Summary:
I gotta agree with Benny J. here - the Yamaha CT-7000 extracts the best sound from an FM signal that I've yet heard. But I must say that I've not yet auditioned the big ol' Day Sequerra's (hard to find in good condition), or the top Dynalab tube model, both of which probably would give a good accounting of themselves.

But for anything near "sane" prices, the CT-7000 is IT. This tuner is packed with useable features, is ergonomically well-thought-out, and has amazing reception abilities. And again - the sound with any station it can pull in - weak or strong - is excellent.

If you find one in "good" or better condition, I suggest you jump on it immediately. When it was a current model back in the late 1970's, it retailed for $1200., so anything less than that amount today I would consider to be a steal for a functional unit. I'm sure you can double that retail figure for a current model today, and not have equal or better performance than the CT-7000 will give you. Just make sure that it's in alignment and up-to-spec, as you would any "vintage" gear.

This is my "last" FM tuner, at least until it dies and can't be repaired anymore.

Similar Products Used:
•Have owned: Adcom, Accuphase, Fanfare, Goldmund, Linn, various Macintosh's & marantz', Magnum Dynalab, various Sansui's, Kenwood's, Pioneer's, Sony's, Onkyo's back in 'the day', Realistic (Radio Shack).

Price Paid:  $700.00 from buy and sell

Summary:
Karel de Wit, you must be out of your mind. I own the Yamaha CT 7000 tuner and have heard over 30 tuners. The CT7000 is by far the greatest tuner ever built. This tuner sounds so sweet and airy. The soundstage is amazing. The sound quality is incredible on this tuner. Plus the tuning knob is very light and spins across the dial on one spin. How you can say, this tuner sounds ok, is crazy. Maybe you hooked it up wrong. Benny_Johnson76@yahoo.com

Similar Products Used:
Revox B261, Revox B760, Denon TU 800, Sony 730ES, Yamaha T1000, Onkyo 9090, Kenwood KT 8500, Onkyo T9 tuner from late 70s.

Price Paid:  $400.00 from second hand

Summary:
this tuner is a big dissapointment. Receiption is o.k. but sound quality is not comparable to my Sony ES

Strengths:
looks and image

Weaknesses:
overrated

Price Paid:  $400.00 from Armstrong, London

Summary:
What else needs to be said about this tuner that hasn't already been said ? This is quite simply the finest tuner ever made. It has a warmth, depth and clarity of sound no other tuner can match. The pauses in broadcasts are totally silent, and it's equally at home with both voice and music broadcasts. I've listened to top of the range McIntosh, Revox and Marantz tuners and they just don't have the transparancy and overall musical quality the Yamaha has. I was lucky in that I found one at a repair station in London that was not cosmetically perfect, and therefore, was quite cheap. However, I managed to locate a brand new face plate for it and now it looks perfect. Inside is a work of art. If you haven't managed to have a look at one yet, you must you'll be amazed. I use it daily and it's connected to my Yamaha C1 Pre amplifier and B2 Power amplifier which were part of the same series as the CT7000. If your in the market for a lovely tuner, this is the one.

Strengths:
Understated design belies the wonderful sound of this tuner.

Weaknesses:
None

Price Paid:  $185.00 from Stereo Planet

Summary:
Tuners are tricky inthat they are only as good as the FM stations in your area. I live in Oregon, so either you get a station or you don't. I thus don't have any issues with "hard to get" stations. And the ones I get, I get perfectly, meaning, full power. So that part of tuner dilemma ain't part of my world.
Second, I judge a component in part by its ability to disclose something new. This tuner practically reinvents radio to those, like me, who previously relied upon tuners in pre-amps, e.g. an Adcom. The image is precise and transparent and separation among tones is excellent. If it weren't for less detail, I'd say it sounds like a CD player. (I will note that DJ voices are extremely detailed, so much depends, as one would expect, on the quality of the recording.) I can say, however, that listening to this tuner does not entail experiencing any significant loss in sonic integrity or richness, and my system ain't rinky-dink:
Bryston 4Bst; Sonic Frontiers SFL-1, Magnapan IIIA's, Arcam 7se, BEL interconnects, and a Richard Power line treatment.
Third, the tuner is silent. I use a $10 unpowered tuner and I get either silence or music. In the dramatic pauses that inflect DJ-speak on classical stations, it's just that, a dramatic pause. (The same for the I'm so cool pauses that inflect college radio DJ speak.)
Dynamics are also good as evidenced by the utter disparity between the volume of the music broadcast by stations and the volume of their advertisements, as well as by the subtler changes in orchestral performances. Given the compression of commercial rock stations, this is less of an issue.
Now, I haven't compared the CT-7000 to other tuners b/c, after reading a mess o' reviews, I was convinced that nothing this good would be available for $185. But I could be wrong. If I am, so be it. I'm still more than pleased with this gem. I think most folk would be as well.

Strengths:
QUIET! Solid build, excellent image, 3-dimensionality, & a wide sound stage.

Weaknesses:
No presets.