Magnum Dynalab MD108t vs: McIntosh MR88

[JBT]

As the owner of a working MR71 I think Mcintosh tuners are the best looking!

http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue35/mr71.htm

[W9TR]

Great review, thanks Dan!

It is really great to see a company specializing in FM with a great product and customer support to match. There are a lot of excellent tuners out there from the heyday of FM, but those are all aging and need updating. By updating I mean more than just service and restoration.

For example, a lot of the tube tuners, including the Marantz 10b and McIntosh tube tuners don't have sufficient post detection filtering to eliminate HD self noise. This significantly compromises their stereo audio performance on HD equipped stations.

Tom

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by Maks

Dan, how do you feel they compared in terms of DXing w/noise. That is one area I feel my MR88 was much superior to my souped up MR74. It could pull in those further to reach stations with much less noise due to the DSP. I'm wondering how the 108 compared.

Steve.......The McIntosh MR88 surprised me when I was able to tune all 18 listenable stations that the MD108t was able to tune. I originally thought the MD108t might be able to pull in more listenable stations than the MR88 but that turned out not to be the case. What was surprising though was the MR88 could only manage a clean mono signal on five of the stations that the MD108t received in stereo. Both tuners sounded clean on these five stations but the stereo signal from the MD108t was more enjoyable because the stereo presentation delivered a nice sound stage.

I agree with you that the digital sound processing capabilities of the MR88 allow it to deliver quiet broadcasts without background hash noise that sometimes bleeds through on other tuners. There is no doubt the MR88 is an exceptional tuner and the best one McIntosh has designed to date. When you add in the HD and XM capabilities to the AM and FM reception the MR88 is quiet a tuner.

As for how the noise levels from station to station compared between the MR88 and the MD108t, I did not find the Magnum Dynalab tuner to be noisier or quieter than the McIntosh tuner. They are both able to deliver high quality sound without objectionable noise. It should be noted that the quality of the antenna, the coax cable, plus its location and elevation will impact any tuner's ability to receive listenable high quality signals. If you are in a metropolitan area with lots of strong FM signals, a simple dipole wire antenna may be sufficient for the local broadcasts, but when you go DXing, searching for a distant station, there is no substitute for a high quality antenna installed outside.

[Cohibaman]

Good stuff Dan! Thanks for review and insight.

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by JBT

As the owner of a working MR71 I think Mcintosh tuners are the best looking!

http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue35/mr71.htm

Jim.......I agree that McIntosh tuners have been and still represent a performance level that very few FM tuners can best, particularly with the Richard Modaferri modification. The newer Magnum Dynalab MD108 Triode FM tuner is quite a different tuner than its predecessor the MD108. The continuous development that has gone into the MD108 to bring it to the MD108t level is remarkable. The TRAAC audio control board and triode output stage in the MD108t elevates its performance and sound quality to a higher level. I suspect if Robert H. Levi had available the MD108t, his Positive Feedback review may have had a different outcome in his subjective Musical Quality column.

[Masterlu]

Magnum Dynalab's CEO just joined AA.

[jdandy]

Ivan.......That's great to hear.

[bart]

Great review Dan!
Indeed a tuner belongs in a high end system.
I also listen a lot to FM (through my Burmester tuner).
Besides a little bit of hiss at high volumes, the sound is on par with my other sources.

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by bart

Great review Dan!
Indeed a tuner belongs in a high end system.
I also listen a lot to FM (through my Burmester tuner).
Besides a little bit of hiss at high volumes, the sound is on par with my other sources.

Bart.......Thank you. Good to know you are enjoying music off the airwaves. I have never listened to a Burmester tuner but I can well imagine it is quite good. Besides the McIntosh MR85 and MR88 tuners, I also own and enjoy a Tandberg 3011A tuner in my vintage system. It is quite good sounding.

[Weirdcuba]

Burmester tuner?? I didn't even know they existed.

Oh my god - I won't be able to sleep now.