From Pipedream to MBL 101e, any thought?

ONE pair of ML-33's should be more than enough especially if you have a 220V
outlet feeding them. but would the "tonality" of ML amps affect the speaker in a negative way? one can only try the combination out IN YOUR ROOM to see
if it works out or not. i heard great sound at a stereophile show years ago from the 101's in a "motel room" without any EQ as far as i could tell. I seem to recall M.Fremer did a review of the speakers (awhile back) and did alot of tweaking to get them to sound good to HIS ears. so his conclusion was that they were "fussy" but great if you could "tame" them. i was impressed WAY in the OTHER direction at the show. yes, the MBL amps were in use, but with wire everywhere and people standing around everywhere it sounded really quite excellent, and i was standing off to one side. laugh all you want, but EMPIRE used to make a gorgeous 360 speaker with a marble top that sounded that way too (on a smaller scale). it might have been mid-fi but the Beatles' White Alblum sounded incredible anyway...

Hi guys, I know it's been over a year since I last posted but I just want to give you all some updates. First, The 4 ML 33s are performing great with the 101e, but it's certainly not easy or simple to bring out the best from this speaker. Secondly, After an optimum setup is achieved, I must say the 101e surpasses the Pipes in almost every aspects. And I have been living with the Pipes for more than 5 years. Lastly, I can definitely say that while a pair of ML33s may be just enough for the 101es, two pairs are definitely better. Much better such that once you heard the latter you don't want to go back.
More details later.

Suchtan, the Pipedream people have a new speaker that is really amazing. The high end is much more defined, smoother and faster than the 101. They have a new tweeter that is nearly omnidirectional and one of the fastest made. They have a couple of patents on it. It seems like the speaker is easier to drive too.

Hi Ralph, great to hear from you. I always respect your comments on audiogon forums and your products. By the way, are you talking about the newer version of Pipedreams speakers or the Scaena speakers which is the new brand altogether? I have heard the Scaena and agreed that they are way ahead of my Pipes which is more than 10 years old now. But that's not my point.
When I started this thread I wasn't sure that my decision to switch to MBL was an upgrade or just merely a change per se. I was a bit worried that my ML 33s would be working well with the 101e, especially their tonal characteristics. As I mentioned before, I may be the first who's pairing the 101e with the 33s. Some famous MBL owner like Dev has successfully driven the 101s with amps other than their own. He even mentioned he tried the MBl 9011 and didn't like the sound. So I was hoping I could get the sound I was looking for from my 33s. It turned out that I could obtain that sound and even more than I expected. I have one thing to clarify though. My 33s are not typical. I bought them used and found out that most of the small caps were due for replacement. Instead of replacing the same brand I was lucky enough to upgrade them with blackgate caps which are almost impossible to find now. I also upgraded the opamps but I couldn't remember the exact model. The result was a much better transparency and more body and density to the sound but retain the silky smoothness of the Levinson house sound.

I have a lot to share with other audiogon members in this thread but I will take my time and keep my story long and interesting, I hope.

See u later and happy listening.

Suchart

Suchart, the speaker I am thinking of is made by the same company that made the Pipedreams 15 years ago. Its not Scaena.