, w/exception of the aj1600 - any takers? :scratch2:

:D doug s.

[Danamc]

Both the Tandberg 3001A and the Phillips 6731 have their merits and are worthy of a listen. The 8-gang 3001A has not been reviewed over at fmtunerinfo as yet, but I'm confident it will be placed well towards the top when it is reviewed.

I personally find the 3001A to be one of the quietest and best sounding vintage tuners out there. I enjoy the depth of soundstage and tight bass, and well worth its reputation. Yes the tuner scale is small and the preset buttons are a pain to replace but overall an excellent tuner in all regards. I would not say this $2200 tuner is overated. It's a tuner that defintely should be re-aligned for best sound.

The 6731 is extremely well-built and has great stereo separation. More diffuse soundstage than the 3001A but sounds great with my Large Advents, a keeper. I've had this 6731 aligned and Black Gates caps placed in the output stage so it's operating at its best, versus the 3001A which hopefully will find its way to Ken Bernacki soon for some TLC. Good luck!

Dana

[Brian]

I have both the MR77 and Philips 6731. These are neck and neck each with a slight lead in certain categories. The Philips only gets the edge b/c of the AM while the 77 is FM only. I actively listen to both through the same systems and 1 can take the lead from the other on 1 cut while on the next the opposite is true.

I've had some really good tuners in the house over the years and the Philips is the 1st 1 that has come this close to unseating the 77.

The 77 is anything but bland sounding unless you mean it adds nothing to the sound. Then I'd agree it simply delivers what the station transmits. 1 problem with comparing older equipment is that unless each has been throughly been gone over and meets the original specs you may be comparing a good unit to something out of spec. Also, I am seing persons comparing tuners with 1 of then modded from slightly to radically which is not a relevent comparison between tuners but relevent only between a tuner and a standard. It sounds like all of the tuners you compared with the 77 have been modded and therefore only relevent as to those particular tuners.

Think of taking a Ford Maverick, swapping engines for a 351 Cleveland, dropping in a Jag IRS and doing some other mods and then comparing it to a stock original and fully repaired Ford Mustang of the same era. The Maverick probably will leave the Mustang in the dust, especially on a rode course. Is it relevent, yes to that Maverick owner but no one else with a standard production Maverick.

[doug s.]

it's certainly fun reading opinions of tunas from other folk. especially tunas that you have had 1st-hand experience with. :) it yust goes to show how variabilities in taste, system, tuna-to-tuna difference, reception location, etc., can play a role in a person's tuna results.

i owned two 3001a's. one completely refurb'd, aligned, w/a coupla bigger p/s caps added, & a standard iec jack installed. the other was bone stock. there were more similarities than differences, w/the refurb'd 3001a being a hair quieter. both were excellent, imo. both were equalled by a lot of tunas i have listened to (the cheapest being a nikko gamma 1, & hitachi ft-8000), and were surpassed by quite a few as well. in fact, of the ones originally f/s in this thread, the tandberg ranked 4th on my scale. ;) the other three were pretty-much in a dead heat for 1st. all had a better soundstage, & better quieting. reception abilities were pretty-much equal, as were tonal quality & extension. we are talking small differences, tho - the tandberg easily holds its own in this group; only w/a direct a-b comparison do these differences become evident.

the mcintosh situation is a bit different. i had a mr77, which could only be described as mid-fi. i bought it from the original owner, who had traded it in on some gear from a 1st class shop in upstate ny. i called mcintosh for a recommendation of where to get it serviced in md, as i dint really wanna ship it. they recommended me to one of their authorized techs w/almost 40 years experience. he refurb'd, cleaned, & aligned it, for ~$200. no fancy stuff. it was a definite improvement, but still one of the least-good tunas i have listened to in the past several years. in fact, along w/a beautiful kenwood kt-9900 i had, these are the only two tunas i wouldn't wanna keep if i *had* to keep yust one. so, i think something is up here. some folk whose ears i trust, say i had a dud. on the other hand, other folk agree w/my assessment 100%. so, there's either a wariability amongst mac tunas, (hard to believe, considering the general quality level of the mac stuff, actually), or there's a synergy issue w/mac tuna more than w/other stuff. now do not accuse me of being a mac-basher - i have a refurb'd & modded mr65b, which is one of the best i have heard. :)

happy tuna-fishin',

doug s.

[Brian]

i would not accuse of being a Mc basher. That is reserved for those who put down Mc and have never owned it. These persons seem more common than persons who bash other brands. The 77 you had even after the repair just doesn't measure up. Possibly the repair was not done either correctly or 100%. I usually find that most repairs take 2 trips to the shop. The first gets them to work while the 2nd gets the tech to do the fine tuning. Most techs are not critical listeners and they have to push units per week to meet quotas so don't do the fine tuning b/c probably 95% of the persons won't hear a difference and this is what takes the time. When I ask for a repair I specifically tell them I want that extra yard of work but it still takes a 2nd go around. I have found in the past the Mc factory repair department did go the extra yard on the 1st try.

Yes, there is a synergy between all components and when any piece in a system changes it can upset the balance somewhere else. For instance, I almost always find the C28 and MC2105 are the cat's meow with most speakers but with the Wharfedales, the C28 does not do as well as my Philips preamp mated with the 2105 so right now the 2105 sits on the sideline. Now with this combo the 6731 falls short consistently when compared to the 77 while when I use the Philips power amp, the 6731 is consistenly better than the 77 on my Bozaks but the Philips power amp regardless of what I mate with it does not do as well with the Wharfedales as the 2105. This is 1 reason why the TIC is not relevent as to what a tuner will do in your system but on another hand the amp/speaker system he uses is stable and therefore there is more relevance than most reviewers who roll all their equipment and hence there is no stable review platform.

[doug s.]

brian - when i took my mr77 in for service, it was *not* broken. everything was 100% operational. it yust sounded like shite! :) the tech was well aware of this. i know, it was a 25 year old thing, likely needed work, yadda yadda. which is why i took it in. i have heard so much good stuff about the way a 77 & a 74 sound, i *had* to hear for myself. but, be aware that most of the other 20-40 year old tunas that i prefer over the 77 have *never* been serviced. some day, i may try another 77 or a 74, but not sure when, cuz i need to find another cheap one, so i can afford to get it serviced (in binghampton, this time, to remove another wariable), and then sell it w/o taking a bath! ;)

to be honest, i really think the mac look is quite appalling; an mr74 or mr77 would have to kick a** on all my other faves for it to earn a place in my system. (for some reason, tho, i really like the way my mr65b looks - this is a unit most mac folk consider an ugly duckling - no accounting for taste, eh? :D )

again, your points about synergy are well-taken.

doug s.
i would not accuse of being a Mc basher. That is reserved for those who put down Mc and have never owned it. These persons seem more common than persons who bash other brands. The 77 you had even after the repair just doesn't measure up. Possibly the repair was not done either correctly or 100%. I usually find that most repairs take 2 trips to the shop. The first gets them to work while the 2nd gets the tech to do the fine tuning. Most techs are not critical listeners and they have to push units per week to meet quotas so don't do the fine tuning b/c probably 95% of the persons won't hear a difference and this is what takes the time. When I ask for a repair I specifically tell them I want that extra yard of work but it still takes a 2nd go around. I have found in the past the Mc factory repair department did go the extra yard on the 1st try.

Yes, there is a synergy between all components and when any piece in a system changes it can upset the balance somewhere else. For instance, I almost always find the C28 and MC2105 are the cat's meow with most speakers but with the Wharfedales, the C28 does not do as well as my Philips preamp mated with the 2105 so right now the 2105 sits on the sideline. Now with this combo the 6731 falls short consistently when compared to the 77 while when I use the Philips power amp, the 6731 is consistenly better than the 77 on my Bozaks but the Philips power amp regardless of what I mate with it does not do as well with the Wharfedales as the 2105. This is 1 reason why the TIC is not relevent as to what a tuner will do in your system but on another hand the amp/speaker system he uses is stable and therefore there is more relevance than most reviewers who roll all their equipment and hence there is no stable review platform.

[Brian]

Don't like the looks - thems fighting words. Not acutally since I don't like the styling that came in with the MR78. Those new knobs are really cheesy looking compared to the earlier knobs. As for the earlier look, I too like it and consider that the elimination of the metal portion of the faceplate to be nothing more than eliminating a redundancy as well as evolutionary but probably as much of a cost cutting as anything.

There was nothing in you original comment of my reply that intimated your 77 was not working i.e. dead. The 1st trip usually brings it within the technical specs. The 2nd brings in into the sonics. Now, just another observation that may or may not apply. Visual acceptance greatly influences the sonic perceptions. If 1 greatly dislikes the looks than more oft than not the sonic acceptance is also not there. Something like the harmonizing of the senses. I have had this occur to me. For instance, the last great Marantz receiver for me was the 18 and the 19 while almost as good is just lacking that extra something the 18 has sonically. It is also interesting that I like the looks of the 18 better than the 19 that to me looks almost like a cost cutting exercise with the faceplate. Other 18 and 19 followers like the 19's looks better and find no or little difference and if a difference in favor of the 19.

[doug s.]

Don't like the looks - thems fighting words. Not acutally since I don't like the styling that came in with the MR78. Those new knobs are really cheesy looking compared to the earlier knobs. As for the earlier look, I too like it and consider that the elimination of the metal portion of the faceplate to be nothing more than eliminating a redundancy as well as evolutionary but probably as much of a cost cutting as anything.

There was nothing in you original comment of my reply that intimated your 77 was not working i.e. dead. The 1st trip usually brings it within the technical specs. The 2nd brings in into the sonics. Now, just another observation that may or may not apply. Visual acceptance greatly influences the sonic perceptions. If 1 greatly dislikes the looks than more oft than not the sonic acceptance is also not there. Something like the harmonizing of the senses. I have had this occur to me. For instance, the last great Marantz receiver for me was the 18 and the 19 while almost as good is just lacking that extra something the 18 has sonically. It is also interesting that I like the looks of the 18 better than the 19 that to me looks almost like a cost cutting exercise with the faceplate. Other 18 and 19 followers like the 19's looks better and find no or little difference and if a difference in favor of the 19.

personally, i feel if something meets tech specs, then it should be good enuff for sonic ewaluation & comparison. as i said before, most of the stuff i have compared, has had no service whatsoever. a couple mono tunas that i like, when used w/an outboard mpx decoder, i *know* need service, cuz their tuning dials are off, & they *still* sound nice.

re: appearance playing a role, well it won't play a role in what i think sounds better, but it may play a role in what i decide to keep! :D the ah6731, for example, i think is way too busy looking. and, the jvc fx1100 is a true eyesore, but yure gonna have to spend real money to out-do its sonics & reception capability by more than yust a hair. the kenwood kt-9900, on the other hand, is a piece of artwork, imo, but it still sounds pretty mediocre w/o mods.

re: marantz 18/19, interesting you mention these. i had wanted an 18 pretty badly, so i could try the tuna inside - supposedly the same as the marantz 20 tuna, but the 18's are usually a lot cheaper. well, i found a cheap 19 w/some issues, so i got that instead. i figured, i could come out ok financially, investing in a refurb along w/the repair, & then it will be an easy sell, as these get a pretty penny even w/o refurb, if they're in decent condition. the tuna is similar - more like the 20b, so for me, this is close enuff. i am not interested in the amp/preamp performance; i will only be using the tuna into my preamp. anyway, i, too, find the 18 a bit more handsome then the 19. but, what you say may be true for some - there likely *are* those who will judge these two receivers on looks, not on sonics.

regards,

doug s.

[Brian]

Not that persons judge a unit on looks and not sonics but that the looks influences the sonic judgement. The 18 is the 20 passive front end and the 19 has the 20b active front end. Both are very close to the sound of the stand alone tuners but not quite as good. A few friends have gone your route and once on that road had to move up to the stand alone tuners. 2 of them ended up with the equiv. of the receivers in the separates.

[doug s.]

Not that persons judge a unit on looks and not sonics but that the looks influences the sonic judgement. The 18 is the 20 passive front end and the 19 has the 20b active front end. Both are very close to the sound of the stand alone tuners but not quite as good. A few friends have gone your route and once on that road had to move up to the stand alone tuners. 2 of them ended up with the equiv. of the receivers in the separates.
yes, i meant that looks may influence *some* folks' opinion about sonics. but, i am not one of 'em. ;)

we'll see how a refurb'd tuna section in a 19 receiver compares to other tuna that i like - whether it will be good enuff to justify getting a 20b. :)

doug s.

[hpsenicka]

personally, i feel if something meets tech specs, then it should be good enuff for sonic ewaluation & comparison. as i said before, most of the stuff i have compared, has had no service whatsoever. a couple mono tunas that i like, when used w/an outboard mpx decoder, i *know* need service, cuz their tuning dials are off, & they *still* sound nice.

re: appearance playing a role, well it won't play a role in what i think sounds better, but it may play a role in what i decide to keep! :D the ah6731, for example, i think is way too busy looking. and, the jvc fx1100 is a true eyesore, but yure gonna have to spend real money to out-do its sonics & reception capability by more than yust a hair. the kenwood kt-9900, on the other hand, is a piece of artwork, imo, but it still sounds pretty mediocre w/o mods.


I agree that the KT-9900 is very appealing... I have the KT-8300 which is the same unit physically, but with a standard aluminum faceplate rather than the "bronzed" anodization treatment. I am pleased with it's performance in stock form, but have to admit that I haven't had an opportunity to compare it to other high-end tuners. I'm sure it could benefit from a recapping, and alignment, and perhaps even a few mods, but that will have to wait.

I am currently comparing it with the KT-6500 modded by Bob Fitzgerald, and I am still trying to figure out which one I like better sonically.

Others have commented that the Kenwood 600T and/or the KT-917 can be superior units... haven't heard one myself.

[speidi1]

I keep hearing that the 3001A is terrific, then I hear that it's grossly over-rated. Anyone have one or have a strong opinion?

I have the 3001A. Great tuner. I bought it from a guy at work, along with the 3002A preamp and the 3003A amp. I paid peanuts for the set. I told him to put them on the 'bay or CL, but he wasn't interested, so I said i'll give you $200. He said fine.

The stuff is mint. I feel guilty sometimes. I was offered $4,000 for the set a couple months ago. I think I'll keep them.

The Kenwood in the middle is nice little receiver, too.

[speidi1]

speak of the devil...

[doug s.]

I have the 3001A. Great tuner. I bought it from a guy at work, along with the 3002A preamp and the 3003A amp. I paid peanuts for the set. I told him to put them on the 'bay or CL, but he wasn't interested, so I said i'll give you $200. He said fine.

The stuff is mint. I feel guilty sometimes. I was offered $4,000 for the set a couple months ago. I think I'll keep them.

The Kenwood in the middle is nice little receiver, too.
that was a freaking steal, if you ask me - $200 for the set! :thmbsp: but, if it were me, i would *definitely* sell, even for half what you were offered. tube gear will put the tandberg amp & preamp on the trailer, imo. re: tunas, i owned two 3001a's, (one completely refurb'd), & while they were certainly nice, i have owned several tunas <$100 that were their equal, & literally dozens <$500 that were better.

ymmv,

doug s.

[speidi1]

that was a freaking steal, if you ask me - $200 for the set! :thmbsp: but, if it were me, i would *definitely* sell, even for half what you were offered. tube gear will put the tandberg amp & preamp on the trailer, imo. re: tunas, i owned two 3001a's, (one completely refurb'd), & while they were certainly nice, i have owned several tunas <$100 that were their equal, & literally dozens <$500 that were better.

ymmv,

doug s.

but if I sold them, I wouldn't have them any more...

that would suck

[doug s.]

but if I sold them, I wouldn't have them any more...

that would suck
but, you could buy stuff for ~$2k that would be *so* much better, & you would have an extra $2k left over. i bet you would be *wery* happy, & it wouldn't suck at all. i do not miss my 3001a's even a *little*. ;)

ymmv,

doug s.