Magnum Dynalab ST-2 Tuners

Magnum Dynalab ST-2 Tuners 

DESCRIPTION

Indoor/outdoor FM Antenna

USER REVIEWS

Showing 1-10 of 12  
[Apr 23, 2015]
Jan
AudioPhile

Had this antenna bought in november last year, at the same time that i bought a Vincent STU- 8 so there would be nothing on the chain too blame!
But is not worth the money for me. A little wire does it better then this antenna? I live in an area were there are no hills and with a good cover of FM every where in the country. Can only say i am dissapointed over this product!

OVERALL
RATING
1
VALUE
RATING
1
[Feb 09, 2011]
Abtron Automation
Audio Enthusiast

We install these Omnidirectional ariels for our customers and they are great for when your components are in the basement. Great value for the money!

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
4
[Oct 08, 2008]
Muzikat
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Works betters than any others

Weakness:

None

This is in response to Halfnelson. Are you serious?
How can you come on here and rate a Magnum Dynalab ST2 when admittedly you are using/rating ANOTHER brand altogether?
The ST2 is a fine antenna. Compared to a Fanfare whip antenna it is totally different. I have used both, Fanfare doesn't work for me, that doesn't mean it's bad. The ST2 does work for me, beautifully.
You should not give a low score when in fact you are not even rating the proper piece.

Customer Service

Awesome

Similar Products Used:

CCCrane dipole, Fanfare whip, Godar (several models), Cheap Dipoles

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Oct 01, 2008]
Greg Myers
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Beats a cheap dipole

Weakness:

Not for the hobyist

Bought this antenna with the hopes of using it for FM Dx'ing instead of sitting my car. I mounted it vertical at a height of @13' with @15' RG6 and thus far it has performed terrible. I can go to car and hear semi-locals easily and come back to my tuner and have not even a hint of the same signal reaching my radio. Prime example was listening during some enhanced conditions and could hear stations competing with each other- one in Jacksonville, FL (@200+ mi) and Sarasota, FL (@50mi) with the Jacksonville station overpowering the Sarasota signal- checking inside on a Sony HD receiver with the ST-2- not even a hint of either signal- which pretty much summed it up for me that it was not money well spent. I works well for local reception ie. within 20mi, that is it beats cheap dipoles, but it is certainly not for use by anyone other than a casual listener.

OVERALL
RATING
2
VALUE
RATING
2
[Dec 14, 2003]
David Ebertt
AudioPhile

Strength:

A strong clear signal (mounted 25 feet up on an existing antenna) 80 feet from the tuner.

Weakness:

None

The ST2 FM antenna made a vast improvement on my system whuch includes a Magnum Dynalab FT 101A Tuner (1997) and Bi-amped with twin Sugden AU41 amplifiers. I have orderes as well a Magnum Dynalab Signal Sleuth. Money well spent.

Similar Products Used:

None

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Dec 16, 2002]
halfnelson
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

1) Strength, what strength? Are you talking about the absent strength LED indication while using the ST-2 ? 2) My wife is happy

Weakness:

Weakness: only mine is to blame, because I believed a smart guy managed to defy the physics law ! Only outdoor directional antenna can provide strong and clean signal, period.

Living in a flat in the nearby of Paris, I was looking for a better indoor performer than the given dipole antenna which is usually supplied in every tuner’s package. Because a friend of mind warmly recommended the ST-2 model I finally bought the equivalent (original making?) Metz AM/FM model which IMHO is actually the same reference as the Magnum Dynalab ST-2 and Fanfare FM2-G versions (have a look at Metz website), but at a cheaper price. I found myself rather sceptical while opening the packaging; it looks like a CB or Marine antenna that has been tailored (tweaked?) for FM reception, and the ugly/ utilitarian style combined with the rather bulky design (whip length) don’t integrate very well with a nice looking living room. OK, OK, you can hide it behind a curtain or furniture but at the expense of reception quality: in ST-2 manual it is clearly recommended to keep the antenna away from walls (a big challenge for an indoor antenna !), TV mast and any reflective vertical surface (so what is the mounting bracket for?) to avoid the ST2 becoming directional. So here we start the painstaking process to find out the right antenna location which would combine the best FM reception with the famous Woman Acceptance Factor. But let’s start with the reception quality first; as my tuner provides two FM antenna inputs, I could plug the ST2 in direct comparison with the cheapo dipole antenna which hangs along the wall. After scanning across the FM band and searching the best ST-2 locations & positions everywhere in the room (my wife was outside for shopping ) during a whole afternoon, I came up to the bitter conclusion; my dipole is better and not only by a small margin! Not only the strength meter indicated 3 more LED’s with the dipole than with the ST-2, but it also provided a far cleaner sound with less hiss and noise. Even worse, with the ST-2 some radio stations (usually strong and good )could’nt tune in stereo, or simply kept muted ! I couldn’t believe my dirty $2 dipole could beat the 60 $ “state of the art” passive FM antenna, so I double-checked again and again all connectors, coaxial cable, locations etc…. with no success . The ST-2 simply doesn’t make it.

Similar Products Used:

cheapo dipole antenna, various active indoor models

OVERALL
RATING
1
VALUE
RATING
1
[Jun 18, 2000]
Bill
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Very strong FM reception, no hiss..

Weakness:

None, except if looks our important (looks like fishing rod)



The Magnum Dynalab S-2, is an outstanding fm passive antenna. The Terk am.fm pi I bought last year, was a great improvement over the pyramid model I bought in 87. However, I still got an annoying hiss when listening to my favorite classical station. Ordered the S-2 from "audioadvisor.com" and was amazed at the hugh improvement in sound quality. The "hiss" noise has disappeared, imaging, soundstage have improved dramatically. Excellent product that really works.

Similar Products Used:

Terk pyramid antenna (1987 model), Terk am.fm (PI)(1999 model)

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Aug 02, 2001]
Neon Karbender
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

I thought The Click and Clack Brothers were sitting in my Apartment with me!

Weakness:

Nothing

Well the reviews of the Fanfare were also very good, possibly had the edge on this antenna, but I wanted to buy local and the local HiFi Emporium sells MD, so here I am.

I first tried the wire dipole, then the Radio Shack. The Shack was a huge thing across the top of my window and made little difference if powered up or not. In some ways the underpowered mode was a little more open. Either way it picked up lots of stations, but was never absolutely quiet or 'there'. The MD Silver Ribbon was the opposite - it didn't pick up as many stations, but was clearer and more open, but still a little hiss, and it wasn't natural - so back it went. I've ended up with this ST-2 Whip, it hangs from the Venician Blind cord by the window and is near invisible. The Ribbon sat on the HiFi rack and was too visible and the cable would pull itself over, but the ST-2 just disappears.

The sound now is so good, the DJs are talking just to me, there is no hiss, there is depth to the sound stage, it's like CD!

It works for me, I only listen to one station (local), but I recommend it.

Equipment:
Audiolab 8000T
Vdh interconnect and Speaker Cables (The First, SCS-12, The Wind)
B&W CDM1

NK.

Similar Products Used:

Magnum Dynalab Silver Ribbon
Radio Shack powered 6ft wide thing
Wire Dipole
My Thumb

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Aug 02, 2001]
pat murphy
Audiophile

Tried the ST2 with my MD 101A w/Etude upgrade and got a better soundstage however, for grins I hooked up an old base-loaded CB antenna to my MD and there was the same performance. When horizontal, reception was even better but got some multipath, depending on direction of transmitter from me. CB antenna saved me $70 compared to the ST2. Try it for fun.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
2
[Oct 20, 2001]
Andre Seguin
Audiophile

Strength:

Robust, easy installation. Greatly improves FM signal quality.

Weakness:

None.

I own an Audio Refinement Tuner Complete and listen exclusively to an all classical FM station in Montreal, CJPX 99.5.

My prior setup included a cheap dipole antenna. Signal strenght has always been strong but I was hearing all kinds of multipath interference and ghost artifacts.

I originally considered upgrading my dipole with the Magnum Dynalab SR100 (Silver ribbon antenna). A salesman at my hi-fi store recommended that I go with a permanent solution, the Magnum Dynalab ST-2 antenna.

I was skeptical about the ST-2 has I have read mixed reviews about it. The salesman offered to take it back if I was not satisfied. He will not be taking it back.

Installation is effortless. I am unable to install the antenna outdoors, so I installed it in front of a large bay window simply by driving a 1" nail in the top window frame and letting the ST-2 hang vertically upside down on a piece of thread. No need to drill unnecessary holes.

Once I had connected the 75 ohm coaxial cable to my tuner, I started an attentive listening session. The results
are staggering. The sound has been completely transformed. No more multipath interference, the FM signal is focused and clean. Best of all is the improved sound dynamics. When given a good FM signal, this antenna clearly demonstrates the potential of FM broadcasting.

To owners of good tuners; do yourselves a favor and try out this antenna. Very highly recommended.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
Showing 1-10 of 12  

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