Will either of the speakers work in 17X17 room.

mbl will work but probably are designed for a larger room in order to realize the full value.

If you have heard and like mbl it might be worth checking out the OHM speaker line. There are large and small OHMs sized specifically for specific size rooms. If you like them , you might save a lot of $$$$S in the process as well. Plus there is a generous in-home audition policy for these as well so if they do not work out, little is lost in the process.

Tough one. Neither has tight, well controlled bass. Stated a different way, each can be ripe in the bass.

mbl 101e bass was fine, "tight and controlled", articulate detailed, etc. when I heard them , but audition room was fairly large and well tuned acoustically.

I would have some concern they might be a bit much in the bass in a 17X17 room out of the box, but probably ways to tame it if needed, but be prepared to treat out the room accordingly as needed.

Personally, I would want to be able to assure at least 5-6 feet to walls minimal in each direction to feel that I could set up a pair of 101s optimally in a room. That's one of the key to unleashing the mbl magic that others cannot touch. If not, then I think there are better options for a room like that.