Magnum Dynalab...help me decide

beardog03
beardog03 Posts: 5,550
edited January 2008 in 2 Channel Audio
I have decided to get a Magnum Dynalab Tuna...

I will be selling the Nak, and the Parasound 1600 soon...(say tuned)

My qustion is this...

anybody have any exsperience with these tuna`s?
I was looking at the MD-102T..

Actually I have been looking at the MD-90 , MD-100, and the MD-102

They are all upgradeable
...you can do alot of things to them , including making them the triode model, and adding a DAC.
I could make a MD-90 a MD-102, but the cost is fairly high

anybody here have a Dynalab , or have experience with them ?

I thought about just getting the entry level M-90 and upgrade slowly over time, but I was wondering if I should start with the 100 instead..

I spend almost all of my time with the tunes playing, and the tuna is 75% of my listening, so I figured I would get an outstanding tuna since it is the main player in my rig..

anybody ?
Cary SLP-98L F1 DC Pre Amp (Jag Blue)
Parasound HCA-3500
Cary Audio V12 amp (Jag Red)
Polk Audio Xm Reciever (Autographed by THE MAN Himself) :cool:
Magnum Dynalab MD-102 Analog Tuna
Jolida JD-100 CDP
Polk Audio LSi9 Speaks (ebony)
SVS PC-Ultra Sub
AQ Bedrock Speaker Cables (Bi-Wired)
MIT Shotgun S1 I/C`s
AQ Black Thunder Sub Cables
PS Audio Plus Power Cords
Magnum Dynalab ST-2 FM Antenna
Sanus Cherry wood Speak Stands
Adona AV45CS3 / 3 Tier Rack (Black /Gold)

:cool:
Post edited by beardog03 on
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Comments

  • madmax
    madmax Posts: 12,434
    edited January 2008
    I've gone back and forth over this many times and always end up with the sub-standard quality of FM and the lack of decent programming and always brush the idea to the back of the line. What I'm going to do at some point is connect the PC through a nice dac. Not only are almost all stations available but there are other options like XM available. My current love is www.pandora.com. Sorry, not much help on the tuna.
    madmax
    Vinyl, the final frontier...

    Avantgarde horns, 300b tubes, thats the kinda crap I want... :D
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  • dkg999
    dkg999 Posts: 5,647
    edited January 2008
    Mr Beardog sir! I would second the thought of exploring internet radio. Lots of pretty cool stations, plus almost every major radio station has streaming downloads available. I can listen to my favorite stations from back in IA while I am in IL, and vice versa.

    The Magnum Dynalab stuff is good sh$t, and if it's what you want I don't think you can do better. It's a lot of money for the current state of radio broadcasting, IMHO. I did hear the Jolida tube based FM tuna, and it sounded pretty good, but doesn't do digital FM if I remember correctly.
    DKG999
    HT System: LSi9, LSiCx2, LSiFX, LSi7, SVS 20-39 PC+, B&K 507.s2 AVR, B&K Ref 125.2, Tripplite LCR-2400, Cambridge 650BD, Signal Cable PC/SC, BJC IC, Samsung 55" LED

    Music System: Magnepan 1.6QR, SVS SB12+, ARC pre, Parasound HCA1500 vertically bi-amped, Jolida CDP, Pro-Ject RM5.1SE TT, Pro-Ject TubeBox SE phono pre, SBT, PS Audio DLIII DAC
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  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,577
    edited January 2008
    Waste of money.
    CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
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  • bikezappa
    bikezappa Posts: 2,463
    edited January 2008
    I don't think buying a good FM tuner is a waste of money. There are many great FM stations with interesting music to listen to.

    I also listen to FM, college and locale NPR, stations in the 89 to 92 range only.

    Before I give any advice I would like to know what is the problem with your current FM set up.

    What are you trying to improve with a new tuner?

    Also check out

    http://www.fmtunerinfo.com/

    For their review of over 100 tuners.
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  • beardog03
    beardog03 Posts: 5,550
    edited January 2008
    Nothing wrong with it , really...

    I listen to FM most of the time, and in doing research on the MD`s, I have found that these tuna`s can and will produce CD quality music..

    I have the XM reciever that Matt signed and use it as an alternate when I get tired of the same ol, same ol...

    But streaming digital music doesn`t float the boat, so I thought I would find the last tuna I will ever buy....They are serious players, and all of them are upgradeable to the next level...

    You should check out the website...

    I think you may be suprised !
    Cary SLP-98L F1 DC Pre Amp (Jag Blue)
    Parasound HCA-3500
    Cary Audio V12 amp (Jag Red)
    Polk Audio Xm Reciever (Autographed by THE MAN Himself) :cool:
    Magnum Dynalab MD-102 Analog Tuna
    Jolida JD-100 CDP
    Polk Audio LSi9 Speaks (ebony)
    SVS PC-Ultra Sub
    AQ Bedrock Speaker Cables (Bi-Wired)
    MIT Shotgun S1 I/C`s
    AQ Black Thunder Sub Cables
    PS Audio Plus Power Cords
    Magnum Dynalab ST-2 FM Antenna
    Sanus Cherry wood Speak Stands
    Adona AV45CS3 / 3 Tier Rack (Black /Gold)

    :cool:
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,802
    edited January 2008
    Some awfully nice vintage tuners for the kind of $ a Magnum Dynalab'll set you back.

    hint: think Scott, Sherwood, Fisher, REL, Marantz, McIntosh... heck, even Sequerra for that kind of money.

    ... and, if there is one good station in your listening area with good programming and decent broadcasting "ethics" (e.g., WGBH here in the Boston area), a good tuner is a perfectly sound :-) investment.
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  • RuSsMaN
    RuSsMaN Posts: 17,987
    edited January 2008
    I've had more luck with old mono tube tunas than anything modern (I've got a mono Sherwood that sounds better than any stereo tuna I've had in house). My buddy Jim Rivers (of fmtunerinfo.com) had owned and demoed them all, and there isn't ONE Magnum Dynlab he'd recommened. They look good in the rack, but as far as reception and sound quality you can do a WHOLE lot better for a WHOLE lot less.

    Cheers,
    Russ
    Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service.
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  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,577
    edited January 2008
    That was my point, go vintage if it's that much a part of your audio life. Jim's site is the bible for FM enthusiasts.
    CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
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  • gidrah
    gidrah Posts: 3,049
    edited January 2008
    I'm running a MD but I forget which model. I agree with going vintage. There are some real nice sleepers to be had for far less $.
    Make it Funky! :)
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,802
    edited January 2008
    Riffing off of Russ's comment (and my own): If sound quality's what you seek, a Sherwood S-3000 is very tough to beat for the cost. Paid $30 for mine (in its original box). If you really think you're missing something with a mono-only tuner, splurge and get yourself a nice vintage MPX decoder.
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  • bikezappa
    bikezappa Posts: 2,463
    edited January 2008
    Beardog

    You seem to be sold on the Magnum tuner. Get what you like. They are nice tuners.

    However, having been a tuner nut for 20 years please consider your antenna as a subject for upgrade also. In my experience a cheap tuner, $100, with an out side FM Yagi antenna and rotor will sound better and get many more stations than ANY tuner at ANY price with just a dipole antenna.
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,165
    edited January 2008
    dorokusai wrote: »
    Waste of money.

    I have to agree based on the fact you have a Nakamichi ST-7 already in the mix. With the Schotz tuning circuitry it's going be a marginal improvement with the Dynlab. There is only so much that be broadcast over FM and the Nak is an extremely competent tuner. While it may not bring in the most stations it was designed to sound as good as possible. Not too many advances in FM receiving technology have been realized since the ST-7 came out.

    Think long and hard and compare the two before deciding and letting the Nak go. I used to have one and regretted letting go at the time. Now I have no use for FM.

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
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  • schwarcw
    schwarcw Posts: 7,337
    edited January 2008
    mhardy6647 wrote: »
    Some awfully nice vintage tuners for the kind of $ a Magnum Dynalab'll set you back.

    hint: think Scott, Sherwood, Fisher, REL, Marantz, McIntosh... heck, even Sequerra for that kind of money.

    ... and, if there is one good station in your listening area with good programming and decent broadcasting "ethics" (e.g., WGBH here in the Boston area), a good tuner is a perfectly sound :-) investment.

    Hell yes!

    I wouldn't trade my Fisher, Scott or Mac for a Dynlab.

    I would recommend that you invest in a nice outdoor Yagi antenna. Check out one of these
    Carl

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