Any comments on the MBL 121 Compacts

I have MBL121 that I am using for rear surround speakers. I was using MBL111E for front mains and I use MBL111RC for the center in a dual purpose stereo and home theater set up. I also MBL9007A, Theta Citadel and Wolcott amplifers.

The 3 dimensionality out of the box sound of MBL is fantastic. Naturally, MBL9007A amp sounds best with MBL speakers with Wolcott being close second. I traded MBL111E with my friends Dynaudio Evidence Temptation as I found with direct comparison, Evidence Temptation did better job with classical music that I listen to a lot in stereo mode. I felt that Evidence Temptation when compared to MBL111E with same electronics and MBL9007A amplifier represented truer picture of the live classical event especially with respects to the portrayal of the strings with smoother delicate and quick transients of the strings that is not readily apparent with MBL(much slower). At the sweetspot, Dynaudio has better integration top to bottom than MBL. Out of the sweetspot, MBL111E does much better job keeping its soundstage and imaging no matter where you are. MBLs are quite dynamically capable and plays loud without even a hint of distorsion which is another great benefit of these speakers. I can't think of any better speakers for home theater than MBL's. My ears are trained at live philharmonic concerts all the time especially at Disney Hall. So if your thing is super accurate representation of live sound at a given sweetspot you owe yourself to listen to Dynaudio Evidence Temptation that retails for $40,000. However, if you want everybody to enjoy great crystal clear 3 dimensional sound from any seating position especially with loud pasages and movie effects, MBL is great.

Resulta4sure,

I understand that you are an MBL dealer. Is this correct? If so, you are obligated to state as much. Otherwise, your 'opinions' are simply self-serving and unethical.

For me, the problem with the MBL 121 is the MBL 116. If you are going to add the MBL sub to the 121 (I would), the cost approaches the 116. Even though the 116 doesn't match the bass extension of the 121+sub, I prefer it overall.

In turn, the problem with the 116 is the 111 (I think that's the model). At the end of the day, as much as the speakers impressed me, I couldn't pull the trigger on any MBL as trade-offs in the bass performance kept pushing me toward the 101 and I'm just not ready to spend $40K.

I would agree, however, that MBL makes very impressive speakers.

Marty

I assume you know the drivers in even an expensive speaker (costing $10K or more) only cost a couple of hundred dollars

Quite often true, but MBL is not the only manufacturer that make their own drivers. A few others use expensive drivers too.

BTW: MBL has an absolutely fascinating design...reminds me of Robby from the Forbidden Planet. The 101e has got to be one of the coolest designs out there!

They are the best sounding speaker under $20k that's where the MBL 116 speakers are priced. I have listened to everything out there for the last 20 years, compared to MBL other speakers are just cheap drivers in a box. I assume you know the drivers in even an expensive speaker (costing $10K or more) only cost a couple of hundred dollars. The MBL drivers are made by MBL and are truly revolutionary and different. The Radialstrahler drivers in the 121 are the same tweeter and midrange in the $48k MBL 101 speaker! Warm, rich, fast, and 360 degrees of huge sound is what the MBL speakers give you. Buy a pair now you'll be glad you did!