How is it ? that a tuner smokes the table ???

I own a MD108 and it amazes me since the day I got it. Don't ask me why, but it sounds better than most analog and digital combos I listened to.
Some time ago I listened to a Streisand Concert (no limiters) and I was VERY impressed. Even when a Radio Station works from Harddisk with limiters I can hear how good the CD from the artist is (or not). This Tuner (and the Basis Turntable ) survived every change in my system for years now.

Basis and Micro 5000 are better (with a good Phono stage/Arm, Cart., Cable), but this Tuner is a single box unit, 1 way to connect and that's it. Better than all Wadias until the latest units, better than dcs, Levinson and some others. I lost interest in digital after this experience. I avoid discussions like that, because I know, no one will believe it, but - for me - it is the way it is.

When someone is really interested in a good sounding Tuner, no doubt, the latest Dynalab 109 is the way to go.
When I bought the 108, it was their Top unit and really expensive compared to others. But at that time I had 3 or 4 Tuners (Dynalab Etude, Naim 01, Onkyo ...I was fascinated from the free music I got) and the 108 was so MUCH better sounding from the first second, it was worth it.
I sold all other tuners a few days later. Never looked back.

possibility is that maybe the table setup isn't that good or set up properly or that the recordings being played aren't recorded very well either

well, lots of analog enthusiasts think, that analog reproduction is automatically better than everything else. That's a mistake, I listened to countless analog set ups which were simply nothing special (no depth, no body, no holographic picture, colored in nearly all frequencies etc....) and even expensive Systems can be really boring.
But to go back to Tuners, most are a pain to listen to but when we remember, a Marantz 10B was very expensive at its time, same for Sequerra.
Exceptional brain can create timeless fascination.

>>02-02-11: Spatialking
Don't forget that radio stations play only the very best sources, too.<<

That is plain and simple BS.

A longer version of this unbeatable short answer :-)
The Radio Stations play from Harddisc, with limiters and compressors to bend the signal, that even in lowest quality area the song is acceptable. Has absolutely nothing to do with high End. More low end, or lowest end.
Same is the thinking about Turntables used in the Stations, they must be superior....never, horrible, their ONLY goal was to accelerate fast from zero to 33,3, that was all. No one asked for sound "quality". Never.
The ONLY area where really top equipment was (or is) used, are the transmitters which send the signal from one antenna to the next.

Why do we like the sound sometimes when we listen?
Well, there are some exceptions from the Radio Stations, the poor ones don't have that expensive technical equipment and they are the ones to go for.
Next, most tuners, specially those "Reference" Tuners are good in getting a Signal, but they sound horrible. Really, really awful. Even with the best signal.
Not much work was done for the output section (until today). Tuners which get lots of signals AND do sound good, are ultra rare.
Is it worth it?
Who knows, Radio is free music, you can get a lot of different impressions...