MBL 121 to full range speaker

Marty,

Did you find the tonal balance of the 101s much different than 111s?

I found the 111s tonally different from teh OHMs but I was not sure how much of that to attribute to the difference between the 800w/ch MBL SS monoblocks and SS pre-amp used with the 111s and the electronics in my system using an ARC tube pre-amp and tube DAC. My system has more midrange presence and warmth yet the 111s had as balanced a SS delivery overall as I have heard. The bass may have been just a tad fatter though on the 111s. I would expect the low end to be radically different on the 101s as a result of the unique MBL bass driver used on those compared to more conventional woofers on the 111s.

Map,

To my ear the biggest differences between the MBL 101s and the rest of the line are 1)midrange presence, 2)bass balance, and 3)dynamics.

I assume that #1 is likely due to the extra radial driver in the 101 which crosses in low enough to cover the whole midrange. That is, however, speculation on my part.

#2 is a design choice which "voices" the speaker for a natural bass balance in a larger room than the other models (except the 121s which are rolled off at - I think -80ish hz and utilize a subwoofer to determine bass balance.)

Don't know what causes #3, but the 101 is a monster dynamically - in a different league than the lesser models (and just about everything else I've ever heard, too).

Marty

"Don't know what causes #3, but the 101 is a monster dynamically"

I suspect it is a combo of the radial woofer + sub that is unique to that model (and apparently also a major contributor to the cost relative to other models)

agree with ohms...the not so fluffy mbl.

Yes, the 101E is wonderful. This is the only MBL I've heard actually. I've never heard a speaker that projected instrumentation that sounded like it "floated in air" quite like the 101E did.

Has anyone ever heard the 101X? They look basically like two 101Es stacked on top of each other, but they also come with these giant subwoofer towers. You really need a gigantic room for these babies! I've only seen them in a showroom, but never heard them. Anyone have any experience with them?