Pros and cons of the Magico Mini vs MBL 101E

Thank you Osgorth. Your suggestion about the jumpers for the bass on the 101Es is very probably the reason for their disappointing sound at the NY show. I didn't know about the switch that allows one to tune bass for room accoustics. If I had known, I would have said something to the dapper gentleman who was in charge of the demonstration, and perhaps he might have altered the balance. A design allowance for fine tuning a loudspeaker is, in my opinion, a major positive factor, and I think that MBL's advertising has missed an opportunity by not informing readers of its incorporation into the 101E's design.

Yeah, it could well be that they choose to bump the bass a bit to make it sound more impressive on the show.. A really bad practice if you ask me! When my local dealer got his first pair I experienced this. It had a lot of bass, overpowering to my ears, I didn't like it at all, and it certainly didn't sound the way it sounded when I heard them in Germany earlier. The switches were discovered and it was set to neutral, and after that they sound as alive and engaging as I remembered. The difference was far from subtle!

I hope you get the chance to hear them the way they're supposed to be, it's a real experience. :)

I haven't heard the Magico, but I have heard MBL overload the bass at an LA show. For some reasons of their own choosing, the company demo'd the 101 in a (large) room at unbearably high volume. But...

I heard the smaller (111?) MBL floorstander at a dealer in a better room at manageable spl and was more favorably impressed. At both the show and the dealer, the MBLs produce a feeling of "you are there" that is pretty much unique in my experience. The 111 doesn't do the bottom octave, but sounded very good to me.

IMHO, MBL doesn't do themselves any favors with their demos. Try to find a dealer to get a better sense.

Good luck,

Marty