Thanks for the various views expressed.
I had the opportunity to audition the MBL 121 side by side with Thiel CS3.7 powered successively by Pass Integrated 150.5 and Pass 250.5.
The X150.5 was a far cry from what it takes to move the MBL121 and was not convincing either with the Thiel (compressed, bright, aggressive, small sound stage). The X250.5 was a totally different story and was at ease with both speakers even though the combination with Thiel was not my cup of tea (again axcessive brigthness, highs a bit aggressive and not sounding enough organic: I am not sure if it is the amp or the speakers which are to blame most). By contrast, the 250.5 was a good match with the MBL121 which blossomed in comparison with what they could deliver powered by the 150.5. And the space that these tiny monitors can feel is simply incredible (and the limited bass range does not strike me as a pb in a normal home listening context).
In a nutshell, I agree that the MBL121 (and in general) need power to be moved and to deliver their staggerring soundstage and fantastic lushness but I really had the feeling that the X250.5 did not run out of steam with them. It should therefore be a piece of cake to pair MBL121 with the X350.5. More watts perhaps would not harm but I wonder if you really need 1.000w per channel. I am powereing a pair of MBL 116 with a Plinius SB301 (310w into 8ohms) which drives them seamlessly and, IMHO, effortlessly.
Cheers,
Fabrice
I had the opportunity to audition the MBL 121 side by side with Thiel CS3.7 powered successively by Pass Integrated 150.5 and Pass 250.5.
The X150.5 was a far cry from what it takes to move the MBL121 and was not convincing either with the Thiel (compressed, bright, aggressive, small sound stage). The X250.5 was a totally different story and was at ease with both speakers even though the combination with Thiel was not my cup of tea (again axcessive brigthness, highs a bit aggressive and not sounding enough organic: I am not sure if it is the amp or the speakers which are to blame most). By contrast, the 250.5 was a good match with the MBL121 which blossomed in comparison with what they could deliver powered by the 150.5. And the space that these tiny monitors can feel is simply incredible (and the limited bass range does not strike me as a pb in a normal home listening context).
In a nutshell, I agree that the MBL121 (and in general) need power to be moved and to deliver their staggerring soundstage and fantastic lushness but I really had the feeling that the X250.5 did not run out of steam with them. It should therefore be a piece of cake to pair MBL121 with the X350.5. More watts perhaps would not harm but I wonder if you really need 1.000w per channel. I am powereing a pair of MBL 116 with a Plinius SB301 (310w into 8ohms) which drives them seamlessly and, IMHO, effortlessly.
Cheers,
Fabrice