No more foolin' around

by mount_rose_music on Ever Evolving
view from the sea
speakers3
components
the cable contenders
laguna beach,view from seat
the bean counter and friends,

Description

I just last week purchased the 101e's replacing the Alto Be's I had. Thought it would be fun to show the start of a major upgrade, and then as I am adding room treatments, changing the decor, and changing equipment, to show the changes and the thought processes behind it. I have an open architecture house, with glass along one side, and as this is our living room, a way to figure out the aestetics. Challenges await! Comments or suggestions welcome. I got the MBLs primarily because the kitchen, family room, and dining area are all pretty much open, and I want great sound whatever we are doing in the primary listening space. To me, the best music should be for all my family to enjoy, even my daughter with her AFI fetish. The sweet spot matters, but more important to me is when we are having dinner, or hanging out, everybody gets to enjoy the music. The MBLs are worlds bettter than the Alto's in this regard from the first time I fired them up. I had a very very nice, clean system with the EmmLabs direct to the MC2000 and then the Altos, but I felt I was missing alot, and there is a ton of slap echo in the house. So here's the start. As I add, subtract and change, pix will follow. Thanks for looking.
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Components Toggle details

    • MBL 101E
    My open architecture house mates well with omnis. My number one reason for purchase
    • HRS mrx 1921-3v
    two shelf, in real curly maple. Visually stunning, and works well at vibration control
    • EMM Labs dcc-2, cdsd
    non-SE units. The best I have had in my system but I have a problem giving somebody 5000 usd for an upgrade 6 months after I buy a unit.
    • Symposium Series 2 RollerBlocks
    under the 101e's. Better inner dynamics than the bigger ones by far, and much better than spikes on hardwood floor, the bass locks in and is more tuneful, three under each speaker
    • MBL 6010d bal/w/mc
    Preamp is about worlds better than running the Meitner direct to amp... I got it balanced, with MC cartridge module, it is just a fantastic pre-amp in every way, plus it adds the ability to quad-amp.. so I am trying tubes on top and solid state on da bottom!
    • MBL 9011
    Monoblock amplifiers, I have tried, Halcro DM-88, MBL 9008, Accuphase, McIntosh MC200(still my fave amp of all time) AR vt100mkII, ref210... and the winner was... the big monos. They visually overpower the room, they are bulky, my wife says they look like coffins, but, Houston we have ignition
    • Tara Power Screen
    replaced Shunyata Hydra. Instruments sound like instruments now
    • Tara The One bi-wired
    After trying a ton of cables, this was the best. I still want to try 0.8s though.
    • Tara 0.8
    As the Meitner sounds better balanced, but the preamp has less circuitry single-ended, I am trying both.. the balanced is punchier, more dynamic, the single ended is fuller, more harmonically rich, still can;t decide
    • Transrotor Tourbillon
    3 motor, 3 arm potential turntable,
    I bought a used version, so it does not have the magnetic conversion
    • Graham Engineering Phantom
    tonearm. why? I don't know, had to start somewhere
    • Transfiguration Orpheus
    so far, I like it, very smooth, but I have to do something with the bass. I am just letting it run in right now

Comments 83

Showing all comments by aball.

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Man, with those speakers, I would try MBL amps for sure. From what I've read, MBL works very hard to match the character of the speakers' sound to their amps. Not knocking the McIntosh of course (I am a big Mc buff) but it may be worthwhile to check it out. Did you get your 101s from a dealer? If so, maybe they could lend you some of their amps to try out?

At any rate, it looks great. I really want to hear some radialstrahler at some point.

Arthur

aball

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