[CES 07] MBL Speaker Performance Hindered by Show Mix-Ups
January 11th, 2007 — By Jonathan ValinLost shipment, hasty set-ups make for disappointing sound
Now for my first disappointment. As all of you know, MBL makes one of the greatest loudspeakers and some of the finest electronics that money can buy. Its $48k 101 E Radialstrahler, driven by its $74k 9011 monoblock amplifiers, $19k 6010 D preamp, and $42K 1622/1611E Red Book/SACD transport and DAC, are indisputable hi-fi classics.
Indeed, on first entering the MBL suite on Monday morning and hearing the 101 Es I had the same old spine-tingling feeling of being in the presence of hi-fi greatness that I’ve gotten at virtually every show that MBL displays at - and in my own home when I listen to MBL gear. However, I hadn’t come to hear the MBL 101 Es. I’d come to hear MBL’s new statement speakers, the $125k 101 X’s. Alas, the X’s were lost in shipment and only recovered on Tuesday evening.
A twin-tower loudspeaker, each 101 X comprises two sets of the 101 E’s omni drivers arranged in a quasi-D’Appolito setup, with that big melon of a Radialstrahler woofer on both the bottom and the top and pairs of the 101E’s omni midrange drivers and tweeters in between. Six 12-inch, side-firing, powered, push-push woofers are arrayed in a separate tower (two in each box of a three-box set stacked one on top of the other). After spending all Tuesday night setting up the 101 X’s, MBL’s Jeurgen Reis and Jeremy Bryan had them functioning on Wednesday morning, which is when I finally heard them.
Whether it was the necessary haste that had gone into their setup, the fact that MBL didn’t have the requisite amount of Tara Labs’ incomparable Zero interconnect and Omega Speaker cable to quad-wire the X’s, or the fact that (because of inadequate current in the Venetian Hotel) MBL couldn’t bi-amp the X’s as they planned to do with two pairs of 9011 amplifiers, the results were disappointing. The speakers never really cohered properly. The bass was not as deep-reaching as it should’ve been; nor did it mate as seamlessly as the 101 E’s bandpass subwoofer does with that melon woofer. Furthermore, I didn’t think the omni towers sounded as much of a piece as the single set of the same drivers in the 101 E do.
Knowing MBL, I’m sure that it will solve these problems - I sincerely hope so, since I plan to review them. But truth be told, at CES the X was a major letdown.
Having owned several MBL products over the last 12 years and at present a complete MBL reference system I was looking forward to the 101X or 101Xperience as I like to call it. True the 101E’s were playing on Monday but by Tuesday morning the nearly 3000lb 101X’s were set up and functioning. I visited again on Wednesday afternoon and found an improvement, albeit slight. Between their tweaking and break-in nothing had prepared me for the transformation of the system I heard on Thursday, when I visited just before shutdown. The ultimate test is to find a system that captivates you after four gruelling days of hearing everything under the sun at CES. Playing my own recordings and demo tracks that I know well through the 101X system left me in a sonic rapture that often only comes from a live performance. Coherence, dynamics, harmonically rich, nuance, crushing and delicate all at the same time. It’s unfortunate that Mr. Valin had the nearly insurmountable task of covering a gigantic show held in so many locations this year, because if he had made it back again he would have discovered a system far beyond what he was expecting to hear. For five long years I had heard of this state of the art project, often referred to as Goliath, KUDOS to Mr. Juergen Reis and the entire Mbl staff for the realization of the larger than life 101Xperience!
Comment by Torquemonster January 18th, 2007 @ 8:32 pmI believe that I can honestly say that listening to the 101Xs was likely the finest listening experience that I have ever had. I was prepared for what I thought would be an “incremental” improvement over the standard 101 speakers. I was NOT prepared for what I actually heard. Even given the obvious challenges of that hotel room, the Xs produced an astounding, lifelike, sound. There was utter palpability ( I remember a specific wood block that was just amazing in 3D space); the midrange was seemingly more refined that even an individual 101; and the low end, despite the enormous bass towers, was well integrated and balanced. I recall wondering how this level of bass integration had been accomplished over just a couple days since the speakers arrived had arrived late.
Most of all, the body and sheer power was astonishing, while providing amazing microdynamics and subtle imaging clues. It was just breath-taking! Whether it was a sonic “demo” that was played- that recording of the overhead door slamming!- or more intimate vocals- the Xs sounded as realistic and lifelike as I’ve ever heard, with virtually complete top to bottom integration.I soent a lot of time listening to them over 2 days. Ultimately, I believe that they deserved the highest of all compliments- the Xs sounded more like “real” music than anything else I’ve recently heard.
Comment by Tom Canavan January 22nd, 2007 @ 10:32 amTorquemonster,
I did come back to the MBL room on Thursday, late in the day. Alas, from where I was sitting (or standing) I did not hear the improvement that you did. However, I may not have been in the “sweet spot.” Since I plan to review the 101 Xs I’ll have plenty of time to hear them at their best. And, as I noted, I’m sure that they will sound considerably better than what I heard at CES–MBL just doesn’t make anything that doesn’t sound great.
Jon Valin
Comment by Jonathan Valin January 22nd, 2007 @ 10:37 am