Post by jandl100 on Feb 18, 2016 11:25:43 GMT
As my speakers are a bit unusual, ChrisB asked if I would write a descriptive review of them.
So here it is.
...
MBL 116F loudspeakers
I've had a pair of these for getting on for 6 years now.
They are a hybrid design with conventional cones-in-a-box bass and lower midrange, and a very unconventional take on upper midrange and treble drivers.
The mid and treble drivers are not boxed or open baffle, they are zero baffle – just the drivers on their own, the support structure being mainly internal.
The Design …
Technical Specification
MBL 116F Elegance Radialstrahler Full Range Pulsar Loudspeaker
System : 4 Way
Frequency Range : 32Hz to 33,000 Hz
Impedance : 4 Ohms
SPL 2.83v : 83dB / W / m
Linear Max : 106dB
Crossover Frequencies : 170 / 650 / 3500 Hz – Linkwitz-Riley – 4th Order
Power Handling : 400W
Acoustic Centre : 107 cm
Weight : 45kg
Dimensions : 280 x 430 x 1200 mm (W x D x H)
Current UK RRP is £23,400.
These are a 4-way, 6-driver system. MBL are very reticent about the design and I can find next to nothing about the internal cabinet configuration for these speakers. There is a quite large rear port, and if you peer in with a torch a thick aluminium bracing bar can be seen going across, possibly connecting the two bass drivers? Other than that the internals are a mystery to me.
The bass drivers (32 – 170 Hz) are a pair of 8.5 inch aluminium cones, mounted each side of the cabinet. The two being roughly equivalent to a single 12 inch driver in terms of area.
The 'lower midrange' drivers (170 – 630 Hz) are a pair of 5.5 inch aluminium cones, once again mounted on the sides.
The upper midrange (630 – 3500 Hz) and treble (3500 – 33000 Hz) "Radialstrahler" drivers are the MBL usp (unique selling point) - Carbon fibre ‘petals’ arranged to approximately form the surface of a sphere. They flex along with the electrical signal and create a true 360 degree omnidirectional sound source in the lateral plane.
The spec takes the high frequency driver up to 33KHz – well into supertweeter territory. Probably more than an octave above what an old duffer like me can hear!
The impedance is specced at 4 ohms, which is true by the definition, but misleading in practise. Based on technical measurements of a prior model, they only dip down to 4 ohms at high frequencies, for mids and bass they are between 6 and 8 ohms.
I think the sensitivity at 83dB/W is a bit misleading as well, the omni approach giving an in-room loudness that comfortably exceeds this. Comparing directly with conventional direct-firing speakers I'd put the effective sensitivity at around 86dB/W.
Grilles …
In my opinion the speakers are repulsively ugly without the grilles on. I've fairly broad tastes and don't really care much what things look like, but without the grilles they are unacceptably minging. I couldn't live with them like that.
I’ve played around a bit with grille on / grille off. A Stereophile review of the version 2 or 3 back from mine of a similar model reckoned you had to take it off to listen …. no, not with mine …. there is a bit of treble reduction with the grilles on, but I suspect that they have been voiced tonally with the grilles on so they sound a bit bright with them off.
They are also said to sound a bit “hashy” with them on. …. yes, there is some truth in that. But … tilt the speakers just a little forward and, hey presto, no hash. That really does work!
Acoustic Room Treatment ...
In a word (well, OK, three) – don’t bother (much). Prior to the arrival of the MBLs I had a pair of Infinity RS2.5 ribbon hybrid speakers and they really benefited from a GIK Acoustics 242 panel on the wall behind each speaker, and one behind the listening seat. Well, absorbing panels behind the MBLs were a sonic disaster – it turned them into forward firing speakers and the wonderfully spacious yet focussed imaging just collapsed. I've retained the panel behind the listening chair as the chair is very close to the back wall and it does help with imaging.
As you can see from the whole system photo below, I have deliberately set up a highly reflective back wall. The MBLs seem to like it that way.
Setup / placement …
A minimum spacing of about 80cm is needed from the rear wall. Space to the side is much more important with these speakers. 1.5m minimum is what I would recommend, more is good.
Amp matching …
Oh, gosh, I've used dozens of amps with the MBLs.
From 8wpc t-amps and SET valves to 250wpc of Krell solid state muscle.
Surprisingly, they all work fine, although 8wpc isn't quite enough for loud rock / electronica in my 12x20 foot room. 12wpc from push-pull pairs of EL84 valves does just fine, although serious bass-heads will likely want more. A friend of the latter persuasion rates the Krell as the best amp match for his music tastes.
I have come to the conclusion that despite the low 83dB/W/m sensitivity they are very easy to drive.
My favourite amps with the MBLs have been … Yarland FV-34Ciii (12wpc), Lowther Club Jazz 6L6 (8wpc), Krell KAV-250a (250wpc), Parasound Halo A21 (220wpc), Graaf Graafiti 5050 (50wpc), Inca Tech Claymore mk1 (50wpc).
The Sound ...
Bloody marvellous. I wouldn't have paid serious amounts of money for them otherwise!
Imaging.
Many visitors to Jerry Towers expect a vague all-encompassing wash of sound from these omnidirectional speakers. They are invariably surprised by the pinpoint accuracy that they actually hear!
I guess it is the imaging / soundstage thing that the MBLs do best.
Very few amps bring out the best in this respect, and solid state usually doesn't do front to back depth that well. My little Yarland EL84 amp is the best I have heard in this respect. As close to holographic as I have ever heard from a hifi system.
Resolution and transparency.
Up there with the best. I have previously owned Martin Logan CLS2z full range elcetrostatics – superbly high rez. The MBLs are not embarassed by the comparison. Those carbon fibre petals in the Radialstrahler units are very light and stiff – transient response is very fast, stored energy is minimal and inherent colourations are very low.
Tonality.
Pretty much spot-on, I think. They are full range, for the music I want to listen to anyway. But if you want to plumb the stygian depths to 20Hz you'll need a subwoofer or a larger MBL speaker.
The best bass I have heard out of them for electronica / dance music was from a fully refurbed vintage Perreaux 2150B power amp. I didn't really understand what bass slam was until I heard this combo. Astonishing – although I suspect prolonged exposure would lead to hearing damage! A bit too feisty at the top end, though, so not a good all-round amp / speaker match.
Mids and treble are wide open (think: Texas praire!) and startlingly clear. The sound is completely dissociated from the speakers.
They are a 4-way, 6-driver speaker so expecting a fully coherent sound is unrealistic, but that's what you get. Pretty much everyone remarks on the complete top to bottom continuity of the sound.
Dynamics.
Appropriately amped, these are very fast across the frequency spectrum and handle large scale dynamic swings with effortless ease and sense of scale.
Micro-dynamics - along with the superb imaging, this is what the MBLs are all about for me. The way they convey the subtle nuance of musical inflection is just wonderful.
System matching …
Conventional wisdom would have me owning a 'financially balanced' system with electronics and speakers of similar value.
Well, I don't want to do that. Even in the Dark Days of the flat earth approach where source-first was the mantra, I was a speaker-first type of audiophile.
So after decades of experience of the hifi mix and match game, I've put my money where my mouth is and invested by far the majority of value in the speakers. It works for me.
Oh, I've had several £k worth of amps and DACs etc, although I have never tried equipment of equivalent value to the MBLs. But at the moment I have the best sound ever, and the two amps I favour cost me £100 and £300. And the DAC was £75, and I stream music directly from my laptop PC as my main source. Not an approach you would see widely recommended! - but I have honestly not heard my system sound as good as it does now.
To sum up …
Genuinely excellent speakers in a relatively sensibly sized package.
Well, they tick all my boxes.
I used to swap speakers every few months on the average. The MBLs have stayed for nearly 6 years now, and I have no desire whatsoever to change them. They easily show differences in accompanying equipment, so are ideal for electronics box-swapping, which continues apace!
Not cheap, though, although they've been on the market long enough that used ones are available. Apparently most come on to the used market when owners go further up the MBL ladder.
But, let's face it, there are lots of excellent choices in the £20k part of the market and below. Whether MBLs will suit better than others is an entirely personal thing.
So here it is.
...MBL 116F loudspeakers
I've had a pair of these for getting on for 6 years now.
They are a hybrid design with conventional cones-in-a-box bass and lower midrange, and a very unconventional take on upper midrange and treble drivers.
The mid and treble drivers are not boxed or open baffle, they are zero baffle – just the drivers on their own, the support structure being mainly internal.
The Design …
Technical Specification
MBL 116F Elegance Radialstrahler Full Range Pulsar Loudspeaker
System : 4 Way
Frequency Range : 32Hz to 33,000 Hz
Impedance : 4 Ohms
SPL 2.83v : 83dB / W / m
Linear Max : 106dB
Crossover Frequencies : 170 / 650 / 3500 Hz – Linkwitz-Riley – 4th Order
Power Handling : 400W
Acoustic Centre : 107 cm
Weight : 45kg
Dimensions : 280 x 430 x 1200 mm (W x D x H)
Current UK RRP is £23,400.
These are a 4-way, 6-driver system. MBL are very reticent about the design and I can find next to nothing about the internal cabinet configuration for these speakers. There is a quite large rear port, and if you peer in with a torch a thick aluminium bracing bar can be seen going across, possibly connecting the two bass drivers? Other than that the internals are a mystery to me.
The bass drivers (32 – 170 Hz) are a pair of 8.5 inch aluminium cones, mounted each side of the cabinet. The two being roughly equivalent to a single 12 inch driver in terms of area.
The 'lower midrange' drivers (170 – 630 Hz) are a pair of 5.5 inch aluminium cones, once again mounted on the sides.
The upper midrange (630 – 3500 Hz) and treble (3500 – 33000 Hz) "Radialstrahler" drivers are the MBL usp (unique selling point) - Carbon fibre ‘petals’ arranged to approximately form the surface of a sphere. They flex along with the electrical signal and create a true 360 degree omnidirectional sound source in the lateral plane.
The spec takes the high frequency driver up to 33KHz – well into supertweeter territory. Probably more than an octave above what an old duffer like me can hear!
The impedance is specced at 4 ohms, which is true by the definition, but misleading in practise. Based on technical measurements of a prior model, they only dip down to 4 ohms at high frequencies, for mids and bass they are between 6 and 8 ohms.
I think the sensitivity at 83dB/W is a bit misleading as well, the omni approach giving an in-room loudness that comfortably exceeds this. Comparing directly with conventional direct-firing speakers I'd put the effective sensitivity at around 86dB/W.
Grilles …
In my opinion the speakers are repulsively ugly without the grilles on. I've fairly broad tastes and don't really care much what things look like, but without the grilles they are unacceptably minging. I couldn't live with them like that.
I’ve played around a bit with grille on / grille off. A Stereophile review of the version 2 or 3 back from mine of a similar model reckoned you had to take it off to listen …. no, not with mine …. there is a bit of treble reduction with the grilles on, but I suspect that they have been voiced tonally with the grilles on so they sound a bit bright with them off.
They are also said to sound a bit “hashy” with them on. …. yes, there is some truth in that. But … tilt the speakers just a little forward and, hey presto, no hash. That really does work!
Acoustic Room Treatment ...
In a word (well, OK, three) – don’t bother (much). Prior to the arrival of the MBLs I had a pair of Infinity RS2.5 ribbon hybrid speakers and they really benefited from a GIK Acoustics 242 panel on the wall behind each speaker, and one behind the listening seat. Well, absorbing panels behind the MBLs were a sonic disaster – it turned them into forward firing speakers and the wonderfully spacious yet focussed imaging just collapsed. I've retained the panel behind the listening chair as the chair is very close to the back wall and it does help with imaging.
As you can see from the whole system photo below, I have deliberately set up a highly reflective back wall. The MBLs seem to like it that way.
Setup / placement …
A minimum spacing of about 80cm is needed from the rear wall. Space to the side is much more important with these speakers. 1.5m minimum is what I would recommend, more is good.
Amp matching …
Oh, gosh, I've used dozens of amps with the MBLs.
From 8wpc t-amps and SET valves to 250wpc of Krell solid state muscle.
Surprisingly, they all work fine, although 8wpc isn't quite enough for loud rock / electronica in my 12x20 foot room. 12wpc from push-pull pairs of EL84 valves does just fine, although serious bass-heads will likely want more. A friend of the latter persuasion rates the Krell as the best amp match for his music tastes.
I have come to the conclusion that despite the low 83dB/W/m sensitivity they are very easy to drive.
My favourite amps with the MBLs have been … Yarland FV-34Ciii (12wpc), Lowther Club Jazz 6L6 (8wpc), Krell KAV-250a (250wpc), Parasound Halo A21 (220wpc), Graaf Graafiti 5050 (50wpc), Inca Tech Claymore mk1 (50wpc).
The Sound ...
Bloody marvellous. I wouldn't have paid serious amounts of money for them otherwise!
Imaging.
Many visitors to Jerry Towers expect a vague all-encompassing wash of sound from these omnidirectional speakers. They are invariably surprised by the pinpoint accuracy that they actually hear!
I guess it is the imaging / soundstage thing that the MBLs do best.
Very few amps bring out the best in this respect, and solid state usually doesn't do front to back depth that well. My little Yarland EL84 amp is the best I have heard in this respect. As close to holographic as I have ever heard from a hifi system.
Resolution and transparency.
Up there with the best. I have previously owned Martin Logan CLS2z full range elcetrostatics – superbly high rez. The MBLs are not embarassed by the comparison. Those carbon fibre petals in the Radialstrahler units are very light and stiff – transient response is very fast, stored energy is minimal and inherent colourations are very low.
Tonality.
Pretty much spot-on, I think. They are full range, for the music I want to listen to anyway. But if you want to plumb the stygian depths to 20Hz you'll need a subwoofer or a larger MBL speaker.
The best bass I have heard out of them for electronica / dance music was from a fully refurbed vintage Perreaux 2150B power amp. I didn't really understand what bass slam was until I heard this combo. Astonishing – although I suspect prolonged exposure would lead to hearing damage! A bit too feisty at the top end, though, so not a good all-round amp / speaker match.
Mids and treble are wide open (think: Texas praire!) and startlingly clear. The sound is completely dissociated from the speakers.
They are a 4-way, 6-driver speaker so expecting a fully coherent sound is unrealistic, but that's what you get. Pretty much everyone remarks on the complete top to bottom continuity of the sound.
Dynamics.
Appropriately amped, these are very fast across the frequency spectrum and handle large scale dynamic swings with effortless ease and sense of scale.
Micro-dynamics - along with the superb imaging, this is what the MBLs are all about for me. The way they convey the subtle nuance of musical inflection is just wonderful.
System matching …
Conventional wisdom would have me owning a 'financially balanced' system with electronics and speakers of similar value.
Well, I don't want to do that. Even in the Dark Days of the flat earth approach where source-first was the mantra, I was a speaker-first type of audiophile.
So after decades of experience of the hifi mix and match game, I've put my money where my mouth is and invested by far the majority of value in the speakers. It works for me.
Oh, I've had several £k worth of amps and DACs etc, although I have never tried equipment of equivalent value to the MBLs. But at the moment I have the best sound ever, and the two amps I favour cost me £100 and £300. And the DAC was £75, and I stream music directly from my laptop PC as my main source. Not an approach you would see widely recommended! - but I have honestly not heard my system sound as good as it does now.
To sum up …
Genuinely excellent speakers in a relatively sensibly sized package.
Well, they tick all my boxes.
I used to swap speakers every few months on the average. The MBLs have stayed for nearly 6 years now, and I have no desire whatsoever to change them. They easily show differences in accompanying equipment, so are ideal for electronics box-swapping, which continues apace!
Not cheap, though, although they've been on the market long enough that used ones are available. Apparently most come on to the used market when owners go further up the MBL ladder.
But, let's face it, there are lots of excellent choices in the £20k part of the market and below. Whether MBLs will suit better than others is an entirely personal thing.
