Ordered McIntosh MR87
 

I ordered a McIntosh MR87 tuner and it has been shipped.

Of course most of my friends say I am crazy to order tuner that is $5000 US:scratch2:

Was told quality of fm not very good and that they use cheap CD players at radio station, compared to using records in the old days.

Foe some reason , I like the old school look of tuning dial and now my system expect for the McIntosh turntable looks same as on Elementary lol.

anyone here besides me silly enough to have McIntosh tuner ( newer models MR88, MR87 ) Never liked the MR85 for some reason but it was a lot less money.

Guess big question here, what should I expect for sound quality ? What is the point of digital outs? Would expect built in audio section to be better than using digital out?

Dan

Dan.......I own the MR88 tuner. I like it a lot. In fact, I owned one, sold it because I wasn't using it much, regretted selling it and bought a second one that I still own. It is a digital tuner with excellent digital noise reduction circuitry. The digital outputs allow the tuner to be used in an all digital system by connecting it to a DAC. It has an internal DAC that provides the analog output to the analog output stage. I have use my MR88 with both digital and analog outputs. Both sound very good. This tuner does a good job of pulling in FM stations. I live in a rural area of north Florida, and I usually listen to stations as far away as 50 miles. I use an outdoor Magnum Dynalab ST-2 antenna.

still have Magnum Dynalab ST-2 from few years ago. Always been into radio since a young teenager building Crystal radio set from Radio Shack ( 1974? )

will most likely stay on one radio station rewind 103.9 fm as it plays 60s, 70s and 80s.

forgot that this tuner may pick up long distance, will check that out. For some reason never felt streaming fm stations sounded very good even with good quality Dacs

Your point well made, as some use Dacs as preamplifier.

Dan

Dan.......I am confident the MR87 will impress you.

I don’t have a mac tuner, but I have a magnum dynalab MD108t/SE , which is fabulous. I’m always glad to see someone jumping in FM waters. It is my most used source, but I have a couple of good stations here in Atlanta. It is a diminishing medium though, but enjoy your MR87 - it’s a fabulous piece (and looks great).

Jim.......I have lusted for a Magnum Dynalab MD108t for many years. It is a wonderful tuner. I did have the opportunity to compare member doguniverse (David) MD108t to my MR88 in the studio system a few years ago. Interesting results.

Magnum Dynalab MD108t vs: McIntosh MR88

Yep - I remember that review. My 108T was great in standard edition and then I upgraded to the SE and it’s just awesome. Definitely playing with the tail of a dying dinosaur, but it is my most used source, so I feel like i already got my money out of it.

The OP will love his new mac tuner I suspect. Now, go contribute to your favorite community radio station!

Happy MR88 owner here, I'm sure you will enjoy the MR87. Like Dan mentioned, it's great at pulling in stations and the digital noise reduction helps quite a bit. I have a souped up MR74 with modified filters, but it is bested by the MR88's abilities.

I have owned an MR87 for about 1 year. I have a nice outdoor antenna (mounted on my chimney about 15-20 feet above) that I have recently had re-grounded by a qualified electrician. My old ground was totally inadequate. He also inserted a junction box/serge protector into my 75 ohm cable to protect the tuner from power surges. I use the digital input. It has performed perfectly and pulls in a huge number of stations. I had a MR85 prior which did a good job but had no digital output for my D1100. I am not a FM aficionado but I enjoy having a good tuner. Mac has always had a "tuner", not necessarily the absolute best but always very good. I think Dan's review hits the nail on the head and perfectly describes the strengths and value of the MR87. One thing I will say. If you want one be prepared to wait. I had to pay the money up front and the wait was over 4 months. You are fortunate Mac had one in stock.

Congratulations on your purchase! The MR87 is an absolutely beautiful elegant piece of equipment. You will not be disappointed.

I bought an MR-80 new around 1980 and have used it ever since. I think there is no one "best tuner," if only because reception conditions are so variable, but there's no question that the Macs are among the best. I don't plan to ever part with mine.