Best Integrated, period.

Perrew, I'm worried that if you tried Spectron with MBLs and didn't find it involving then the Rowland will be only a little better. For most dynamic speakers I'd recommend the Continuum 500, but with MBLs I'm not so sure. I've never heard that combination, but Kiwi and now you report something missing with a couple of amps that I consider more alike than different.

With the Guarneri Memento and Magicos (Rowland uses Magico in his own set up) I'd expect a very happy result. I don't know the SP Tech at all.

If you can afford the cost and are willing to wait just a little, the new Vienna Acoustic The Music speakers have incredibly stunning midrange. Their proprietary 5" midrange driver covers frequencies from 100Hz to 20kHz with no crossover in that critical range. The absence of intermodulation distortion is stunning and the mids are stunning. In 2009 the line will include more choices, using that driver.

So, I'm thinking that the MBLs need something in addition to power to sound their best. As you no doubt know, they're very room critical, way more so than any other speaker that you've mentioned.

Dave

Dave,

clarification I heard the Spectron with Wilson Watt/Puppy 7s. Ive only heard the big MBL101e's with 9008. I dont find them as hard to place as every body mentions though. The Music seems like a really nice speaker, too big though. Im trying to find a pair of speakers with big sound and small footprint. Magico with Rowland, thats interesting.

Argyro,
love that setup very aestehtic and purist. What amps did you compare the Diablo to?

I'm interested in what amplification Kiwi thinks does sound best with the MBLs. Back in accordance with my point that there is no "best", from what I've read their sound in general leans more towards the detailed and analytic side of things, so I could understand the preference for a hybrid design in that case.

Regarding the technical suitability of the Rowland/ICE, I think his review confirmed that the Rowland did take full control of the difficult to drive MBLS, which is what I would expect and even demand, he just had a few reservations about the resulting sound from his perspective. That is why technical fit of components is key, but that alone does not guarantee a match to tastes.

I've never actually heard MBLS, but from what I have read (a lot), they share a difficult to drive, power hungry load with the Ohms and a similar design to some extent, but I suspect the sound from the specialized omni driver array used is much different otherwise. The Ohm Walsh driver is also a unique design but not totally unlike a conventional dynamic design. I think Class D could work very well in the case of the Ohms and produce a sound that one can "warm up to". Tube amplification is right out with either Ohm or MBL I believe do to the difficult load and power consumption.

Rowland has Magico's big, little (they're large for minis) mini-monitors that he uses with some custom sub. He recently sold his prototype big Magicos that he tri-amped. Anyway, the little bit that I heard was...magic.

Rowland-Magico, that's a match made in...Rowland's shop, if not heaven.

Dave