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  #41  
Old 09-21-2016, 11:00 PM
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Maks Maks is offline
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Looks nice, how does the center tuning work, once a frequency is selected you're still able to fine tune it?
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  #42  
Old 09-22-2016, 10:09 AM
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Looks nice, how does the center tuning work, once a frequency is selected you're still able to fine tune it?
I'll have to look at the manual more closely going forward, but the knob on the right is for tuning, and the manual says it can drift a bit until the unit is broken in; that won't take long. It did fluctuate between 93.9 and 94.0 at one brief point (our local NPR station is the former), but the MD90 had occasion to do that as well. Not as rapidly as the 102 did, however. Optimum tuning is when the needle is centered.

But on first impression it sounded good, perhaps a bit smoother than the MD90; that was a mix of active and background listening, but those can be important impressions.

What I didn't mention before is that the fabricators goofed. The unit is solid-state, but the faceplate says MD102 Triode on the lower right!
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Last edited by prepress; 09-24-2016 at 06:14 AM.
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  #43  
Old 09-22-2016, 06:05 PM
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The new unit looks great. I love love love magnum dynalab stuff. Congratulations.

My 108t has the analog tuning eye and the digital read out. The eye is just a different ( but way cool) version of the meter. On the 108, u can hit a digital frequency (e.g. 90.1) and then continue to tune more finely within that frequency - the eye "closes" as you get the finer tuning done. The digital read out will stay the same (e.g., 90.1), but the tuning eye/meter helps you get a better tune.

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  #44  
Old 09-24-2016, 06:31 AM
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The new unit looks great. I love love love magnum dynalab stuff. Congratulations.

My 108t has the analog tuning eye and the digital read out. The eye is just a different ( but way cool) version of the meter. On the 108, u can hit a digital frequency (e.g. 90.1) and then continue to tune more finely within that frequency - the eye "closes" as you get the finer tuning done. The digital read out will stay the same (e.g., 90.1), but the tuning eye/meter helps you get a better tune.

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I'd considered going to Mac's MR87 or MR88 because there are occasions when I miss having AM, but the MD tuners are quite good; some prefer them over Mac tuners. I wasn't unhappy with the MD90's sound, but wanted something more sensitive, and as I spun the 102's dial it seemed that I picked up a few more stations than before.

If I had the money, I might've considered the 107. The blue and green would fit right in with the Mac gear I have, even though the blue is different, and I'm sure it would sound amazing. The 105's audio section is listed on MD's website as an optional upgrade, suggesting the 105 sounds better. I considered the 105 as well, but decided ultimately I could get what I was after with the 102.

Still haven't had time to play with the 102 much, but I look forward to that at some point. Meantime, I'll need to get the MD90 ready for shipping back to MD.
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  #45  
Old 09-24-2016, 09:14 AM
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That's a bummer, to get the unit and have to send it back immediately. Good luck.

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  #46  
Old 09-24-2016, 10:59 AM
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That's a bummer, to get the unit and have to send it back immediately. Good luck.

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The MD90 is a trade-in toward the MD102's price, and must be returned to MD. The 102 stays, unless I decide the faceplate bums me out enough to send it back for a fix. I sent an e-mail to MD asking if the funky faceplate would be a problem if I decided to use the 102 as a trade-in toward something else at any point (probably a 105 or its equivalent). The MD90 is boxed up, but I'll hold it another week pending their reply.
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  #47  
Old 09-24-2016, 11:19 AM
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MD machined my MD-108 face plate to 17.5 inches wide when I ordered. Maybe yours can be reduced, just takes a phone call to find out.

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  #48  
Old 09-26-2016, 07:35 PM
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MD machined my MD-108 face plate to 17.5 inches wide when I ordered. Maybe yours can be reduced, just takes a phone call to find out.

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After an exchange with Jim Richards at MD, I'm going to keep the 102 as is. It's actually a bit of a fun novelty with the faceplate, and the sound isn't affected. MD can have "Triode" brushed out easily enough, so no issues if I trade it in toward a 105 or anything else in the future.

Since you mentioned it, I measured the faceplate; it's 17.75".
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  #49  
Old 09-27-2016, 06:09 PM
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Originally Posted by prepress View Post
I'd considered going to Mac's MR87 or MR88 because there are occasions when I miss having AM, but the MD tuners are quite good; some prefer them over Mac tuners. I wasn't unhappy with the MD90's sound, but wanted something more sensitive, and as I spun the 102's dial it seemed that I picked up a few more stations than before.
The MR87 is designed for Euro region, or wherever uses a different band than we do, Asia maybe? The MR88's AM section is quite good and there are many AM stations here that broadcast on an FM HD substation so you can get far superior quality to regular AM.
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  #50  
Old 10-05-2016, 05:03 PM
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The MR87 is designed for Euro region, or wherever uses a different band than we do, Asia maybe? The MR88's AM section is quite good and there are many AM stations here that broadcast on an FM HD substation so you can get far superior quality to regular AM.
I didn't know that. I thought the MR87 was simply AM/FM, as opposed to the MR88 with HD and satellite capability.

And I will confirm at least sniffing a few more stations than before, though not all come in well. I should reconsider my antenna too, perhaps. I never did connect the SR-100 I got. OR see if I can figure out a way to reposition my Day-Sequerra.
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