MBL 101 mk2

Rupe,

I'm just back from a week in Munich and Berlin! What a great visit--and what tremendous hospitality Kathy and I were shown by Wolfgang, Jurgen, Silvia, David, April, everyone else at MBL, and everyone we met on our travels in Germany! Saying a truly heartfelt "thank you" to all just doesn't cover it. I've never had a more thrilling or enjoyable trip and will never forget the kindness we were shown or the sights we saw and the music we heard.

Although I only stopped in at the Munich High End show for a few hours on the last day of the show, I'll post a a few pictures and comments on what I saw and heard in a separate thread (see http://forums.avguide.com/viewtopic.php?p=8003#8003). As for the 101s...yes, indeed, there is a brand new 101 E, dubbed the 101 E Mk II. It is quite a bit different than the 101 E I reviewed and raved about several years ago (and the 101 Es we've all been wowed by, year in and year out, at RMAF and CES). Both the clam-shell, push-push, dynamic subwoofer and the Radialstrahler midrange are completely new designs in the Mk II; so is the subwoofer cabinet, which has been reconfigured to provide greater definition and control in the bottom octaves and to lower the height of the speaker so that it is easier to listen to from a chair or couch of normal height. Even the "grille" cover is different (although, as with the 101 E, the Mk II sounds better without a grille). From a brief listen, I'd have to say that the Mk II is not just new, but improved--and that's saying something.

I thought I would be reviewing the new 101 E Mk II, but I'm genuinely delighted to report that, instead, I will be getting a world scoop on MBL's flagship--the $200k 101 X, driven (of course) by another $200k worth of MBL electronics, including the new 6010 D, the 9011 monoblocks, and 1611 DAC and 1621 transport--all of which you can see illustrated in the picture below, as it was shown in Munich!

While I've had serious reservations about the way the 101 Xes have been set up and shown at CES (good Lord, that giant room last year at CES with its forty-foot ceilings was a nightmare), I've also heard them sound extraordinary on select cuts (see my show report in TAS for details). Having undergone a several-years-long process of design and redesign, the 101 Xes are apparently now ready for review. (They certainly showed well in Munich.) That Wolfgang Meletzky and Jurgen Reis and David Alexander would take the chance of sending their flagships to me--their most vocal critic--tells you the kind of confidence they have in their products and the kind of integrity they have as a company.

Jon

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The midrange unit in the 101 E Mk II (and the 101 E) is the second "Radialstrahler" driver from the bottom (or the top)--i.e., the larger of the two carbon-fiber-petal bulbs. (See illustration below, showing the new midrange "Radialstrahlers" readied for further assembly at the MBL factory outside Berlin.)

The much larger aluminum-petal Radialstrahler woofer (the "melon") remains the same. (See photo below, showing the woofer under construction at the MBL factory outside Berlin.)

I believe that the "new" midrange is the same unit in both the 101 E Mk II and the 101 X.

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Jacob,

The MBL 101X isn't a line-array; it is an omnidirectional D'Appolito array. Of course, Radiahlstrahler speakers (omnidirectional speakers) could be said to have some of the qualities of dipole line sources and some of the qualities of point sources and some qualities that you only hear with omnis. In general, MBL omnis sound uniquely "open" and "freed-up" and "spacious," with simply extraordinary soundstaging breath and width (truly "wrap-around" stereo), larger somewhat less focused imaging than a point source (in this sense, more like a line source), the best dynamics I've ever heard from any speaker of any provenance save for really great horns (unbelievable transient speed and impact), the most realistic upper-mids and treble I've heard from any speaker of any provenance period (you would simply have to hear a drum kit with cymbals through these speakers to understand what I mean), the most three-dimensionality of any speaker of any provenance (although this, it could be argued, is "ersatz," because of the way omnis energize every inch of the listening room), and (at least with the original 101 E driven by MBL's own fantastic 9011 monoblocks) the most incredible deep bass I've heard from any speaker of any provenance in my room.

MBL speakers have always gotten that first step in listening to music more "right" than other speakers I've heard--they energize you the way music itself energizes you; they make you feel physical excitement, which, as it does in a live concert, gets you physically and emotionally involved with what your listening to, gets you "moving" (tapping your feet, waving your arms like an orchestra conductor). They give you that rush of endorphins that live music also gives you. They thrill. No, they aren't as uncannily "neutral" or "accurate" in timbre as something like the great Magico Mini IIs (although it would be mistake to sell them short on sheer beauty of tone color).

As for line sources and "continuity"...no, I've not found line sources to sound discontinuous in general. On the contrary, full-range stats or ribbons are the quintessence of continuousness. Where you run into trouble is when you try to yoke these drivers to a cone. Line source or point source, this can lead to a discontinuous sound if it isn't done with just the right drivers, crossovers, and enclosures.

Jon

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Jacob,

What I saw of Berlin on a first visit was, indeed, impressive--a beautiful city that has been rebuilt from rubble since the end of the war and remains, I'm told, the largest urban construction site in the world. The architecture is stunning, new and old. Musical culture is, as you'd expect, extraordinary. While we were there we heard Alfred Brendel give his "farewell" concert at the Philharmonie (thanks to Wolfgang)--a recital I will remember for the rest of my life.

MBL's offices and show room are in Berlin proper, but its factory is outside the city in a little town called Eberswalde, not far from the Polish border.

Jon

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Haydn Sonata (Andante and Variations) in F minor (Hob.XVII:6), "Un piccolo divertimento"; Mozart’s Sonata No. 15 in F major (KV 533); Beethoven’s Sonata No. 13 in E-flat major (“quasi una fantasia”); the Schubert B major Sonata; plus encores.

The Beethoven was the finest live solo performance I've heard by any pianist of any piece of music.

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