Geshi,
I've had both in house for serious listening (you are right, the MBL 6010 is a stunner to look at !). I hooked them up with my ref one mono's and Avalon Eidolon.
The synergy with the Ref 3 is evident, right from the start. Great combination between the natural (however still tuby) sound of the ref 3 and the detailed and natural musicality of the ref ones.
The 6010D is much more analitical and (for me) to harsh. I like a little warmth. When using PAD Dominus (liquid !) IC's and speakercables I came close, but still lacked a little warmth to my taste.
With the right poweramp, I'm sure the 6010 will offer a lot of quality. Razorsharp images, very detailed and dynamic sound.
I also listened to the 6010 on Pass (xa-160's) and MBL poweramps and that was a great match! Altough the Pass was much more warm sounding and the MBL combo very 'fast' and detailed, both matched very well with the 6010D.
So, unless you really like a sharp and ultra detailed sound, I'd go for the Ref 3.
Good luck
I've had both in house for serious listening (you are right, the MBL 6010 is a stunner to look at !). I hooked them up with my ref one mono's and Avalon Eidolon.
The synergy with the Ref 3 is evident, right from the start. Great combination between the natural (however still tuby) sound of the ref 3 and the detailed and natural musicality of the ref ones.
The 6010D is much more analitical and (for me) to harsh. I like a little warmth. When using PAD Dominus (liquid !) IC's and speakercables I came close, but still lacked a little warmth to my taste.
With the right poweramp, I'm sure the 6010 will offer a lot of quality. Razorsharp images, very detailed and dynamic sound.
I also listened to the 6010 on Pass (xa-160's) and MBL poweramps and that was a great match! Altough the Pass was much more warm sounding and the MBL combo very 'fast' and detailed, both matched very well with the 6010D.
So, unless you really like a sharp and ultra detailed sound, I'd go for the Ref 3.
Good luck