Magnum Dynalab 109

Magnum 109 just started shipping - end of October - per the folks at Magnum. I've not seen any reviews. I almost bought one but thought I'd wait a few months to hear a bit about the unit.

$9000. MSRP
Check the Magnum Dynlab website for details. Haven't seen any reviews yet.

My tuner is probably my most used source and I have was a happy owner of the MD 108 until I heard the 106T. I believe it actually sounds better despite its lower cost so I sold my 108 and now use the 106T. Frankly the 109 seems more like an upgrade of the 106T than a replacement for the 108. I would love to hear the 109 but it will have to be awfully good to justify the $5k premium over the 106T. The 109 looks to have incomparable features and adaptability but I'll be really interested to see if it sounds that much better than the 106T on OTA FM. Who knows? It certainly might be no contest but the 106T is so good I would encourage you to use it as the benchmark for comparison, not the 108. You might just save yourself $5000.

Khrys - Why do you think the 106 sounds better than the 108? Is the difference related to the use of more tubes rather than solid state stages? Thanks for your opinions.

Ron Gurney

Ron, I believe the 106T sounds better than the 108 because it has a triode tube audio stage. While the 108 uses a tube audio stage, it is not run as a triode. The new 109 uses a triode audio stage and as well so I think MD must be moving in that direction because the 106T sounds so good.

There is a review from Alan Sircom ( he owns Naim NAT01, when I remember right ) in the English HIFI+, he reviewed all MD and shortly before he listened to the MD 108, he reviewed the 106t.
He wrote the differences are not subtle, they are HUGE. He thought, the differences between 106t and 108 are small because the 106t is newer. He he was wrong, very wrong ( his words ), the MD 108 is much, much better sounding. A total different, better product. The difference is even much wider between 108 and 106t than the one between MD102t to MD106t. The smoothness and richness from the 108 is a class of it's own.
He writes, that the 108 is the best tuner in the world today.

And Mr. Sircom is only 1 person and any magazine review must be taken with a grain of salt. I've heard the 108 in my system but purchased the 106T. They are very close in performance and IMO the price differential is much too large unless of course it's an ego purchae.

Yes the "smoothness and richness from the 108 is in a class of its own" because MD has abandoned it.
In favor of the better sounding MOSFET-free tube triode output stage of the 106T for the new flagship 109.
I await Mr. Sircom's review with bated breath.

FWIW, you can upgrade the "guts" of an MD108 to those of an MD109, including the triode stage. The cost is approximately $2,000. The announcement will appear on the MD website soon. My 108 was shipped out a week ago and should be returned with the upgrade in a few weeks.

Info about the MD 108 :

sorry, nothing available for the 109, but maybe still interesting

http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue20/marantz10b.htm

http://positive-feedback.com/Issue22/tuners.htm