Excluding mega-buck military or maritime radios, the legendary Drake R7A is,
in
my opinion, the BEST solid-state MW DX radio ever made. If you can find a
used
one in good condition, grab it. I have one, and will NEVER part with it.

I had both the R-7A and the HQ-180 at the same time. The R&A is superb, but its
audio made it hard to ID stations, but it could sure dig out the DX; it is
still regarded as the best radio of any type for the "tropical bands" 2-4 MHz.

The HQ-180 had superb audio, and DX "dig" ability. But not great on frequency
readout.

BTW the Skanti 5000/5001 is the equal of the R7 in performance. It's what I use
now for AM DXing.