New Scansonic MB2.5B vs older MB2.5

There is a huge shift from the MB2.5 Bs from the MB2.5s.  The redesign made these speakers far more practical. 

The two major changes are that they don't need the silly amount of space they used to need.  The MB1 Bs, 2.5 Bs and 3.5 Bs are all easy enough to place and need maybe 18" from the rear wall to be at their best.  Secondarily, the ridiculous break in time is now gone.  30-50 hours is plenty.  

I am not sure they need tons of power but they need quality power. I have a customer running them with a PrimaLuna and they sound phenomenal.  

the MB5 Bs and MB6 Bs still need a bit of space but they are rear ported and can live with 3' from the back wall.  

Awesome speakers and sorry I hadn't heard them yet when you had posted a year ago.  

Can anyone comment on whether these play well with rock recordings? Thinking about picking up a pair but afraid of the typical high end speaker not sounding good with somewhat compressed rock recordings. Also would you consider this speaker as pretty neutral or more forward? Thanks much 

@temmple Your post is over a month old but I’m just seeing this now. I would say that the 2.5B is a very versatile speaker, and its sonic signature will be shaped by their placement and the quality of the amp it is paired with. I have heard them to be incredibly and transparent, from the neutral to just a tad warm if the amp is capable of controlling them. If you are using an amp that cannot deliver the current it needs on demand, the speakers will sound thinner and brighter. I’ve found that positioning can make the 2.5B’s sound anywhere from forward to projecting well behind the speakers.

In full disclosure, I am a new Scansonic dealer and have the MB-2.5B in walnut in place playing as I write. Prior to being a dealer, I did personally own the MB-6B, which unseated a pair of $25K Wilson Yvette. Most people will say you should spend most of your audio budget on speakers and 25-50% of your speakers’ price on an amp. I’ve found the reverse to be true with Scansonic. They play better than many speakers up to 4x their retail, but they benefit from amplifiers that are 1-2x their retail price to get the best out of them.

I recently replaced the Lyngdorf SDA2175 class D power amplifier with an old Motif MS1001 power amplifier and the Primaluna Prologue Three preamp with a Primaluna Dialogue Premium preamp and adding Mit Shotgun S1 speaker cables. What a quantum leap forward!! The Motif amplifier, despite its almost 30 years of life, has given richness and magic to the sound emitted by the Scansonic MB2.5B. The Motif is truly a crazy amplifier, too bad it's practically unobtainable. For Scansonic owners, especially if they have been placed on a wooden floor, I recommend using the Isoacustics Gaia III feet. They will be amazed!!