vintage tuner: McIntosh or Sansui?

At that price range you could also look into a Meridian 504 - very sleek looking and very musical and also many years newer than the ones you listed.

McIntosh no competition. And guess what you won't lose a penny if you want to sell it

Macs do keep their value, but have to say after finding a Tandberg 3001 tuner the mac is now on the basement shelf with some unused equipment.

My vote - Sansui TU-717. Classic good looks, great stock performance, regular $200-$300 availability, and favorite of many modifiers for even better performance.

FM Tuner Info is a good stop for more information. There are plenty of really good sounding, [relatively] inexpensive tuners out there (McIntosh included) - it's just silly not to have one if you have some decent stations in your area.

Good hunting!

Thanks guys. Just closed a deal on a TU-717 for $150.
Looks to be in great condition .. will see on delivery.

I have a NAD-4100 tuner and a Marantz 2250B receiver. I'll compare against them.

Rob