MBL omnidirectional speakers. How do they sound ?

Dragon its true you can walk around the room while listening and things will continue to sound good just from a different perspective with radial speakers like mbl but more importantly you are not limited to a single sweet spot and can listen from anywhere in the room and still get a coherent sound stage and imaging which makes for a more realistic listening experience IMHO.   The OHM Walsh speakers that are my preference work similarly and is just one reason why no other speakers seem to be able to displace those in my house.

Like nothing else when set up really well.

jon,

No have never owned mbl but heard in demos on various occasions at dealers and shows.

I have owned OHM Walsh speakers for many years and these are still my go to speakers. They are radial designs that have a lot in common with mbl in regards to overall presentation but are much more affordable and designed to fit into most people’s rooms easier (closer placement to walls possible).

Most people including myself probably do not have the rooms needed to allow larger mbls to do their thing to the max. That and the cost make them a tough choice for many I would say. OHM Walsh speakers are a much more practical solution. Plus OHM is US based, has been around many years, and offer absolute top notch customer service in most every regard. TCO over time is much better with OHM I would expect, especially for US based customers.

I also suspect OHm Walsh is much easier to drive than most mbl speakers so easier to get the most out of them (which is a lot) with reasonably affordable good quality amplifiers available to most in the US.

Well they definitely do not sound like most speakers, that much is for sure.

Teh best mbl demo I have heard (at dealer, set up almost nearfield with large space both behind me and the speakers) perhaps sounded the most like real music to me of any, mostly due to the wide and deep holographic soundstage with orchestra members placed cleanly within it.. Others not set up so well (at shows) were quite mediocre at best. So like most things it would seem to depend. I heard this setup with CD, phono and RTR tape source. All were impressive but the RTR was the most lifelike by a clean margin

inna,

not sure I'd generalize to that extent.

There are smaller models that might work well in smaller rooms but distance to walls is probably almost always desirable.

I'm sure there there are much less expensive amps up to the task of driving them well.   However, all demos I have heard have been with MBL amplification TTBOMK. 

I don't know why bass integration would be any harder than with other speakers.   

Imaging is different, perhaps unusual, but I'd say the soundstage and imaging characteristics of omni's/radials in general are what distinguishes them.   Each may either take to it or not.   It does take some getting used to, but I find once you do its hard to ever go back.

Yep it can be an acquired taste in that its not what most are used to hearing at home but once one gets a proper taste of good omni/radial speaker sound, its hard to ever go back and be 100% satisfied. Beware!

jon,

That’s my personal experience only of course. It is an acquired taste, not for everyone obviously. YMMV

But good radials/omnis like mbl or OHM are worth a try for those just not finding the complete answer with more conventional designs and willing to try something truly different and unique. Like conventional speakers, no two designs will sound or work exactly the same. OHM and mbl for example share a radial design but sound very different.

I mention OHM mainly becasue I am most familiar with those and they are a much more affordable and practical option for those interested in trying such things than mbl. The largest most expensive OHMs will likely still cost less than the smallest mbls so that’s a big difference.  Both will respond similarly to quality amplification and source material upstream.