General Asylum: REVIEW: McIntosh MR78 Tuner by Mark

This tuner makes me wanna get up and play my "air guitar" and my "air drums" sometimes I even grab my "air microphone" and become the singer! Most realistic guitar sound reproduction I have ever heard, even with my "mid-fi" Marantz 3300 preamp (set to low gain, or 3 volts max rms, run flat of course.) Soundstage is HUGE, sounds like musicians have stepped completely outside of the speakers and are playing in your room. I bought this for $850.00 at a used audio store about three months ago- LUCKY me!

Audio Classics in NY wanted $1,600.00 -- those guys are money grubbing thieves! (They did me wrong awhile back too, stole my Marantz 240 power amp schematic that I mailed them, not to mention a "fly by night" repair job on that amp, plus $200 LABOR and $133 parts. Anyways, I brought this tuner to another high-end store and hooked into an Adcom GFP750 with the following associated equipment: Adcom GFA 5500 amp, generic monster cable, don't know what speakers, but they were good, NO antennae to the tuner (didn't bother) I brought the tuner to the store because I'm buying a 750 pre, and I wanted to see how the 78' drove the passive line input. Also connected to the pre was a GCD-750 (their $1250.00 CD).

I played intros of a couple songs off of the new Metallica CD with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, and the sound of this CD player was not nearly as real, or "analog" as the tuner. Yes, I guess you could say the 78' sounds like a high quality turntable in some respects, but it seems almost magical. The rhythmic drive/pace, speed, transient agility (hey there's a new AUDIOPHILE TERM!-- TRANSIENT AGILITY!) and not to mention UNBELIEVABLE BASS output for a tuner-- And I mean UNHEARD OF. The power supply of this unit is huge for a tuner, sheesh, you could drive a pair of speakers with it.

There's really no need to dissect the sound of this tuner, as I realize I have just done. Us Audiphiles are so often accused of that and everybody says that we have lost the ability to sit back, and relax with beer in hand and simply enjoy the music. Well this component will let you do that --to a fault if I may say. There are times when I was going down the stairs of my sound room, only to stop midflight, and take in the awe and grandeur of a musical instrument playing in real space. I have laughed to myself when listening to this, and have shook my head in disbelief at times--and to think, all this through my 3300 pre. When I get the 750' I might forget to eat for awhile!

If you want a component that will drive a passive level control, this is it, I can't wait till I get the GFP750, and get rid of all this 1970's circutry that is in the way of the music.

Go buy one today, (if you can find one)--because once you do get one, well you'll have it, and you'll never get rid of it.

P.S. Some say that a tuner by Accuphase is equal or better--big deal, I say the Accuphase does not have the LOOK of the McIntosh, and if you want to leave the Accuphase in the dust for sure, just send in your 78' along with $500.00 to Richard Modaferri and he'll soup it up with modern technology--such as replace all caps with Metallized Polypropylene caps, adjust IF amp, increase separation, selectivity, lower distortion to--get this: 0.057% THD

"Unamplified music in Real Space"--Enjoy!

-Mark

REVIEW: McIntosh MR78 Tuner Review by Mark at Audio Asylum