omni sound in general and mbl specifically done well is radically different. IT can take some time to get it. But I I believe once you do many will never look back at anything else.
It's almost like throwing a switch in teh way you are trained to listen, once you get it, which can take some time. Once thrown, its hard to go back.
I owned OHM Walsh speakers since ~ 1982. Also, Maggies and various more conventional designs. WHen I upgraded to the newer Walshes recently, it took me several months to tune in properly and be able to hear what the newer and more refined Walshes were doing, despite all those years of exposure. Once the lightbulb went off, that was it though, save for tuning the system to maximize the performance of what I was hearing further. Its an apples and oranges kind of thing.
I've heard mbl sound very good in a proper dealer setup (10-12 feet of space behind the speakers and not a typical rectangular room configuration back there, rather the width tapered down further back)) and also sound very mediocre at shows in more conventional setups. THere can be a huge difference. WHen they sounded good, the soudstage and imaging overall was practically in a league of its own, especially in terms of soundstage depth and precise location of musicians or recording elements within the large and deep soundstage. I think that is the mbl sound's unique claim to fame. The extent to which this is realized is largely what will separate mbl from others soundwise. Otherwise, there are many ways to skin the cat out there, many of which are no slouches in the imaging and soundstage departments either, just not to the extent of the best mbl setup I have heard.
Heavy stuff! Expensive too. My mbl demos have been brief so I cannot comment based on extended exposure, but it is a quite unique experience that could take some time to process.
If one had to ship large mbls to GErmany for support, that would be deal breaker for me especially in conjunction with the overall cost of ownership for mbl gear. There appears to be a lot of technology that goes into the mbls. Maybe they are relatively low maintenance in general though. Dunno.
It's almost like throwing a switch in teh way you are trained to listen, once you get it, which can take some time. Once thrown, its hard to go back.
I owned OHM Walsh speakers since ~ 1982. Also, Maggies and various more conventional designs. WHen I upgraded to the newer Walshes recently, it took me several months to tune in properly and be able to hear what the newer and more refined Walshes were doing, despite all those years of exposure. Once the lightbulb went off, that was it though, save for tuning the system to maximize the performance of what I was hearing further. Its an apples and oranges kind of thing.
I've heard mbl sound very good in a proper dealer setup (10-12 feet of space behind the speakers and not a typical rectangular room configuration back there, rather the width tapered down further back)) and also sound very mediocre at shows in more conventional setups. THere can be a huge difference. WHen they sounded good, the soudstage and imaging overall was practically in a league of its own, especially in terms of soundstage depth and precise location of musicians or recording elements within the large and deep soundstage. I think that is the mbl sound's unique claim to fame. The extent to which this is realized is largely what will separate mbl from others soundwise. Otherwise, there are many ways to skin the cat out there, many of which are no slouches in the imaging and soundstage departments either, just not to the extent of the best mbl setup I have heard.
Heavy stuff! Expensive too. My mbl demos have been brief so I cannot comment based on extended exposure, but it is a quite unique experience that could take some time to process.
If one had to ship large mbls to GErmany for support, that would be deal breaker for me especially in conjunction with the overall cost of ownership for mbl gear. There appears to be a lot of technology that goes into the mbls. Maybe they are relatively low maintenance in general though. Dunno.