@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.