Quick take on the MBL 6010D Reference Preamp


I had an absolutely wonderful afternoon, about four hours of listening, sitting in front of my good friend/audiophile/music lover's reference system, in order to tell him what I thought of his new "toys'" sonic performance.

His new piece is the magnificent looking and sounding MBL 6010D reference preamp, that recently was released about six months ago. This preamp weighs in at 90 pounds! The rest of his system is reference caliber: Kharma Grand Ceramiques, Kharma amps and wires, CEC TL-0 transport, Meitner DAC.

So, you could see way this would be a delightful experience to listen to my favorite music on this world class rig, but that's not what I really wanted to share with you GON members, the reason for this post was how shocking better the MBL was over his old and very highly regarded Lamm L2 reference preamp.

I dislike intensely audiophile cliche's, like it "blew it away", however in every meaningful factor(s) such as noise floor, liquidity/transparency, harmonic/dynamic details, soundstage width/depth and just a beautiful sense of natural bloom and air with very natural timbres, the MBL was not just an improvement over the Lamm, but a true qualitative shift towards the sound of music.

So, does this mean the Lamm L2 is now a "hunk of junk" of course not, but for me it means at least two things: 1) The MBL 6010D must be considered to join the ranks of one of the best 4 or 5 preamps in the world today. 2) I would believe that while the Lamm L2 is still a very good preamp it's ranking as one of the best references must be revaluated compared to not only the MBL but some of the state of the art preamps on the market today. As an absolute reference I think the Lamm L2 is starting to show its age.

My friend's system before he replace the Lamm L2 was a real sonic knockout before, with his new "baby" the MBL 6010D its gone to a new level of performance and musicality. Congratulations, Brother Keith, it's a great addition to your system and you will have years of pleasure listening to the music you love even on a higher level now!
teajay
The sound that I heard through the Mini's was unforgetable, I agree with those that have described the sound as magic. If you have heard 3.2's with the 2.1's and liked that sound, then I think that you will absolutely love the Mini's with the 2.1's. I did hear the Mini's with the AR Ref 210's and much preferred the 2.1's. It's well known how well Kharma pairs with the ML 2.1's. This speaker is very special.
Beware od this product. Make sure you have enough money in bank to pay for this premap before you bring home for an audition.
Because once you bring it home YOU have to buy it.
Yeah, it is that good! As Teajay states it makes your system " a true qualitative shift towards the sound of music."
I totally agree with the praise above.. I own this too and it's by far the best preamp I have ever had. As Mike is hinting at, most of the "MBL magic" is in fact in their electronics, and the 6010D has got to be at the top of that! I ended up getting an all-MBL system, and it's really sweet indeed.. Will describe it in my Systems soon. :)
Inserisci il testo ...Good evening, sorry if I disturb. I have a problem and I would like to ask you for help. I am trying to repair a MBL 6010 pre amplifier, a component has failed but I cannot understand what it is and which one to replace it with. I send some photos, the component is what you see inside the red circle. When I turn on the appliance, after a few minutes, a white foam comes out of that component and I have to turn it off immediately. I would like to replace this defective component but I need to know what it is and where to buy it. This part is connected to the 110/220 Volt voltage selector. If I had a replacement I could change it. Thanks for your time and greetings from Italy. Domenico