General Asylum: REVIEW: Magnum Dynalab FT-11 Tuner by beken

Model:	FT-11
Category:	Tuner
Suggested Retail Price:	$500
Description:	MD's entry level tuner from a few years back.
Manufacturer URL:	Magnum Dynalab
Manufacturer URL:	Magnum Dynalab

Review by beken ( A ) on July 02, 2004 at 14:58:46
IP Address: 204.174.12.17

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for the FT-11

This is supposed to go to the Tuner forum but there is no selection for that so I guess this gets posted in the general forum.
This review is actually regarding the audio section upgrade and the tuner alignment.
I've had my tuner for about 9 years. The version I have is the original version of the FT-11. When I bought it, it was the best tuner I've ever heard that I could actually afford. When my wife and I first heard it, we were looking for the source CD. Mind, you it was a big step up from the Akai KV-14(Not sure of the model number anymore) that I had before. My wife also liked the compact size and the simple non-industrial look of it.
After 8 or so years of good use, I noticed stations started drifting off frequency, also pushing the button for the presets didn't always work. After about 6 months of that, the unit was pretty well unlistenable. So I contacted my dealer and they mentioned it might need a tuner alignment. MD also has a lifetime repair policy. $75 and they fix your tuner. Then I asked about upgrades as the website mentioned upgrades to their other tuners and I was given the option of upgrading the audio section with better parts, wire etc. Or, MD would credit me $300 trade towards one of their current tuners. I hummed and hawwed about the trade-in but I didn't think my wife would like that so I went for the audio upgrade as well as the repair to the tuner section.
I received my tuner back last week and hooked it up and plugged it in for awhile before sitting down and listening. The tuner worked fine. It locked on to frequencies as far as Tacoma Washington(KPLU) which is no shabby thing as I'm about 200 miles away in the Vancouver BC area. There must be a nearby repeater somewhere. I also listen to CBC radio2. All the other stations I listen to are mostly compressed and processed enough that, though I like some of the music, I wouldn't use it for "audiophile type" listening evaluation.
Though the original tuner was pretty good, I always felt the bass sounded a bit muffled compared to other sources. The upgrade cleaned that up and tightened up the bass quite a bit though I still think my LPs sound better. I felt soundstaging had improved and also noticed how much quieter the quiet parts had become. The difference between dead silence and sound became much more noticeable. Kind of like hearing a pin drop. Except now I can hear where the pin hits the floor.
Getting to music, I can tune into KPLU again and enjoy some great jazz and blues. I suspect that has to do with the tuner re-alignment. I noticed that buttons also don't feel a flimsy. The guys at MD must have cleaned out the switches and linkages. On CBC, I spent most of the night listening to classical music. I noticed at first, the midrange sounded a bit faint compare with before and everything further back in the soundstage. After a day or two plugged in and running (MD had already left the tuner on over a weekend), the midrange seemed to fill out. The bass is tighter and I detect a bit more of the high pitched stuff. Symbols seemed to decay more naturally. The clapping of hands of an audience filled out around me more than before (CBC broadcasts some live symphonies).
So overall, I'm pleased with the upgrade. My only concern is I'm not sure how often a tuner alignment needs to be done or the kind of routine maintenance an FM tuner needs. I always kind of thought a radio is a radio and it should just work. I guess this is another item that I need to keep track of for maintenance. As far as this review goes, I'm not sure if I'm comparing it with how the tuner was supposed to sound originally or if I'm comparing it with degraded sound as the degradation happened over a period of time. So whether or not I needed an audio section upgrade is debatable. Anyways, if you have an old MD tuner, any model, I would recommend (if you've never done so) a routine check-up and tuner alignment and possibly an upgrade of the audio section.

Product Weakness: A bit of maintenance required. Preset switches are somewhat flimsy.
Product Strengths: Very good sound and reception for the money. Also, it is compact and is quite easy with the WAF. Upgradeability. Great Support from the folks at Magnum Dynalab

Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	YBA Integre DT
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	none
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Ariston RD-80/OPUS/Grado/RegaFONO
Speakers:	Mordaunt-Short MS100 gold
Cables/Interconnects:	Van den Hul clearwater
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	jazz, classical - CBC FM2, KPLU
Other (Power Conditioner etc.):	Adcom ACE515
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner

Product Weakness:	A bit of maintenance required. Preset switches are somewhat flimsy.
Product Strengths:	Very good sound and reception for the money. Also, it is compact and is quite easy with the WAF. Upgradeability. Great Support from the folks at Magnum Dynalab