I am enjoying a Magnum Dynalab MD106T tuner for 16 years now since I bought it new from Magnum Dynalab in 2009. It has gone in for repairs a few times over the years but I realized that I could change the tubes myself. I find that I need to change the tubes about every year and a bit. Is this normal? Some people claim to get several to many years on a pair of 6922 tubes but I only get a little over a year on a pair of new tubes. When I do change the tubes it blows my mind how good my tuner can sound. Is it normal to get just over a year on tubes? My tuner does sound glorious when I replace the year and some old tubes.
It’s really going to depend on the particular model you have and how many hours a day on average you run the tuner (keep it on). From what I understand the 106T uses the pair of tubes for amplification as opposed to just as a buffer. If you leave the unit powered on all the time you’re most likely to need a new pair every year as that’s about 8800 hours.
Have you contacted Magnum Dynalab? I believe they are still in business and they should be able to give you the best information.
info@magnumdynalab.com
1-800-551-4130
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Thanks for your reply. I have been in contact with Magnum Dynalab for 19 years. My tuner has been repaired a few times and I have had better quality capacitors put in the output stage of my balanced output’s which is what I use. I was told that the tuner puts the tubes at an automatic rest stage when the tuner was turned off. I find that it is like the tubes are always on which would make sense they last around 14 months 10,000 hours.
That is strange. Is it possible that your particular unit doesn’t actually go into the rest state when it’s turned off and the tubes are actually still being powered?
This is what I suspect but Ben the technician who was with Magnum for many years until recently swears my tuner is fine. It looks like the tubes have the same glow whether the tuner is on or off but Ben said that it is just the glow that is on and not the complete tube. In any case I get about a year on a pair of tubes and it has been this way for the 16 years I have the tuner. The tuner sounds awesome but it’s expensive to replace 2 one hundred dollar tubes every year.
I found this online:
The MD106T Magnum Dynalab FM tuner has a unique design where the tubes (triodes) remain powered on even when the tuner is switched off, according to Hi-Fi Di Prinzio. This is achieved through a new power supply design that keeps relevant circuits operational, helping maintain tuning performance even when the tuner is cold. To fully switch off the tuner and power down the triodes, you need to unplug the tuner from the wall socket, as there is no main on/off switch.
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Okay, that pretty much answers it. No matter how the company and tech puts it the tubes are going 24/7 whether the unit is on or off. A possible solution rather than unplugging the unit would be to get a decent but relatively inexpensive power strip that has an on/off switch and plug the tuner into that. When you’re not listening to the tuner you simply switch off the power strip.
Bear in mind when you go from a cold start to on it may take a little while for the unit to sound its best. If that’s acceptable to you then it’s worth a shot.
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Think of the annual tube replacement as bonding with an old friend.
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Exactly. And it blows my mind just how good it sounds when the tubes are strong.
It sounds like your tuner just has the filaments powered when the tuner is switched off. This shouldn’t wear out the tubes every year unless the manufacturer has too high of filament voltage. I have a preamp that was powered up 24/7 for over 3 years and they still tested good.
Magnum Dynalab claims that the filaments of the tubes are always on but that the tubes themselves turn down when the tuner is turned off. That said I don’t notice a difference in the glow of the tubes whether the tuner is on or off. The tubes start to sound dull after around a year. I used to send in my tuner for tube replacement but I have been replacing the tubes myself for some time now. The tuner is in good condition and sounds great especially now again with new tubes. My tuner is 16 years old and is the oldest component in my system next to my 26 year old Hales Transcendence 5 speakers.
I have an Etude with the 102t upgrade. My tubes’ filaments always glow as well.
It does sound remarkably good.
It gets used sporadically and I have had it for years. I really should treat it to a new pair of tubes.
I only use my tuner once in a while but the tubes like to be changed once a year or so. The improvement in sound quality is very remarkable when I change the tubes. The sound goes from meh to exceptional. I really like my MD106t. I had upgraded caps put in the balanced output stage which is what I use and I installed a Purple fuse which is nice. I like my tuner once in a while but it pales beside digital playback. Still FM off the air is nice now and then.