|
MBL Speaker Systems
For several years now I’ve felt that some of the
best (if not the best) sound at the Consumer
Electronics Show has come from one suite; MBL. Super fast,
dynamic as heck, open and airy as anything on the planet;
experiencing an MBL system is an amazing treat. Take any
superlative, cliché or positive descriptive expression used in
audio, and the MBL speakers (as well as their electronics)
literally define the term. So impressive in fact, I could
resist no longer; I just had to acquire the line.
MBL offers a range of products including
amplifiers, preamps, CD players and speakers. Though all are
superb (most have garnered prestigious awards from reviewers
around the world), the company is probably best known for
their speakers; especially the 101 and 111. Both are unique in
the world of loudspeakers, equally for their striking
appearance and groundbreaking technical achievements. There
simply are no corollaries on the planet. This brief article
will focus on the speakers. I’ll address the electronics in a
separate editorial.
Twenty years ago,
MBL founder, Wolfgang Meletzky
envisioned a radical design for a loudspeaker. His vision was
for a speaker unlike anything that had ever been attempted
before. He and his team of esteemed scientists and engineers
labored for over ten years to perfect the design, which
culminated in the patented Radialstrahler.
The Radialstrahler driver consists of a circular, vertical
arrangement of lamellas (a very thin, flexible membranes)
around an axis. The tops of the lamellas are bonded to a
thrust bearing, the bottoms are connected to a moving coil.
When an electrical signal sets the coil is set into motion,
the force causes the lamellas to bend outward. As in a
conventional loudspeaker, this movement creates a pressure
wave that we perceive as sound. Unlike a conventional driver
however, the Lamellas are extremely light and thus able to
start and stop almost instantaneously. The result are
lightning fast transients that are as clean and refined as
exist in reproduced music. The spherical radiation pattern
fills the room with a positively cavernous soundstage that
envelops the listener. The sense of air, the way the images
float in space and yet are defined and localized is positively
mesmerizing. It’s like no other speaker
I’ve heard.
The Radialstrahler drivers handle the critical
midrange and high frequencies, thus low frequency augmentation
is required. Because the Radialstrahler is so incredible fast
and stunningly real, the bass must be especially capable if
it’s to carry these qualities downward. Specially designed
woofer modules (active or passive band-pass versions are
available) blend with complete seamlessness; an area where so
many other hybrid speaker designs fail. The power, extension
and dynamic qualities, top to bottom, are more than
impressive, they’re exhilarating.
Many who have had the pleasure of experiencing
MBL
speakers, feel they offer the most realistic reproduction
available. Numerous rave reviews have produced a plethora of
superlatives, most pronouncing the speakers as a reference. In
The Absolute Sound review of the 101 Michael Ghindi writes:
“ But even if all the world’s a stage, you’ll never hear a
soundstage in THIS world like the MBL’s. If a recording is
studio flat, the 101’s don’t inflate it all. But if there’s
any space and air on the track, the 101’s so vividly
reconstruct it in your room that you’re certain you can get
us, stroll behind your speakers, and waltz around in some
vaporous, dimensional otherness. Given the right source and
ancillaries, the MBL’s transform the entire area behind your
speakers into the most majestic sonic space you’ve ever heard.
But alas, there isn’t a single cliché in existence to help you
understand what I’m talking about until you experience it for
yourself. In this case, you may think you know what I’m
saying, but you don’t know the experiential meaning of the
word soundstage until you hear the 101’s. And unique to
this speaker is this: no matter where you sit, even if you’re
right in front of one of the speakers,
all you’ll see
is a different sonic view of that same space – the same stage
from a different angle – while the performers turn to face you
wherever you go, as if you’re experiencing a visual rather
than an auditory hologram.”
“The MBL 101d is the best all around speaker I’ve
ever heard.”
I don’t know how to follow those comments other
than to say, “right on!”
-
111e - $27000
-
101e - $49900
116 Speakers -
The latest revelation from MBL
is the 116 floor-standing speaker system. It's eye candy
 to be sure, but this beauty backs up the good
looks with sound that is down right addictive.
This system offers the dimensionality, refinement
and resolution of the larger MBL systems, lacking only in
terms of bass and maximum volume potential (though the 116
will play plenty loud!).
Dual side firing sub woofers replicate the
radiation pattern of the two woofers mounted higher on the
enclosure for consistent room loading. Side firing woofers may
also be of benefit in placement in some rooms.
Finish
quality is immaculate and attention to detail is exemplary,
qualities we’ve come to
expect from MBL. The 116 is a four-way design using
two 8" aluminum cone internal subwoofers, two 5.5" woofers,
the delicious MT-50 Radialstrahler midrange and an HT-37
Radialstrahler tweeter. Frequency response is 32Hz - 33kHz.
The numbers don’t begin to describe the magical qualities
these speakers possess. Hear them and you’ll be lighter by
$20500. Black or silver Piano gloss.
121 Speakers -
The beauty, magic and sheer realism MBL speakers make them
universally appealing. The remarkable engineering and
meticulous handcrafting make their designs expensive. The new
MBL 121 monitor seeks to capture the essence of the MBL sound
in a more compact and affordable package.
MBL's revolutionary "Radialstrahler" system allows the
MBL
121 monitor to conjure up a three-dimensional sound field
like no other speaker made, with depth and laying like you’ve
never heard. The "Radialstrahler" concept is, in theory,
simple, yet ingenious: musical instruments and voices emit
sound waves in all directions – so we created a loudspeaker
that radiates in all directions, not just to the front or
rear, like more common designs.
The critical tweeter and midrange drivers of the MBL 121
share technology with our legendary MBL 101 and MBL 111
loudspeakers, which utilize a patented arrangement of
hand-made curved stripes, or "petals," fixed vertically around
an axis. A voice coil at the base and a counter bearing on the
top keep the petals under tension upward and downward. When a
musical impulse is transmitted from the amplifier to the
speakers, the petals bend in proportion to the current and
emit sound waves (this principle is also called "Bending
Pulsar Driver," or B-Pulsar). The result is an outstanding
three-dimensional and natural sound field, which in any
direction remains undistorted, neutral, and homogenous – just
like the live musical event.
The
MBL
121
applies
Psycho-acoustic principles to the woofers using counter
compensation. By increasing the slew rate in the bass range,
the group delay time is increased, resulting in extended bass,
allowing low-frequency information to be perceived more fully
and clearly. Further,
we calculated the gradient of the acoustic energy in the
MBL
121
so that it declines with 3 dB over 2 decades towards the
higher frequencies. The result is an acoustic increase, which
makes the relatively-compact enclosure sound acoustically
larger.
MBL
Electronics
Just as impressive as the loudspeakers is the range of superb
electronics from MBL. It's very unusual for a company to
possesses the diverse range of skills required to produce both
high quality speakers and electronics. MBL succeeds;
admirably. A complete line up is available, including
preamplifiers, amplifiers, integrated amplifiers, digital to
analog converters, transports and CD players.
MBL equipment is divided into three classes. From
most to least costly they are; Reference, Noble and Basic.
The Reference range is for those
demanding absolute state of the art performance. Reference
gear is understandably expensive due to the cost-no-object
design philosophy employed. Pricey, but phenomenal!
The Noble line represents a
9/10ths solution, offering a good deal of the stellar
performance found in the Reference equipment, at a
significantly lower cost.
The Basic line up, even as
MBL's most cost effective range, is surprising. The
performance more than competes with anything I've heard in the
price range. Build and finish quality are superb.
Noble
Line
5011
Preamplifier -
-
Remote volume control
-
Seven line level inputs -
CD, Aux, two tape and two optional (phono or balanced line
input)
-
Three main outputs - two
unbalanced via RCA, one balanced via XLR
-
DC to 1mHz bandwidth
-
11 Volt output
capability
-
18" x 6.1" x
15.7"
-
42 pounds
-
$8720
8011S
Power Amplifier -
This is truly one of finest solid state amplifiers I have
heard. It has a rare combination of
delicacy, refinement, scale and power that just isn't found
anywhere else. The Absolute sound agreed and awarded the 8011s
their highest award.
-
210 watts into 8 Ohms, 310 watts in 4
Ohms, 380 watts into 2 Ohms
-
23A peak current delivery
-
DC to 130kHz bandwidth
-
Dimensions 18" x 7.7" x 15"
-
Weight 67 pounds
-
$10648
1531 CD Player -
-
Balanced and single ended outputs
-
Heavy die cast frame
-
Linear sledge for radial
tracking
-
CIRC error correction
-
Three beam laser
-
AES/EBU, SPDIF and
TOSLINK digital outputs
-
Remote volume control
-
Dimensions 18" x
6.3" x
16"
-
Weight 44 pounds
-
$8736
Please
see the
MBL
website for information on the rest of the Noble and Reference lines
|
