The MR-71 has tube electronics, so of course some will prefer it's sound character/quality to that of the solid state MR-78. The RF section of the MR-78, however, is superior to that of the 71 (higher alternate and adjacent selectivity, etc.), and to that of any other tuner you can name. Distant stations, or ones in a crowded metropolitan area (closely spaced in frequency), will be received with lower distortion and noise on the 78. It is in the area of RF performance that the 78 may be the best tuner ever available to consumers. That is a priority to some listeners, less so to others.