Anyone Had Extended Listening Experience With MBL?

Sure.

The speaker is easier to drive than most people think (my exposure is the mbl101). 200 watts is plenty in most rooms. The speaker measures a crazy low efficiency because it is omnidirectional. Once you are back from it a little ways you find its really about 89-90 db. Not that hard to drive.

It can also be driven by tubes. Its not a hard load, but it is 4 ohms. I recommend an amplifier that employs feedback to tame the 8 ohm peak in the upper midrange, otherwise a zero feedback amp can be employed if the proper ZOBEL network is used.

I found the speaker to be musical and IMO much more musical than their amps or preamps! Proper room treatment is a good idea. The imaging is very precise and the speaker is full range. Its also quite fast so it can be really convincing.

I’ve listened to MBL 101E with a variety of components: Jeff Rowland 725 amps, McIntosh amps, and now they’re connected to PS Audio BHK 300 mono-amps. The MBL preamp was used every time I heard them.. All cables are Wireworld Platinum Series 7. The 101E’s are very detailed, open, great imaging and tonality. They can sound too detailed, almost bright at times.

@linden56

Yes, I’ve heard many of their speakers. The first time was at the Show in Newport Beach maybe four years ago. The speaker was the 111F driven by MBL Reference Line electronics including the mono blocks, ref preamp, and the DAC with transport. They almost always have a reel-to-reel as a source as well. I probably listened two hours or more that day, in about 2-3 sessions.

The next time I believe I heard the 101 E and it was all MBL gear but don’t remember which line it was from. Probably listened for an hour. Hard to leave the room.

I then heard the 101-Extremes playing with all MBL Reference electronics as well as the reel-to-reel. I’ve heard that setup two or three times and it is always sublime. Probably listened for more than an hour. It is always hard to leave the room; everything is just so right – for me at least.

I’ve heard the 101 E MkII’s several times with Noble Line electronics and the reel-to-reel.

The last time I heard the 101 E MkII’s with Noble Line electronics and a music server; Jeremy also played the entry-level Corona line with the MBL 126 speakers, C51 Integrated, and N31 CD/DAC (no server). Believe it or not, the entry level system was fairly close to the 101 E MkII’s with Noble Line electronics, just smaller in scale. I was surprised at just how close it was. I’m probably a bit biased though.

I’ve also heard the MBL 116 speakers with McIntosh electronics. I felt that the Mac gear was not a good synergistic match with MBL. Please don’t take that as a jab at Mac because I actually own Mac with Martin Logan now. Mac works well with Martin Logan, just didn’t think so with the MBL speakers.

As far as wire and any power conditioning, I don’t remember the minutiae on that. You could check with Jeremy at MBL and he can tell you because he always does the demos. He always has his systems dialed in.

I know you are wondering how I feel about MBL; was just trying to share which speakers and gear. Firstly I agree with atmosphere, except on the following: in an all-MBL system, synergy is very high and I really love the sound. So much so that I am dreaming of that entry level Corona Line system consisting of the 126 speaker/integrated/CD-DAC and it will probably be my next system if I build another. It’ll be all-MBL because I think so highly of the synergy between MBL components and speakers. I’ve never heard MBL speakers with tubes but that sounds like a proposition based on atmasphere’s observations.  To me synergy is everything and I think MBL speakers with MBL electronics is the sweet spot.

about 8 hours with a Wadia deck, CJ top line pre GAT something, and the big class A Musical Fidelity amp...a beast
cables a mix of Elrod for power and Kubala for signal

the scale was impressive, overall fantastic but as with most omnis the image out of scale and vague....

the hifi WOW was there in spades......

I’ve been a huge fan of MBL since the late 90’s, when I heard the first truly realistic rendering of drums and especially drum cymbals, at a CES show. It blew my mind how much more natural and realistic the MBLs sounded vs everything else at the show (not just spatially, but in every way).

I was pretty obsessed with the 101Ds (at the time) and heard them in various set-ups, including at Absolute Sound reviewer Michael Gindi’s place (he was one of their first cheerleaders). Properly set up, there still isn’t anything that beats an MBL 101 (now in E version) in many respects for realism, IMO. Though MBLs are known for incredible imaging, which I love about them, I’m actually a "truth of instrumental timbre" guy first and foremost. My main disappointment with high end audio is that I can not find a sound system that doesn’t homogenize instruments and voices. But when an MBL speaker is carefully set up (in the right room, and avoiding electronics that emphasize any possible steeliness), to my ears they produce a believable rainbow of timbral colors better than anything else. I have long been in agreement with TAS’s Jonathan Valin that the MBL tweeter is among the best, if not the best, sounding tweeters in the world. The mids and highs of the MBL have the most effortless resolution I personally have heard.

As the MBL 101s are beyond my means, I ended up with a pair of smaller MBL 121 monitors, which share the same omni midrange and tweeter as the big models. So I get to enjoy that special MBL quality whenever I want.

I currently use bigger Thiel 3.7 speakers much of the time and they are resolution and coherency monsters. But whenever I put the MBLs in the system, they show the Thiels their place. The resolution is so fine and natural, the tweeter so unmechanical and believable, and the MBLs portray a range of timbral colors even the Thiels can’t match - the way wood sounds like wood, steel like steal, and they are the only speaker I’ve heard that can outdo the Thiels in soundstaging believability.

As for amplification, given how low their sensitivity is, and the fact you always see MBLs being driven by huge, massively powerful MBL amplifiers, I did worry somewhat about how the 121s would sound with my Conrad Johnson Premier 12 140w/side tube monoblocks. It turns out they are a fantastic match. They drive them beautifully, giving me the things I love about the MBLS, and the things I love about the CJ amps.
(I use a CJ Premier 16LS2 preamp). My room is only 13’ by 15’ and I don’t listen really loud normally, so I don’t need tons of power.

In fact, on of my biggest discoveries was hooking the MBLs up to my classic old Eico HF-81 integrated tube amp, a mere 14W per side! The MBLs sound utterly glorious with that amp, sounding even bigger and lusher than with the CJs. It might actually be my favorite amp/speaker pairing.

Though I may have various floor standing speakers continue to pass through my house, I can’t see ever letting go of the MBLs. They are just too original and do things I’d never get again.

So that’s what I can give you as an owner. (Sorry, no cables mentioned because I don’t do high end cables).

Which MBL speakers are you interested in, linden56?