I was recently at a Scansonic demo. They had the MB-1.5/2.5/3.5 and Raidho X1's. These MB series are designed by Mike B who also designed the Raidho series BUT with a budget in mind. For the money they are very nice sounding speakers. But in my opinion they do not sound like the X1. That said X1 does sound very similar to the D1's (about 90% of the D1's).
Now I am a Raidho owner that started with the D1's and now have D2's. Before Raidho I owned Dynaudio C1 and C1 signatures. Also in my opinion nothing has the speed/clarity and transparency of Raidho's including Scansonic.
That said all speakers at the time had less than 30hrs on them. About an hour after I left I started getting messages from everyone there that the 2.5's really opened up and sounded totally different and much better. Since I haven't gone back I can't say what they really sound like. The following day Raidho announced the X3's. I want to go back when my dealer gets the X3's and broken in to compare to my D2's. |
I know the X1 and the D5. Would love to get that kind of transparency for a better price. My current standmounts are equivalent to the X1, albeit larger, but I miss having decent LFs. The MB 3.5 just might fit the bill.
Did you ever get to go back and listen to them after they had more time on them? It's really, really hard to get a picture of a speaker with only 30 hours of break-in. I know that I heard the C1.1 after listening for quite a while to the X1 and the X1 bested it almost in every aspect. The problem was that the C1.1 only had 50 hours on them and Raidhos take forever to break in. |
I did hear the MB 2.5's with 70hrs and they sounded almost like a different speaker (for the better that is). We didn't put the 3.5's back to compare but my dealer said they sound much better than with 30 hrs. For the money the Scansonic is hard to beat.
I do agree about the Raidho break in. Mine took a good 550 - 600 hrs. But it was worth it IMO. |
Thank you for the feedback. A dealer about 2 hours away will get them in about 2 weeks. I'll give him about another two weeks to break them in and then will probably visit him. |
Something you may want to do if possible. Bring your current speakers with you and compare them side by side.
That said I do not have first hand experience with the Scansonic break in. The 3.5's do go though a period where it sounds like something is rattling in them. Make sure the dealer has got past that point.
Good Luck |
That's a great idea, but since they have very heavy proprietary stands, it'll be easier to have an in-home trial of the 3.5 if I like their overall sound. |
I received my MB-1's today. Only on hour two. The agony and impatience.... |
Congrats Jpbas1
Make sure you give them at least 100hrs before making any judgements. |
Opening up beautifully. I am somewhere around 40+ hours and I was ready to re-box under 20.... Very nice for their size and level of transparency... |
I was at a Raidho dealer yesterday and listened to the Scansonic MB 3.5's and all I can say is if you're in the market for a $3,500 floor stander, do yourself a favor and audition this speaker.
The dealer showroom was in his home... with absolutely no acoustical treatments... driven by an integrated amp... with a flat screen TV behind the speakers... and the transparency and imaging was to say the least beyond the bubble. |
Raks Were you at Nextlevel? Those were the MB 2.5's for $3500. I was there too. Honestly even at $5000 those speakers are killer. BTW The MB 3.5's I think are closer to 5500. 03-28-15: Jpbas1
Opening up beautifully. I am somewhere around 40+ hours and I was ready to re-box under 20.... They will continue to get even better. I heard the 2.5's on Sat with about 150 - 200hrs and they are so much better sounding than 25hrs when I first heard them. George |
Xti16:
Yes... I was at Nextlevel... and you're correct that the speakers were in-fact the 2.5's... sorry for my misdirection.
If Tyler can get the Raidho speakers to image at AXPONA like they do in his family room, there'll be a line a mile long at AXPONA to get into the Raidho room. |
Raks I honestly think he'll have a line a mile long just for the MB 2.5's let alone the X3's and D3's which haven't arrived yet. |
I am going to hear the 2.5 at Next level Audio on Saturday, will they best my Merlin TSMXE stand mounts? Thanks for any info. |
what electronics work well with the mb-1?
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I use a NaimUniti 2 with my 2.5s and they sound fantastic. |
I heard the 2.5's at AXPONA today in the Raidho room. Soundstage is HUGE. I was quite taken with what they did in that room. I don't normally say this and I hate to exaggerate, but my jaw was on the floor. I went home trying to figure out how to make an unexpected purchase....The were THAT good. Will I go back tomorrow?!? |
Good luck, Mekong56. I'd heard the Raidho D1s and the Scansonic hype (from folks I'm confident in) "got me". I'm now breaking in a pair of 2.5s. I also went through that "unexpected purchase" situation as well. :-) |
I was looking for a low budget system for my 2nd home, I was thinking at KEF LS50 with some class D amp and then I heard the Scansonic MB 1 with Jeff Rowland pre & amp, top cables, a Request DAC & source ...
I was surprised but how good it is, for a mini -price (here in Europe 1400€ without stands) ... you get real high-end for the money. I made a test ripping my Cds in the system ... these MB 1 are doing a fantastic job, even on heavy stuff like Mahler 6th symphony (acousense recording) ... bass is amazing for a bookshelf, you can here the symphony with best clarity, zoom between the instrument, resolution is just fantastic ! (we could hear every change of electronic or cable), great spatialization, the speakers desapear easily, extremely nice high frequencies never sounding hard or harsh ...
as the Rowland was far beyond my budget we tried different integrated, finally I choose an 4 years old Bladelius MK III with DAC who is doing a beautiful job with these speakers
I spent a little bit more than 3000 € (I use my old XLO Pro 650 speakers cables and a Mac Book Pro as source) and have now a very nice system |
Being an ex Raidho c3 owner I purchased the mb 2.5s...After the initial break in they sound amazing especially considering they were 40 grand less than what I had.IMO you should definitely take a long listen before buying anything. |
I never had a chance to listen to the Scansonic speakers because there's no dealer nearby (DFW TX). I am very interested in the MB-2.5 but wonder how it sounds. I recently auditioned Wilson Sophia III, Magico S1 and S3 and those are very good sounding speakers. How would you compare MB-2.5 with those speakers? |
You cant make that comparison...all those speakers are 1000s more $$$...the s1 is like 13K...the 2.5s are 3500.00...lets get real here my fiend |
Yeah I hear you Missioncoonery. I kept hearing that Scansonic is $10,000 good from people. That's why I got curious about it. My impression with S1 is that it's good, but lack of bass. You can tell it's less 'complete' when compared to the S3 and others. So your opinion is MB-2.5 is nowhere close to the S1 and the others? |
I never had a chance to listen to the Scansonic speakers because there's no dealer nearby (DFW TX) How far is Whitehouse Tx from Dallas? Design Audio Video carries Scansonic and Raidho. You could hear both and tell how much Raidho DNA there is http://designaudiovideoinc.com/brands-display.php |
I own the mb2.5s..and I owned the Raidho C3s..the C3s were 42 thousand dollars!!!!!,I paid $2500 for the 2.5s new in box.Only a fool would compared the two speakers or try to.Having said that IMO the MB 2.5s are a worthy contender if your on a budget.Raidho changes or upgrades their speakers quickly like a lot of makers and the value dumps every time they change.Thanks but no thanks,ill stick with the 2.5s,they sound great with solid state as well as tubes |
Thank you xti16. Thats about 150 miles away from Dallas. I have had a hard time to convince myself to drive 4.5 hours round trip to audition a pair of $2,500 speakers.
Missioncoonery, thanks again for your advice. Sounds like the 2.5 is a keeper for you. I know its hard to describe. But since you have experience with both 2.5 and D3, whats the 'missing' 20% from 5he 2.5 in your opnion. Can you PM me the dealer who you boght your 2.5 from? There are a few sellers of 2.5. I am debating to buy new or used. |
Jjue, drive down for the Caldwell Zoo, and maybe the Rose festival, in Tyler, while checking out the speakers. Nice road trip with friends, maybe get some speakers as a bonus. |
Hi Acman, thanks and that sounds like a good plan. |
Those that are happy with the scansonic 2.5s, can you share what you are using to drive them? Trying to put together an office system and can start from scratch. Thanks in advance. |
I bought a pair of dealer demo 2.5s today. The speakers will probably arrive around Thursday or Friday this week. Will keep you guys posted. BTW, I am using Hegel H200 integrated as my main amp. |
Received my MB-2.5s last Friday. The speakers were literally brand new as the dealer said. Then of course they sound brand new, too. My first impression: Large, deep sound stage with pretty decent treble and mid. The bass is boomy as everybody said when these speakers are new and not broken-in yet. I only have a few hours on these speakers so I still have a long way to go. They do need to be separated far. I placed them 9 feet apart as Xti16 suggested and the sound stage is quite impressive. |
Jjue Congrats on the NEW arrival. When my dealer first got them he had about 25 hrs on them and had a little get together. We listened to the MB1 - 2.5 - 3.5 Raidho X1 and Dyn Contour 3.4LE's. We all came back to the 2.5's as the best bang for the buck. After a couple of hrs I left. An hr later I started getting texts from everyone there saying Wow you should have stayed. These 2.5's just opened up almost like flipping a switch. The next time I heard them they had about 75hrs on them and to me they sounded like a different speaker meaning much better and more balanced.
Enjoy |
I agree with break in on the 2.5s.My set sounded great at approx. 125 hours on them then the went the other direction(meaning to the bad).I ran a break in cd 24/7 for about another week and wow they started back in the right direction.Didnt listen again for a few more days of breakin in and they sound fantastic.The sound stage is extreme,the imaging is precise ,actually scary precise.Very non fatiguing which is always great. I have several sets of speakers,amps etc and have no desire to make any changes in the room thats how pleased I am with these speakers |
I wish there was a dealer near me to compare them to my speakers. I hear really good things about them! |
I am still breaking in my MB-2.5s so it's too early to give any advice now. I didn't audition my Hegel H200 nor Maggie before I bought them; but they turned out to be very good purchases. I did my research on the Hegel and Maggie and the feedback for these 2 products were all very positive. So I took my chance and bought them. I have enjoyed the music brought by these gears so far. I did the same thing for the MB-2.5s. I bought these speakers without listening to them first. So far I feel the treble and mid of the MB-2.5s are as good as my Maggie. The width and depth of the sound stage is quite impressive. But just like I said, it's too early to tell at this moment. I'll post my updates as I get to listen more. |
Jjue,
I bought several components over the years without listening to them first; however I currently own Aerial 7Ts and won't purchase other speakers without hearing them. My friend has a pair of Raidho C3.1s and I absolutely love them. I'm just curious as to how close the Scansonic speakers come to the Raidho? |
Riced1 - I can't speak for the C series because I have never heard them. I have the D2's. I have heard the Scansonics several times. They each have their own 'house sound'. The tweeter in the Scansoncs is very close to Raidho D and X series. The soundstage and imaging is also very similar. But in my opinion there is a lot more clarity and separation between the instruments and vocals with Raidho because of the blacker background. I will say the same when comparing the X and D series but the X is a lot closer than the Scansonics. I personally believe the Scansonics punch way beyond their price point. Remember the Scansonic 2.5 retails for $3600 USD where the D2 retails between $44,000 and $48,000 depending on the finish. X3 retails for $29,500. |
Xti16,
Thanks for the information. The C series compared to my Aerial 7Ts have more clarity and separation, of course they are in another price category. I would like to go to the next level in clarity and separation of instruments, but I want something around 15K. |
Ok, it's been almost a month since I received the speakers. I have about 50 some hours on them so far. Not quite broken in yet but they sound pretty good now. These speakers sounded awful when they were new. So don't rush to sell them if they are new and sound bad. There are a few things to keep in mind: They like to be separated apart far. 9' was the advice I got from Xti16. That's a magic number and it saved me a lot of time. These speakers give a lot of bass; much more than their small and slim size. I came to realize that my room has standing waves issue after I replaced my Maggie with the MB-2.5's. So the size of room and the room acoustic treatment are things also need to be taken into consideration. Once you got everything setup right, these speakers sound great. They sound like Maggie with some good bass IMHO. The high and mid are so good that you can see the singer right in front of you when you play a good vocal recording; nothing in between the singer and you. It gave me goose bumps when I played Amanda McBroom's Live from Rainbow & Stars. They still fall a tad bit short of the overall delicacy and coherence compared to the much more expensive speakers. I found the review written by Alan Sircom is very accurate. Do yourself a favor and read that review first if you are interested in these speakers. I'll sit back and continue to enjoy the wonderful music brought by these speakers while they're still being broken in :)
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Hi All,
I too brought the Scansonic MB2.5, the bass is boomy already 30hrs+, thought of giving it back to seller, however after the going through this thread, I am thinking to burn it for few weeks to check if the sound improves, if not it is going back to seller.
and also it doesn't work close to the walls, only can hear the bass, no mids, highs, it is seems clouds of bass and mid, highs are peeking through the clouds. |
Hi Murgeshj,
What's size of your room and the rest of your system configurations? Your experience sounds very similar to mine when I first plugged my speakers. Here is what I have:
Room: 20'(L)x12'(W)x10'(H)
Amp: Hegel H200 integrated
Source: Rega Planet CD Player; W4S DAC-2
Speakers are placed 3.5' from the backwall and about 9' apart. My listening position is about 3' from the backwall. I have bass traps at the 4 corners of the room and the backwall of the speakers. The speakers DO NOT like to be placed close to the backwall.
You should hear crystal clear sound once everything is setup right. 'Lean, clean, detail machine' described by Alan Sircom is exactly what I've heard from my MB-2.5s. I have only heard similar sound quality from much more expensive speakers but not from speakers in this price range.
I'd suggest you to evaluate your room acoustic and speaker placement first. Hope this helps.
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HI Jjue, thanks.
I realized, something wrong with my setting and amplification
My room is 25'(L)x12'(W)x10'(H)
As suggested, the room treatment need to be done and the amplification need to be considered
Today's update..
Due to impatience, I took the speakers to seller and asked him to demonstrate with other Tube amplifiers and the seller happily demonstrated with many Melody/Cayin tube integrates and IMO the Melody 2a3 single push pull was of my liking, the bass was under control, highs were smooth and tons of details(forgive me for the explanations).
details about the amp..
http://www.melodyamplifier.com/dark-2a3/
Thanks for the help |
Hi Murgeshj,
Glad you didn't give up on them. Melody was on my short list when I was shopping for amps. They sound great and they are reasonably priced. I end up with choosing solid state due to maintenance consideration. Happy listening. My MB-2.5's continue to surprise me everyday :) |
My 2.5 have approx. 400 hours on them and yes they sounded like crap when I first set them up.Everything is true about setup from above..9 feet apart for sure.I found to control the bass a sub was necessary in my room as well as bass traps in corners and wall panels front and rear.Ive tried both tube and solid state.With SS in my room it sounds way too sterile which is basically how my Raidhos sounded,with tubes the ribbons are tamed a bit and the mids are fleshed out more with better imaging.Overall I actually like these better than the 42k Raidho C3 I had,simply from the money spent if nothing else. |
Still the Mb2.5 have the bass boom after 90 hrs, and I have limitations of space to place them 9feet apart.
And unfortunately I ditched my beloved Totem model 1.
Hopefully get better and MB2.5 are not as reveling as Model 1.
Using with Spec amplification, had driven the totem comfortably and delear confirmed that spec comfortably the PMC's Fact series..
http://www.spec-corp.co.jp/e/audio/RSA-717EX/index.html |
Have you tried putting bass traps on the corners? I dont think mine has 90 hrs yet but the muddy bass issue was gone after 40 or 50 hrs with bass traps. I am not familiar with your Spec amp so cant comment. Alan mentioned using Hegel H80 and I guess why I am getting good result with my H200. I am still breaking in mine 2.5's but it has become a quite enjoyable process for me. |
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Jjue - For grins and giggles have you tried removing the bass traps now that you have about 100 hrs on them? Although you may want to wait until you hit 150hs. I think Missioncoonery mentioned a drop in SQ when they hit 125 hrs. With my D2's the bass went crazy at 525 hrs and lasted for about 10 hrs. But remember the diamond series is a completely different driver - crossover and cabinet. |
Xti16 ~ I did try removing the bass traps once before and it didnt sound good. Not due to boomy bass but blurry mid and high.i think thats because the standing waves in my room. I'll give it another try when mine hits 150 or so. Thanks for all the advices you gave. These speakers are really good bang for the buck. But I have say they are pretty picky too. They are not easy to drive and place. But very rewading when you got everything right. The over all performance is quite close to the other pricey big name speakers. |
I've always said they sound higher than their price point. The only real downside is placement. If you get that right they will sound fantastic. Get it wrong and they will sound OK. But as far as driving them it shouldn't be too hard. On another forum a couple of folks are driving theirs with 7 - 15W tube amps and say they love it.
Another thing you may want to try is plugging the bottom ports with cloth or foam. |
