Pros and cons of the Magico Mini vs MBL 101E

I heard both the 101E and the Mini 2 at the New York show. I very much liked the Minis -- excellent sound, remarkable for their size. The MBLs, on the other hand, were a surprising disappointment. They were muddy in the bass. That was also the opinion of several people with whom I spoke at the show. At first, I thought that room accoustics might be the problem, and I returned to the MBL room several times during the weekend, hoping that the problem would be fixed. But the sound remained the same. The appearance of the MBLs, on the other hand, was very attractive (as was the case for the MBL electronics). But on the basis of sound at the New York show, the Magico speakers were clearly superior. I would like to hear the MBLs in some other setting, to see if their performasnce at the NY show was an anomaly. The reviews and comments that I've read lead me to expect better performance. The Magico minis, in any case, are superb speakers, clean in the bass as wellas in the treble and midrange.

Kusina,finally someone who feels,as I do,about the "way over-rated" MBL speakers.
Of course everything I state is "soley" my personal opinion,but I have heard the MBL's on numerous occassions(at shows)And have never even remotely liked them.My pals feel as I do.
The mid/top is quite good,but nobody(demos particularly)can convince me that the lower registers are even remotely accurate.Meaning faithful to the recording!
The Magico is another story....My friend just replaced his(excellent) Kharma 1.0's with a pair of Minis(really MAXI sound)which he runs with a Rowland 8t amp.A stunning combo,as the Rowland commands the drivers splendidly,and the harmonics are first rate.Believe me(or not)you just can't tell if it is tube or SS driven.Neutral to the max!!
The Magico II(he got the new ones)is very good in low bass,but we never measured just how low it goes in his room.It is SO good,in the lower registers(of it's operating range)that we simply don't care about exact hz,down below.
One cannot really compare the MBL to these little gems,as they are different types of designs.You can figure out which one I prefer,but that is "only" me!
BTW,though the Magico has gotten absolute raves,it is not perfect.Though my friend will disagree(he DID spend the bucks,so he is entitled to rationalize perfection),it is a bit lacking in upper midrange air,compared to the likes of the three way Kharmas,and my own three way Avalons.
A touch on the warm-sound-side,with this new carbon based mid/woof.BUT STILL a FABULOUS speaker,and if I did not have a largish dedicated room I would jump at a pair.As I may be moving into a smaller dwelling in the next couple of years,I will seriously consider a pair of MINI's!
Good luck

The only answer I can see to your issues with the 101E is that the jumpers for the bass were set in a careless manner. There is a switch on the back that lets you change the bass output so it better suits your room. If incorrectly set this will lead to a too heavy or too lean bass which isn't too nice.

Other than that, MBLs require little room treatment and as long as the room isn't too small they should play fine anywhere. On the other hand, they can sound weird if put in a heavily treated room. This is certainly not recommended.

When correctly setup and configured I haven't heard anything that matches it regardless of price.

Thank you Osgorth. Your suggestion about the jumpers for the bass on the 101Es is very probably the reason for their disappointing sound at the NY show. I didn't know about the switch that allows one to tune bass for room accoustics. If I had known, I would have said something to the dapper gentleman who was in charge of the demonstration, and perhaps he might have altered the balance. A design allowance for fine tuning a loudspeaker is, in my opinion, a major positive factor, and I think that MBL's advertising has missed an opportunity by not informing readers of its incorporation into the 101E's design.

Yeah, it could well be that they choose to bump the bass a bit to make it sound more impressive on the show.. A really bad practice if you ask me! When my local dealer got his first pair I experienced this. It had a lot of bass, overpowering to my ears, I didn't like it at all, and it certainly didn't sound the way it sounded when I heard them in Germany earlier. The switches were discovered and it was set to neutral, and after that they sound as alive and engaging as I remembered. The difference was far from subtle!

I hope you get the chance to hear them the way they're supposed to be, it's a real experience. :)

I haven't heard the Magico, but I have heard MBL overload the bass at an LA show. For some reasons of their own choosing, the company demo'd the 101 in a (large) room at unbearably high volume. But...

I heard the smaller (111?) MBL floorstander at a dealer in a better room at manageable spl and was more favorably impressed. At both the show and the dealer, the MBLs produce a feeling of "you are there" that is pretty much unique in my experience. The 111 doesn't do the bottom octave, but sounded very good to me.

IMHO, MBL doesn't do themselves any favors with their demos. Try to find a dealer to get a better sense.

Good luck,

Marty