Based on what they have their eyes on right now, I would say in the $400 (Eton Elite 750) and $600 (Icom 718) with no accessories range. Still it would be nice to hear from @bearcatrp in case the budget might be higher. They want a "real good HF rig" but did not say if they were a ham. Nowadays I would think at a minimum to have a computer interface, have a waterfall, and perhaps be a software defined radio (SDR) especially if they are a ham and will be transmitting with this radio. If they don't need the transmitter side, then I would suggest that we talk about a "real good receiver" for this application. No sense paying for parts that will not be used. Here is an Icom IC-R8500 Shortwave AM FM SSB Receiver for $800. While not the greatest price for a used receiver, it does show that some really sophisticated receivers are available around the general price range that the OP is looking at that can run circles around the Eton Elite 750. Just throwing out some ideas for thought...
Another receiver I'd be looking for is the Icom IC-R75. Had one, foolishly sold it and bought a second one (from Bigapple59) and very glad I did. This second one was an earlier model with the Synchronous AM and I had to add the DSP unit. It's been to Kiwa for the SAM upgrade. I've seen prices on the R75 anywhere from $550.00 to $650.00.
Thanks Mike for your input. We just need to hear from @bearcatrp to see if they need a transceiver or not.Bigapple59 is a vendor I've purchased several radios from, and would do so again if I was in the market to do so. But, there is no room on the table at the moment.
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Mike
I do have a 7300 that I use for listening only.
Well, the Icom R75, like mbott recommended, has a nice big tuning dial with really smooth action, and with its wide selection of tuning steps as small as 1 Hz, the R75 makes tuning around a pleasure. Sideband performance is excellent, which is important, as there isn't much in AM mode to listen to on HF these days. Mine is over 20 years old, but still performing like new. Also, it's pretty compact for a desktop receiver.
In that case, you might not want the R75, as it requires a good, regulated external supply. Icom supplies an AC adapter, but that's one of those switching types which generate lots of RFI. I replaced that with a linear (as opposed to switching) supply. It's rated at 4 amps, which is a lot more than the radio draws (a little over 1 amp maximum).
I have the Pyramid PS-4KX, which I bought from RadioWorld in Toronto. I`m not sure who else carries it, but I`ve had it for roughly 4 years now, with no issues. Actually, this is my second external supply. I bought the first one in 2003 to replace Icom`s adapter, but it died a strange death in 2017. I suddenly heard a loud click in the receiver when I went to plug in my headphones; it was off at the time, but I couldn`t power it up. I suspected a static discharge, as it was winter and the dry air was causing a lot of static sparks. The power supply had no external fuse, so I opened it up to look for an internal one, and the top of an integrated circuit fell out in my hand while I was doing so. That`s why I had to replace the supply with the Pyramid. Luckily, that static discharge didn`t hurt the receiver.
I have two (2) Astron RS-50M (+13.8 VDC 50 Amps intermittent) that have been on continuously since 1983 without failure. Astron supplies are rock solid. I especially recommend their linear power supplies for Amateur Radio use.
