What are some of the better tuners out there?

Some info on Tandberg here. After buying and refurbishing it gets a little pricier than the Accuphase and Sansui I have referenced above. 

Tuner Information Center - Tuner Reviews S-Z (fmtunerinfo.com)

Thanks for all the info. I think I can make a good decision now.

stereo5,

better to err here than in a real life situation. No harm, no foul. Nothing burned or blown up!

+1 Tandberg & Sansui

I just bought the Sansui 9900. 

Yes, there must something wrong with your equipment. There is no way that you should be replacing tubes so often! I have a MD 106T and the tubes are probably going on ten years and the tuner still sounds fine. I play it on average about two hours a day, so you can do the math. The tuner has a slow turn on which contributes to a long tube life.