Best vintage receivers for FM?

The Kyocera R-861 has been the best receiver I have had. I've even used it as a tuner/preamp feeding a tube amplifier. The matching DA-610CX CD player still does a credible job. Even the lesser R-461 does a good job as a receiver. I see where the Harman Kardon 930 has been recommended because of haaving a good tuner. Actually, from my own experience, I praise the 930, 730, 630 Harman Kardons for having very good amplifiers, all having double mono amps with individual amp power supplies. The High Fidelity Magazine 4/76 review of the HK 730 receiver showed it to have the best square wave response I have ever seen for a receiver amplifier. The Marantz receivers of that era did not match the HK in amplifier performance although many such as the Marantz 2325 had immense power and it is a credible and durable receiver. I still have one working as new after thirty years of service.

I'm quite surprised no one has mentioned Tandberg - the 2075 and 2080 had some of the finest tuner sections ever to grace a receiver. And their phono and power sections were considered excellent, too. Try to find one with a nicely kept rosewood cabinet, simply gorgeous!.

-RW-

I second the Luxman R-1120A. It's one piece I'll never part with. There is no better combination of tuner, preamp, phono preamp, (kick-ass) amplifier, and stunning aesthetics in one box.

I have the Tandberg 2080 and a Kyocera R-861. Both receivers have excellent FM reception, well above what was available when I bought them. We live in a tough reception area. I tried many receivers (Yamaha, Marantz, Nakamichi, Denon) before settling on the Tandberg. It is excellent at separating out adjacent weak stations. Sadly the Tandberg has a hum now and is in the garage. When the Tandberg started acting up I got a great deal on a new Kyocera as a clearout of their audio line. This is an exceptionally well-built receiver and is the only one that we could find that matched the Tandberg. It's about 15 years old now and used daily. Strong amp section too and very clean power supply. Super unit.

Older Kenwoods have super tuners, as above the x600 series but any of the late seventies will work well. The tuners in them are phenomenal by todays standards and upper line receivers have tuners besting low end separates in many cases.