Feel free to contact me as I work for mbl and can answer any of your questions: [email protected]
The speakers we played at the Hilton for HEE were the new 116 and 121 ($18,000 and $10,000), which share tweeter, midrange driver, and omni-directional radiation pattern with the famed radialstrahler mbl 101. The impedance load from all the mbl speakers is a relatively flat 4 Ohms, therefore not a difficult load for many amps. The speakers do like a large current delivery, but the 121, 116, and 111 are far easier to drive than the 101.
A note on the "sensitivity" issue; the standard measurement is for sound pressure with 1 watt of amplifier power at 1 meter from the speaker in a vacuum; no one listens to 1 watt amps and no one listens in a vacuum...my point is that the omni directional radiation pattern of the mbl radial speakers puts the sound pressure in room at a much higher level than conventional speakers can, hence their ease with dynamics and "live music" -esque presentation.
We have customers using the Rowland amps, both older and the ICE power amps, to good effect. We recommend 250 watts at 4 Ohms for the 121, 116, 111, and 300 watts or more at 4 Ohms for the 101.
The new mbl amp 9007 on display at the HEE show is a fully discrete diferentially balanced design...this is what accounts for it's large size, weight, price tag, and soundstage. It is the little brother to the massive 9011 and the 9008 amplifiers.
Thanks!
The speakers we played at the Hilton for HEE were the new 116 and 121 ($18,000 and $10,000), which share tweeter, midrange driver, and omni-directional radiation pattern with the famed radialstrahler mbl 101. The impedance load from all the mbl speakers is a relatively flat 4 Ohms, therefore not a difficult load for many amps. The speakers do like a large current delivery, but the 121, 116, and 111 are far easier to drive than the 101.
A note on the "sensitivity" issue; the standard measurement is for sound pressure with 1 watt of amplifier power at 1 meter from the speaker in a vacuum; no one listens to 1 watt amps and no one listens in a vacuum...my point is that the omni directional radiation pattern of the mbl radial speakers puts the sound pressure in room at a much higher level than conventional speakers can, hence their ease with dynamics and "live music" -esque presentation.
We have customers using the Rowland amps, both older and the ICE power amps, to good effect. We recommend 250 watts at 4 Ohms for the 121, 116, 111, and 300 watts or more at 4 Ohms for the 101.
The new mbl amp 9007 on display at the HEE show is a fully discrete diferentially balanced design...this is what accounts for it's large size, weight, price tag, and soundstage. It is the little brother to the massive 9011 and the 9008 amplifiers.
Thanks!