At the risk of nagging you there is a six month old MD 108T for sale on Canuck Audio Mart for CA$3800. A very good tuner.
FWIW!
Best Sounding FM Tuner?
- Thread starter Ron Resnick
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- fm radio magnum dynalab
FWIW!
Thank you for letting me know!
I completely forgot about it but I actually have a Magnum Dynalab MD100. Do you know how that compares sonically to the vintage Denon or Sansui tuners?
I completely forgot about it but I actually have a Magnum Dynalab MD100. Do you know how that compares sonically to the vintage Denon or Sansui tuners?
Thanks Ron
Over the years I have had at least three MD tuners prior to my current 109, From memory the first was a 90 followed by a 106 and a 108 and the sound got better with each upgrade. I got a very good external FM aerial which really makes a difference and the rest of the system has improved over the years which will have benefiited the tuner upgrades.
I haven't heard the vintage Denon and Sansui tuners so can't really answer your question directly. The MD designer is highly regarded and has spent years on developing their range so I would be surprised if they sounded better than the more modern MDs at the higher end of their range. Another consideration is future servicing which is not an issue with the newer MDs. You can also upgrade the MDs with NOS valves as I have done with mine, Mullard /Phillips for about $550.
The 108T is probably the sweet spot in MDs range.
Over the years I have had at least three MD tuners prior to my current 109, From memory the first was a 90 followed by a 106 and a 108 and the sound got better with each upgrade. I got a very good external FM aerial which really makes a difference and the rest of the system has improved over the years which will have benefiited the tuner upgrades.
I haven't heard the vintage Denon and Sansui tuners so can't really answer your question directly. The MD designer is highly regarded and has spent years on developing their range so I would be surprised if they sounded better than the more modern MDs at the higher end of their range. Another consideration is future servicing which is not an issue with the newer MDs. You can also upgrade the MDs with NOS valves as I have done with mine, Mullard /Phillips for about $550.
The 108T is probably the sweet spot in MDs range.
I remember asking Magnum Dynalab about their FM vs the internet radio, and unfortunately, i think they felt that the FM player was superior in sound quality to the internet radio piece due to the difference in quality of the format. Barry2013 - do I recall correctly, or did i get that wrong?
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No your memory serves you correctly Lloyd.
FM is definitely better sound quality and here in the UK we are very fortunate to have Radio 3 on FM.
I listen to it every day and in combination with the Vitus 030 it is getting me through the current Covid restrictions.
I appreciate there are uncertainties about the future of FM broadcasting, but with the right system it is a real treat which I highly recommend.
Alain currently has a very attractive used MD for sale at the moment.
Thanks! I got my Torus AVR16 from Alain...need to get that recalibrated for 240+V rather than 235V which (we hope) will allow the Gryphon to run off of it the way so many Gryphon Mephisto owners do.
In any event, I have looked...both a 108 and a 109SE! somehow, call me crazy...for anywhere from 3K-8K...i feel like I want to have something that is going to take me 10 years into the future or longer. And while that might be the case with FM...I have no idea. Sure would be fun to listen to the 109SE though.
I just ordered a Denon TU-900 on eBay. (This makes up for the black Denon TU-800 I bought new and sold on eBay a few years ago.) Hopefully it works as well as it looks (champagne faceplate with rosewood side panels).
Sometime this decade I will compare the TU-900 to my Magnum Dynalab MD100, and keep whichever one sounds best from my house location.
LL21, spring a few hundred dollars loose from that tightly-wrapped grip and get a used FM tuner for fun! I also see a clean-looking Revox B760 for US$600.
Sometime this decade I will compare the TU-900 to my Magnum Dynalab MD100, and keep whichever one sounds best from my house location.
LL21, spring a few hundred dollars loose from that tightly-wrapped grip and get a used FM tuner for fun! I also see a clean-looking Revox B760 for US$600.
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Why don't you try the 109SE?
I am sure Alain would let you try it at home and where you are an external aerial is probably less of a requirement and could be added later. I think the Ron Smith aerials are still available new and they do come up for sale used from time to time. I have seen a number for sale on Pinkfish media for about £100.
My hunch is FM is going to be around for a few years yet and maybe. longer as a subscription service.
It's not just the music they play on Radio 3, but the presenters and guests from whom I learn something new everyday. A very satisfying and enjoyable experience.
Thanks for the update Ron.
That's another itch scratched and will look forward to hearing how they compare.
Nice one Ron. As for us, I am going to do a little digging on internet radio and see whats out there. Magnum certainly interesting, particularly as I have leftover NOS 6922s from the CJ GAT 2...
The Magnum Dynalabs look very serious. You are fancy with the tube FM tuner candidates.
My MD100 is solid-state.Spinning an analog tuning knob on an analog radio tuner to receive over-the-air broadcasts reminds me slightly of my amateur radio days, a hobby I officially de-commissioned when I decided not to put antenna tower bolts into the new roof on the house.
I completely forgot that I also have an Arcam T61 tuner (presently for sale on eBay).
FWIW, I am contemplating a 90SE with the 105 upgrade, plus custom modifications. Why the 105? This:
- A fully shielded and hand selected RF stage
- Audio Cap gold plated capacitors with Mundorf Supreme by-pass caps
Which additional mods? Stuff I've already done to my Etude:
- Mundorf Mlytic power supply capacitors
- Vishay HEFFRED diodes in the PS
Beeb subscription inspectors clouting stuff out of the way in old warehouses to uncover c.1940 gear and marking flats with aerials sprouting from the roofs for further attention between checking television licenses. Wholly believable actually.
BBC (R&D) Radio 3 test of high resolution lossless streaming for their 2017 Proms was very well received by many who worked out using a nightly build of VLC and Firefox browser to record it. Did you happen to try this and could offer a comparison with FM quality in the UK?
If you are trying to receive weak, distant stations ("DX") then a 88 to 108 MHz multi-element yagi antenna and rotator is the most effective solution (but not the most unobtrusive).
I just checked on the internet but none of the amateur radio antenna manufacturers I happen to be familiar with seem to make 88 to 108 MHz beam antennas.
However, this is a serious fixed, omni-directional (you cannot rotate it and point it at your target station to amplify the signals from the target direction and attenuate signals from the sides and back of the antenna) 88 to 108 MHz antenna by a good company which makes amateur radio antennas I used to use:
As a transmitting antenna it is overly rugged for receiving-only but it will do a great job!
I just checked on the internet but none of the amateur radio antenna manufacturers I happen to be familiar with seem to make 88 to 108 MHz beam antennas.
However, this is a serious fixed, omni-directional (you cannot rotate it and point it at your target station to amplify the signals from the target direction and attenuate signals from the sides and back of the antenna) 88 to 108 MHz antenna by a good company which makes amateur radio antennas I used to use:
As a transmitting antenna it is overly rugged for receiving-only but it will do a great job!
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Hi Marcus
Not sure this is helpful as I assume you are in the US, but there is a legendary FM aerial company here in the UK which I know has done business in Europe.
It is:
www.ronsmithaerials.com
The site is worth a look at in itsef and even if it is not appropriate for your needs it may be helpful to others.
I have the Galaxie 17 roof mounted and it is a superb FM aerial
I am thinking about upgrading my Magnum Dynalab MD100 to a
-- MD90T SE or
-- MD90T SE with MD105 audio or
-- MD105T
Has anyone directly compared these models in a familiar system? How big a jump in sound quality comes with each step up?
Thank you.
-- MD90T SE or
-- MD90T SE with MD105 audio or
-- MD105T
Has anyone directly compared these models in a familiar system? How big a jump in sound quality comes with each step up?
Thank you.
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