MBL Insolvent

@ghdprentice I agree. Not  muchbroom for error in a low volume business with significant capital costs and  a competitive environment to boost. It seems to me that these are the businesses the innovate and take risks And we need them to succeed. Sooner or later, it benefits everyone who is interested in this stuff . 

there’s a lot of competition in what is a very small slice of the market. I don’t think high end will go away, but I definitely think it will change. Over the next 5 to 10 years. I think we will see a very significant migration to all-in-one solutions like the focal diva. The technology will improve and younger folks are going to be less interested in eight boxes and a rats nest of cables. 

@lalitk Thank you. I don't think these products are indispensable, I do think they make a subtle but discernible improvement-a bit more clarity and presence. When I've removed them, its not as good but certainly not night and day. The better power you have, I suspect the less advantage derived from the grid protector. The dealer taking me through this (last I suspect) significant upgrade cycle wanted me to try them and others who I know that use them are big fans. I think my dealer is excellent, and I hear a positive difference with these in my system

I'm a bit of a cynic about some of this-I couldn't hear a difference with audiophile switches for example, not to say that others don't-not for me to judge, but I hear a difference with these. If someone says its a placebo, well, I'd say maybe so, that's a real thing, No reason to be dogmatic. I just know my experience.

Most improvements I've made produce incremental, not night and day gains to my ears. The exceptions are moving up in speakers-always rendered substantial gains-mechanical devices with moving parts. The other is room treatments which change the way actual sound waves interact with physical structures. For me-only speaking for me-improving electronics produces positive results but not on the same scale. We all hear differently.

@jasonbourne71 You have a point, these are discretionary products that we can all live without. Of course there are folks who are content to listen to music on a $50 bluetooth speaker who would say people who buy a $200 set of bookshelf speakers are just showing off-its all relative.

Creative destruction is part of the system, but I hate to see businesses like this go away (hopefully a white knight appears) because employees suffer, dealers suffer, and we lose the benefit of an innovator. I know I have benefitted from trickle down technology from products I wouldn't spend the money to buy. I've heard the big MBL extremes a couple of times in 7 figure rigs. I thought the technology and sound was amazing. No way 'll ever own anything like that, so be it. I think this hobby is about deploying the resources we are willing and able to put into it in the way that brings us the most joy-that's different for each of us. The way I look at it is if I have a negative emotional reaction to someone who chooses to spend their money to buy an ultra system, well that likely says more about me than them. 

It is, in many ways, a strange hobby, and the rest of the world, if they think about it at all, think we are all nuts. 

@ghdprentice I heard those at the southwest Audiofest, might’ve been the debut and I thought they sounded really, really good especially for the price

I'm not a MBL fanboy-never owned one of its products, and MBL leadership obviously didn't execute a viable plan. I hope MBL survives-I respect what they do. I've never been really tempted by ARC but I know it makes really good stuff and think the hobby is better off that it came through. I think MBL's entry level integrated is around 12 and entry level speaker is about 15. Whether that's affordable, I suppose, depends on where you sit. Certainly not competitive with ChiFi entry level stuff, which can be very good, but not through the roof either.

I suspect the fact that MBL speakers are so different and its reputation is that MBL stuff doesn't play well with others-they try to leverage customers into the whole MBL ecosystem- may be contributing factors, but that's just a guess.

Raises an interesting question though- I suspect we all agree with the wisdom of selling "affordable" gear, but what is that price point? Is it $1,000 speakers, $5,000? I don't know, but an interesting question.