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McIntosh MR78 Analog Tuner - The Best from McIntosh - Back in Stock!
Many believe this to be the best tuner EVER made. In our opinion it's definitely in the top five.
Tested, lightly serviced, and working superbly.
New glass makes the front of the unit look great. We can also supply a perfectly fitting McIntosh wood cabinet for the complete vintage look just contact us for details/availability.
This MR78 will ship in an authentic McIntosh double-box.
SkyFi Cosmetic Notes:
• The front glass faceplate was replaced with an official McIntosh factory replacement.
• The dial bezel is not installed as many prefer the more modern look without. Let us know if you would like us to carefully secure it to the front faceplate before shipping. Otherwise we'll include it in the box.
The Consumer Electronics Hall of Fame: McIntosh MR 78 Tuner
"A young engineering genius uséd a computer to design a filter and the result was the greatest FM tuner ever built"
That engineering genius was Richard Modafferi, and if you reverse his initials you get the model prefix for a host of McIntosh Tuners...
From the IEEE Spectrum Website:
Richard Modafferi was a senior engineer at McIntosh Laboratory from 1968 to 1974. His first stab at a new tuner that could do better was the MR 77. That model, introduced in 1970, was acclaimed among audiophiles—and it was the subject of an article by Modafferi in the November 1970, issue of IEEE Transactions on Broadcast and Television Receivers. And then Modafferi outdid himself with the MR 78 tuner, which came out in 1972.
The MR 78’s distinction was a new intermediate frequency filter, the culmination of a design that Modafferi had begun working on [PDF] as a graduate student at the Newark College of Engineering (now part of the New Jersey Institute of Technology) in the mid-1960s. He dubbed it the Rimo filter (a concatenation of the first two letters of his first and last name). In a superheterodyne radio receiver, which all FM receivers are, the incoming signal is mixed with that of a local oscillator to produce an intermediate frequency (IF) that is lower than that of the carrier frequency of the received signal. There are several reasons for doing this. A really big one is that the lower value of this IF makes it easier to filter out nearby sources of interference. Basically, Modafferi’s Rimo took a leap beyond existing IF filters by applying a computer to fine-tune the filter’s frequency response, and also by minimizing “intermodulation distortion,” which plagued IF filters at the time.
The SkyFi Testing Process for Tuners:
We start with a visual inspection of all internal components to make sure that there are no signs of heat stress or damage. Capacitors are checked for telltale signs of predictive failure including bulging, shrunken wrappers, or physical leakage. We also inspect the PCBs for discoloration from resistors or transistors that may have been running hot. On vintage units we often spot check select capacitors for value and ESR. Vintage analog tuners also have moving parts related to the tuning gang and dial string. These parts are inspected for smooth operation.
If the unit passes visual inspection it is bench tested for a handful of key performance parameters using a Sencore SG80 AM/FM Stereo Analyzer. The SG80 allows us to “simulate” an ideal radio station using precision test signals instead of music. This device, in conjunction with an oscilloscope allows us to properly evaluate the following parameters:
1. AM Reception (Where Applicable)
2. FM Mono Reception & Tuning Meter Function
3. FM MPX Reception (Stereo)
4. Dial Tracking - How accurately the tuner dial or display indicates the actual frequency of the broadcast being received.
5. Stereo Separation - A properly working stereo tuner will have minimal crosstalk between the left and right channel.
6. Sensitivity & Signal Strength Meter Function - By lowering the output of the SG80 we can simulate weak stations and determine how well the tuner will be able to pull in weak distant stations. This adjustment also helps us verify signal strength meter function.
If the tuner has acceptable performance related to the parameters above we connect the unit for listening tests with a simple dipole antenna. We listen for audio reproduction quality of local stations and evaluate how many stations the tuner can receive while we sweep through the dial. We are looking to verify that the tuner can decode stereo on strong local broadcasts and pick up a wide variety of local stations at the bottom, middle, and top of the frequency band. At this point we also test convenience features such as muting, filters, built in oscilloscope function, etc.
We finish up with an extended listening test on our long term test rig. We tune in a strong local station and monitor for drift over a 2-3 hour period.
|
Item |
Included |
|
McIntosh Wood Cabinet |
Yes Included |
|
Manual |
Not Included (Online) |
|
Remote |
Not Applicable |
|
Cables |
Yes - Power Only |
|
Physical Condition |
8 / 10 |
|
Working Condition |
10 / 10 |
*Scroll down to view additional images for this listing and click to enlarge.
**Please note we are not a repair shop and only restore what we own.
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SkyFi Audio - Curators of Vintage Audio Gear
SkyFi Audio is a small startup business specializing in the purchase, reconditioning, and reselling of high end audio equipment. We only buy equipment that we admire and are passionate about. No mid-fi, no gimmicks, no junk.
Each piece of equipment is cosmetically restored and fully tested in our well-equipped lab by an engineer with 30+ years of experience in the HiFi world. If it does not meet or exceed the original manufactures specifications, it will not be sold. We are very selective about the equipment we purchase, focusing on mostly analog, high-build quality, American, and European built units. Please note we are not a repair shop and only restore what we own.
Through our sister company, which is an authorized dealer for McIntosh, Audio Research, Sonus Faber, ClearAudio, Project, and Sony ES, we have access to OEM parts, service, and support.
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PURCHASING GUIDELINES:
1) This item will be professionally packaged and insured for safe transit to your home unless you opt for local pickup from our shop. All local pickup items are only wrapped in industrial strength clear stretch wrap if the original manufacturer packaging is unavailable.
Local pickup is available in Glen Rock, NJ, 07452, just a half hour drive from Midtown Manhattan, with convenient parking near our building.
If we don’t have the original packaging, we use heavy-duty double-ply corrugated boxes with custom made to your item SealedAir Instapak expanding foam custom inserts. In many cases this has proven to be better than the original packaging!
We also use high quality fiber reinforced tape to seal our packages. Lightweight items will be bubble wrapped and shipped in a high-quality box.
2) We will not review or accept any offers that do not go through the official eBay system. We have too many items for sale and it’s nearly impossible to keep track of offers outside of the official system. Please do not message, email, or text any offers.
3) All listings are eligible for the eBay Global Shipping Program unless the item exceeds the maximum weight/price requirements to your country. If this is the case simply message us via eBay. We only accept bank wire transfers for international payments and frequently ship worldwide via UPS.
4) Please ensure your shipping address is correct within eBay as we will ONLY ship to the eBay/PayPal Confirmed Shipping Address. No exceptions.
5) eBay may charge and collect sales tax to your state/jurisdiction which we have no control over.
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