Black and white tv picture tubes

[maxhifi]

It seems like every old black and white tv I come across has a worn our CRT with bad contrast and focus and brightness, and buzz in the sound. I want to have a great one, with excellent dynamic range between the blackest black and the brightest white, with razor sharp focus, and no annoying buzz in the sound.

Is this too much to ask? Does a quality black and white tv look like a good colour tv with the colour turned all the way down, or is it always as inferior as the portables I have? I've actually never seen a good one, but my exposure is limited. I entered the world when colour was common and my family's first tv was a colour tube RCA from the early 70s. To this day I remember it as having a fantastic picture. Perhaps I have to find a console rather than the low end portables I have?

I know it's been discussed many times what colour sets have the best picture, but how about black and white? Ideally I would like to track down a portable, from the mid 60s, with exceptional picture quality. Maybe it's just a matter of finding one which hasn't been watched to death.