MBL 9011 v/s Boulder 2050 monos

I would consider different i/c before I switched out amps since Nordost has some serious issues. The sonic flavours are very different cable to cable and would be a to hear new sounds from the same amps. Hope this helps Dennis

Given the preferences you list, Sthekepat, you sound like a prime candidate for MBL speakers. Given that you already have the preamp, I would take a good listen to the 111 or 116 speakers coupled with the 9007 amps. They together would clock in at a lower price than the 9011s alone, and I'm absolutely certain it would give you the improvements you ask for. :)

Now, if you have a large room (35-40m2 or larger) you really want the 101 speakers, but they are a bit expensive, and also want the larger amps like 9008 or 9011.

To my ears, 9008 and 9011 sound a bit bass-heavy when played on other speakers than the 101, which is what they were designed for. So if you want to couple these to other speakers I strongly recommend an in-home demo.

Thanks Osgorth.
I will be considering speakers pretty soon. My room is a dedicated room of about 22 x 15 x 9. I got e-mails from some who swear by the 9011s being the most transparent amp of all and as you mentioned with the MBL preamp it might make a swell combo. In about 10 days, I will have a shootout between the boulder 2050s and the mbl 9011s. Will post the results soon after.

That'll be fun I'm sure, the shootout between those beasts! :)

I'm just thinking that in the setup you have, I would look at the speakers first for an improvement. I have heard the Ushers several times and I'm not that impressed with them. Given your room size, I strongly recommend an audition of the mbl 111 or 116 speakers before you do anything else.

In any case I'd love to hear your views after the shootout! Both are fantastic amps.

Sthekepat
you might try and add the Karan mono blocks to the shootout of the beasts. Karans are a paltry 1500 watts and and a damping factor that is 20,000. Neutrality is a strong suit of the amps and there is a great review in HiFi+ comparing them against some of the most current designs.Have fun gunslinger!Cheers Dennis