SOLD: FS: McIntosh MR-65B Stereophonic FM Tuner (Extra Rare)

[Steve M]

SOLD

Item: FS: McIntosh MR-65B Stereophonic FM Tuner (Extra Rare)
Location: Perth WA
Price:  SOLD $550 plus postage
Item Condition: Good for its age.
Reason for selling: surplus
Payment Method: Pickup - Cash, Paypal, COD Only
Extra Info:

 

Here's one for the vintage FM analogue collectors amongst us - a rare and beautiful McIntosh MR-65B valve FM tuner. I bought this from an enthusiast here on Stereonet who also had the legendary Marantz 10B tuner. The MR-65B tuner is in good working condition, all valves and everything seems to light up, it pulls FM signals easily and it sounds great and has a clear sweet valvey tone. This is a USA 110v model that will come with a compact 240v step down transformer, so it is ready to use. As you can see from the photos it is in original condition and has not really been worked on from what I can see. I think the mute and volume control at the front has been disabled to give a cleaner signal path. There is another master volume control at the back of the unit to control volume level, and it works fine.

 

I used to love listening to the McIntosh MR-65B on ABC Classic FM and Jazz, there's something involving and right about the sound of these old vintage valve tuners.

 

The MR-65B tuners seem to be fetching up to $799 USD on Ebay and some people say they sound better than the newer ones?? See here:   https://www.ebay.com/itm/McIntosh-MR65B-FM-Stereo-Tuner-/182583836916

 

Here is some discussion on the various McIntosh models:

 

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/difference-between-mcintosh-mr65-and-mr65b

 

" The MR-65B was McIntosh's first factory installed stereo tuner, and in my opinion, one of the best sounding tuners that McIntosh (or for that matter any other manufacturer) has ever built.

It is a darn fine looking piece of gear too, especially when in its solid walnut case. 
Regards,
JimmyBlues "

 

 

 
Pictures:

Edited May 11, 2018 by Steve M

[Telecine]

@djb

[djb]

A classic 

all I could find on TIC vvv

Our panelist Bob reports on the MR 65 and its relatives: "I just finished an alignment of a beautiful MR 65 and was really pleased with the results. I was really surprised to see that this tuner had 4 gangs, unlike 99% percent of tube tuners that only had three. There are two gangs after the antenna input. Actually, it is the same setup as the MR 66, the AM-FM model. The MR 65 has station-pulling ability just about as good as a decent 4-gang solid-state tuner, and maybe better than some. It passed my 94.3/94.5 adjacent channel test with flying colors. The sound quality stock needs some work - it's not bad, but the old coupling caps need updating to deliver the goods. Overall, a pleasant surprise. These go pretty cheap for McIntoshes, so I give it a 'good buy' rating. I paid $300 for a piece with some cosmetic problems that needed cleaning and alignment. But it has an MPX circuit installed, which was optional. The MR 65B is similar in looks and function, but adds a front-panel stereo light, uses a 6DS4 Nuvistor instead of the 6BN4A for the RF amp, and uses a solid-state rectifier. The follow-on MR 67 is also similar in circuit function, but has a different front panel and meter setup, and drops back to a 3-gang front 

Edited May 9, 2018 by djb

[44maloo]

Everyone who is a serious HIFI guy should own at least one piece of Mcintosh gear in there lifetime.

 

great unit.

 

 

joe.

[Misternavi]

FYI: Audio Connections in NSW is selling a MR-65 (110V) for $1200. 
 

[Citroen]

If only it was in Auckland!

[peterstt]

I am interested, PM send!

[muriwai]

It's sold !

[Steve M]

Yes, now SOLD.