From Pipedream to MBL 101e, any thought?

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.

Ralph, I would love to learn how much improvement the latest Pipedreams over my model 18. Is there any way to upgrade the older model like mine to get closer to the new one? I am relocating the Pipes into my new conference room and theater. The size of this room is very large, approximately 18x30 sq. meter.
If I can do the upgrade at a reasonable cost I might be interested.

All I wanted to report is the sound from the MBL 101e is so real, so life like with all the macro and micro dynamics I could ask for. They also are very sensitive to any changes upstream you don't have to go back and forth several times to distinguish the differences.

Originally, I was planning on adding a pair of subs in case the bass wasn't sufficient, given that I was used to the big subs from the Pipedreams. The 101e later show me they have bass and a very good quality bass indeed. I must emphasize that my room is not ideal for reproducing bass. There is room mode at 60-70hz and a dip at around 40hz that I can't get rid of without an extra help. When I was using my Pipes, I can fiddle with the electronic crossover that came with the Pipes and choose the best combination of bass equalization and cut off frequency. No such luxury for the 101e. I did a lot of thinking and came up with a wonderful tool just for my application. I bought a pair of Velodyne sms-1 equalizer, each one for each channel because the velodyne was designed for one sub only. It worked like a charm and I now can keep the bass peak in my room down to an acceptable degree.
With the bass eq in effect, I find the bass of the 101e outstanding. The leading notes of an acoustic bass or even electric bass, for that matter, is realisticly sharp and without trailing overhang. The drums has power and texture I was not clearly aware of before. Admittedly, the ultra low frequency from piped organ may be not vibrating the room as much as the Pipes' subs but I would gladly trade that for the quality of the bass I get from the 101e.

Later for more report, I will.
Suchart