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MBL 111F or 101E ????

Hi experts :)

I am looking to get a new system and I want to hear your input.

I am currently have a Devialet Expert 1000 Pro, my room is 4 meters wide, 9 meters in length because joining with dinning area and an open kitchen next to the dinning area, so it’s like a L shape opened space. I haven’t done any acoustic treatment to it yet.

i have a long tv bench, so the speaker going be about less than half meter away from side walls and may be about half meter away from back walls, this is the limitation I can’t change and will never change unless I move house.

i wondering according to my room space and current equipment, should I get a MBL 111F or 101E???? If 101E will performs better, how much better? Distinctly??? The 101E is quite a bit more expensive than 111F.

I can change my current amp to the MBL N51 integrated amp but that’s it. I cannot afford their 9008 amps and pre-amp combinations, and probably not in any soon future. I am not sure if the single N51(350wpc) will perform better than the Devialet 1000 Pro(1000wpc).

Can any MBL Expert give me some input?

Thanks a lot!!!
peppapig

Showing 3 responses by georgehifi

georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
peppapig
MBL looks like never fall below 4ohm

Pepa, you need to look at the whole picture, ohms and -phase angle combined, which is call EPDR (equivalent peak dissipation resistance).

 EG: a Wilson Alexia, is specified as a 4ohm speaker, but it has a dip at 60hz-80hz of 3.6ohms and a negative phase angle of -43 degrees, this presents to the amplifier a load of .9ohm!!!!! (Yes that's point nine of an ohm.)
This is enough to ruin any amps bass performance save for the very best that can deliver both big current and watts.

My friend (reviewer) has these Alexia speakers, and they sounded great with the Parasound Halo JC1 Monoblocks (designed by John Curl) we thought it doesn't get better that this, massive current and watts with high bias Class-A switch.
Then he reviewed the massive Gryphon Antillion Evo's and he owns it now instead. 

Cheers George   
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
When you said both are very hard to drive, in relative 111F should be slightly easier???

Hah, nothing to to with the midrange melon.
On the 111F it’s where the -phase (dotted line) meets the low impedance at 1khz and again more severe at 40hz again impedance only at 10khz that makes it a hard load.
On the 101E it’s where the -phase and low impedance again meet at 40hz also just the low impedance at 10khz and again between 200hz and 500hz.

Both are hard but in different areas, so it’s hard to say which is easier.

Also both are very low efficiency tested at 81db for the 101E and 80db for the 111F so they both need a lot of watts as well as good current from an amp, your Devialet may work?? but I have a thing against Class-D and have never heard one that makes me settle into the music, that why I suggested the MBL or big Krells for this job.

I've listened to the 101E's for 1/2 a day on different amps, they love to be driven hard, and they will impress big time.
The amp is very important for these speakers, just imagine this is the speaker cable and a wrong amp being sucked up by the speaker.
 http://sliptalk.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/29183752/snake-eats-a-porcupin...

Cheers George
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 

This is the load v -phase graph of the 101E
https://www.stereophile.com/images/412MBLfig1.jpg

This is the load v -phase graph of the 111F even though it says 101 on the graph which is a typo.
https://www.stereophile.com/images/archivesart/497MBLFIG1.jpg

Both are very very hard to drive in the low bass, with the impedance and -phase angle, the 101E again at 200hz to 500hz and again at 10khz.
The 111F is also hard at 1khz and again at 10khz.
You should take the Devialet to the shop to put it on both speakers. and listen compared to the big MBL amp I'm sure they have on hand.
Myself I would look at amps such as MBL own big ones, and also the bigger Gryphon's, big Krells and Agostino's big amp..

Cheers George
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