FM Antennas, FM tuners, Audio Receivers

Magnum dynalab
DT-5 AM/FM Tuner

Don Scott

MAGNUM DYNALAB has been producing component FM tuners since 1985, starting with the FT-101 and FT-11. Presently, there are the MD-90, MD-100, MD-102, and the nearly $6000 MD-108 filling the line - all analog and FM only. Now with the DT-5, there is an AM/FM combination tuner with remote, 60 presets, RDS, credible AM, trigger control, IR repeater connections, both single-ended and balanced audio outputs, and RS232 control - all priced at $995. The warrantee is two-years to the initial user and the operating manual is comprehensive and is a must-read before all the myriad of functions can be unveiled and used properly.

Appearance At home with other professional equipment is the cosmetic impression. The build-quality is excellent throughout, and the removable rack mounts are standard. An IEC-style a.c. receptacle, excellent gold-plated RCA jacks, and balanced audio outputs add to its pro-class appearance.

The bluish-grey display is sharp and displays all functions. The cabinet is basic black with rounded black control buttons, which contribute to a non-cluttered appearance. Interior construction and parts are top-grade.

R.F. Performance It looks well suited, but does it have work clothes under the cover? The DT-5 has a single i.f. band-width; consequently, compromises have to be made to either favor fidelity or selectivity. The compromise is middle-of-the-road, leaning slightly toward fidelity with 80dB alternate-channel and 8- to 10-dB adjacent-channel selectivity. Basically this translates to being able to separate stations two channels apart (88.5, 88.9) quite well, but stations on the next channel (88.5, 88.7) will not be received without splatter unless both signals are fairly weak.

For potential users who don't care about getting every station on the dial or live where r.f. congestion is low, the selectivity issue may therefore not be a concern. More important may be the tuner's sensitivity, the ability to receive weak signals clearly, which I found top-notch even in the stereo mode without the inclusion of a high blend to mask high-frequency noise. I also observed that the tuner has excellent rejection to near- or out-of-band signals from computers and computer-based equipment. I live next to a financial institution, and often its computers radiate r.f. garbage that will completely blank certain frequencies on certain tuners. Delightfully, the DT-5 plowed through most of the garbage and left mostly listenable signals.
Tuning stations takes a little time because the muting does not release immediately when tuning a new station; consequently, some stations may be skipped over if this is not kept in mind.