New Scansonic MB2.5B vs older MB2.5
https://www.monoandstereo.com/2019/02/new-scansonic-mb-b-speakers-series.html
Ciao
Alessandro
After about 3 months that I have the new MB2.5B at home, I can only speak well of these speakers. After a break-in period of over 200 hours these speakers have become delicious. Large opening at the top, excellent bass and medium persuasive. Excellent sound stage and depth of image. After several tests of amplifiers I stopped on a Lyngdorf SDA2175 (200w per channel on 8 ohm and 380 watts on 4 ohm) driven by a Primaluna Prologue 3 preamp. They need good and many watts (it is important to use an amplifier that has good control) to play the best. I don't know the first series of which I have read that many have had some problems managing. But these I can only recommend. Excellent value for money. |
I tried the MB2.5B’s. Incredible speaker. Mid range like a Maggie and Spendor. Yet more detailed in the treble without being fatiguing. Bass is good. Soundstage amazing too. Bass is fast and tight, but needs lots of room to breathe. Transparency also improving all the time. Extremely versatile speaker from a music style perspective. I ended up with the MB5B’S, as my room was too big for the 2.5’s. Didn’t pressurized the room enough. My room is 50sqm. |
There is a huge shift from the MB2.5 Bs from the MB2.5s. The redesign made these speakers far more practical. The two major changes are that they don't need the silly amount of space they used to need. The MB1 Bs, 2.5 Bs and 3.5 Bs are all easy enough to place and need maybe 18" from the rear wall to be at their best. Secondarily, the ridiculous break in time is now gone. 30-50 hours is plenty. I am not sure they need tons of power but they need quality power. I have a customer running them with a PrimaLuna and they sound phenomenal. the MB5 Bs and MB6 Bs still need a bit of space but they are rear ported and can live with 3' from the back wall. Awesome speakers and sorry I hadn't heard them yet when you had posted a year ago. |
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@temmple Your post is over a month old but I’m just seeing this now. I would say that the 2.5B is a very versatile speaker, and its sonic signature will be shaped by their placement and the quality of the amp it is paired with. I have heard them to be incredibly and transparent, from the neutral to just a tad warm if the amp is capable of controlling them. If you are using an amp that cannot deliver the current it needs on demand, the speakers will sound thinner and brighter. I’ve found that positioning can make the 2.5B’s sound anywhere from forward to projecting well behind the speakers. In full disclosure, I am a new Scansonic dealer and have the MB-2.5B in walnut in place playing as I write. Prior to being a dealer, I did personally own the MB-6B, which unseated a pair of $25K Wilson Yvette. Most people will say you should spend most of your audio budget on speakers and 25-50% of your speakers’ price on an amp. I’ve found the reverse to be true with Scansonic. They play better than many speakers up to 4x their retail, but they benefit from amplifiers that are 1-2x their retail price to get the best out of them. |
I recently replaced the Lyngdorf SDA2175 class D power amplifier with an old Motif MS1001 power amplifier and the Primaluna Prologue Three preamp with a Primaluna Dialogue Premium preamp and adding Mit Shotgun S1 speaker cables. What a quantum leap forward!! The Motif amplifier, despite its almost 30 years of life, has given richness and magic to the sound emitted by the Scansonic MB2.5B. The Motif is truly a crazy amplifier, too bad it's practically unobtainable. For Scansonic owners, especially if they have been placed on a wooden floor, I recommend using the Isoacustics Gaia III feet. They will be amazed!! |