RE: Internet Media Tuner with Ethernet over Power


I recently ordered the Magnum Dynalab MD-807T Internet Media Tuner with an expected delivery date in late October. I was going to setup a wireless system for radio streaming over the Internet. A friend recommended I install Ethernet over Power (EoP) and not wireless. He installed the ASUS PL-32M 200Mbps Home Plug Audio Video Power line Adapter Kit.

The first device was plugged into the electrical wall socket and an Ethernet cable was run from it to my router. The second device was installed in my living room and an Ethernet cable will be run from it to my MD-807T Media Tuner (when it arrives). It took about 30 seconds for the two devices to sync up. It worked perfectly. I will update this post when my MD-807T arrives.

hgeifman
Out of the box, my new 807t unit sounds very good. I know it needs 40+ hours of break in but my first impression is it sounds great.

My tuner failed to connect to my wired network when I plugged it in. I plugged a computer into my Ethernet over power box and it worked perfectly so the problem was with the 807t. I checked all the settings and discovered the DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) code was set to no. I changed it to yes and I was connected.

The Ethernet over power connection is working fine and I have had no problems. I can select stations from either the Internet or via the Frontier Silicon Radio Portal. This Portal allows me to build station groups such as classical, jazz, blues, etc. You log in and browse the site for the programs that you want, and then press select. Once you have made your choice, the stations you pick will be immediately displayed in the my favorites area on the home page and accessible through my 807t.

I do not know if the performance of my Ethernet over power connection is better than a wireless connection. It was very easy to install and I was able to use the wires already in my house. I would welcome comments on Ethernet over power vs. wireless.
Dear Hgeifman, I'm about to place an order for the MD809T.
Please let me know if you're happy with the quality of the product and especially its terrestrial FM signal replication.

Thank you and kind regards

Dionysios, Athens Greece
would welcome comments on Ethernet over power vs. wireless.

Too many variables for there to be a conclusive answer as to which is best. It depends on each homes level of interference in the A/C wiring vs. the wireless environment. I've tried both in my home and wireless was far superior. I'm sure many others have had the opposite result.
The build quality of my Magnum Dynalab MD807t is excellent. I have done limited listening to my FM stations because of poor FM reception in my area. To be honest, the Internet radio station selection is much better than FM. I cannot receive my favorite FM radio station so I select it on the Internet for listening. The good news is every station I wanted to hear on FM that had FM reception problems, i was able to select on the Internet.

The Internet radio station selection is excellent. I can select stations from everywhere in the world and the sound quality is very good. Internet stations can be selected by country or music type (classical, blues, jazz, new ages, etc). These Internet media tuners allow you to create and organize your favorite list of stations via an Internet Radio Portal website. This feature allows you to have a full list of the stations you listen to regularly on one page instead of having to search each time. Some stations come in sounding better than other stations. I try to select Internet stations that are using 128k or higher. Stations using lower numbers (such as 48k, 64k, etc) do not sound as good.

As per Magnum Dynalab instructions, I setup the Frontier Silicon radio portal for this capability. It is free and very easy to use. The portal provides an excellent search capability to help you identify the Internet stations you want to listen to. You build your list on the computer and select the stations you want to listen to on the Media tuner. This is an excellent feature and makes the Internet radio selection process much easier. New stations can be easily added or deleted using the Frontier Silicon radio portal. See http://www.wifiradio-frontier.com/setupapp/fs/asp/BrowseStations/StartPage.asp

The Media Internet Tuner screen is easy to use and the radio selection process is excellent. I am running my MD807t balanced into my Ayre AX-7e Integrated amplifier. The sound quality is very good and it is easy to listen to. I called Magnum Dynalab several times with questions and they were very helpful and responsive. My 807t is wired to my router via the Ethernet over power connections (the tuner also supports wi-fi connection). I have had no problems using my power lines.

In summary, I like my MD807t Internet Media tuner very much and highly recommend it. The setup is easy, the Internet station selection process is easy to use either on the tuner or via the radio portal. I am very pleased with the sound quality. The MD807t is highly recommended.