Sansui's now exactly 20 years old tuner TU-X1 not only is a heavy and large machine, but certainly one of the very best radios ever made on this planet. Its reception and sound performances are absolutely marvelous.
Tom

Transparency, frequency extension (relatively speaking for a tuner), build quality, unreal sensitivity and selectivity.

Not many... impossible to find.

One of, if not the greatest tuner I have ever used.

The best of the British (new and old) may sound gorgeous but they sure have rotten sensitivity and selectivity (e.g. Quad, Musical Fidelity, Linn). The Magnums, McIntosh, Marantz and other 'legendary' tuners (including the TU-9900, whose sonic qualities and RF performance fall somewhat short of the TU-X1) tend to have inflated values in the market relative to their capabilities. As for contemporary digital radios, even AVERAGE vintage tuners will often romp all over most of them in terms of fidelity, construction and just about everything else (with minor exceptions: SNR). A few recent Onkyos, Pioneers and Yamahas have strengths in one area or another but these are not truly audiophile tuners.

Among the vintage models, a few stand out. The top Marantz and McIntosh tuners are wonderful but cost twice as much in asking price and maintenance than other machines that are just as nice. You can get excellent sound from old Fishers, Scotts and one or two Pioneers you might find in a pawn shop, but still not the combination of virtues offered by this titan. The overhyped Yamaha CT7000 is definitely no match for this beast either: sloppy bass and nowhere near the pulling power of the TU-X1. The finest from Accuphase and Kenwood are more serious contenders to Sansui's top model. It would be a tough call to choose between them. But the TU-X1 is built like a tank, has among the best specifications you'll ever find, and achieves an astounding balance of real world sound, sensitivity and selectivity to back up those numbers. On this basis it would give virtually any tuner ever made a run for its money. To make something this solid, intricate and fully featured today would cost thousands (the TU-X1 retailed for $1000 in 1980, and at least as far as tuners go, they really don't make em' like they used to.

Good luck finding one. It took me a LONG time...

Similar Products Used:

Magnum Dynalab, Quad FM4, Naim NAT01, McIntosh, Marantz, Sansui TU9900, TU919, Yamaha CT7000, Kenwood 700T, Accuphase T100, more contemporary Creek, Onkyo, Yamaha models.

Simply the best tuner ever made