Purpose – The dual-phase-lag (DPL) model and Lord-Shulman theory with one relaxation time are applied to study the effect of the gravity field, the magnetic field, and the hydrostatic initial stress on the wave propagation in a two-temperature generalized thermoelastic problem for a medium with an internal heat source that is moving with a constant speed. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach – The exact expressions of the considered variables are obtained by using normal mode analysis. Findings – Numerical results for the field quantities are given in the physical domain and illustrated graphically in the absence and presence of the gravity field as well as the magnetic field. Comparisons are made between the results of the two different models with and without temperature dependent properties and for two different values of the hydrostatic initial stress. A comparison is also made between the results of the two different models for two different values of the time. Originality/value – In the present work, the author shall formulate a two-temperature generalized magneto-thermoelastic problem for a medium with temperature dependent properties and with an internal heat source that is moving with a constant speed under the influence of a gravity field and a hydrostatic initial stress. Normal mode analysis is used to obtain the exact expressions for the displacement components, thermodynamic temperature, conductive temperature, and stress components. A comparison is carried out between the considered variables as calculated from the generalized thermoelasticity based on the DPL model and the L-S theory in the absence and presence of a magnetic field as well as a gravity field. Comparisons are also made between the results of the two theories with and without temperature dependent properties and for two different values of hydrostatic initial stress. A comparison is also made between the results of the two different models for two different values of the time.