Yes I am aware of the EML 20b, like the AVVT 20b, though never heard it, but have been interested. More from an amp point of view but even more interested now that you mention the use in a pre.
VAC 452 iQ review in Stereophile
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Yes I am aware of the EML 20b, like the AVVT 20b, though never heard it, but have been interested. More from an amp point of view but even more interested now that you mention the use in a pre.
Yes it requires no small signal tubes and is a single tube pre
given the gain it can use AC for the heating with low hum, much like the 45 and the 1602/10y
have u heard any 45 pre as they can be very simple pre from a signal path but require sophisticated power supply but are very quiet for DHTs
to not prejudge my limited experience with the 20b it seems to have desirable characteristics
transparency ... spooky at times with the great recordings
great timbral honesty for classical difference between woodwind and string very desirable
spooky soundstage, with clarity to the backstage and layering which is surprisingLy realistic for classical orchestral recordings
very quiet especially between the instruments which creates a sense of space between players which I haven’t experience often before
and one quality I haven’t experience before
with vinyl it seems to handle pops and clicks in a way that makes them seem much less important, which may be a headroom issue that the 20b just handles better
No, I didn't know. Ugly thing... A lot of moral and ethical issues...I'm sure he claims he's innocent, and with Nordost compensated, at what point can someone be "fully forgiven" and rehabilated? ... Regardless, if involved in a similar situation, you, me, and all rational people would all watch such an individual very carefully , and not deal with him unless he re-establishes a great track record again ....
But this is not the reality we have witnessed in this scenario. From a manufacturer standpoint, Nordost is a loser here.
Other (frequently desperate) manufacturers have quickly jumped in to to be covered and proclaimed to be among the BEST and to have non-stop coverage in his comparison reviews and as part of his show reports for that top of mind awareness.
And many of these new guys who stepped into his systems didn't really exist in a significant way 10 years ago such as Magico, Consoulation, Soulution, Raidho, etc. And we don't even know of all the other manufacturers that have begged him to review their stuff.
Money $$$ makes the world go round
I guess he wasn t happy with nord ost after all , chop chop
.High end brands need to get hyped otherwise you get nowhere .
Look at myself to cheap to spent a $ on advertising
I like money as much as anyone and will be the first to tell you that capitalism is what takes people out of poverty, raises the standard of living, and allows us to partake in this hobby. Yet capitalism can't exist without ethics and values such as honesty and integrity.
But as far as your case pertaining to marketing, check out a potential starting point for a marketing strategy:
https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/state-of-the-art-digital.29583/page-12#post-646346
All depends on speaker choice ..Efficiency and impedance curve / dip .
I ve said it 10000 times what you wanna see is a graph of the impedance related to freq , 20 hz - 20 khz .nominal doesnt tell shit
Plus a honest measured efficiency , i d rather trust the stereophile measurements .
I believe lagonda has the mbl radialstrahlers which are a prime example .
Efficiency of 81 db and a impedance dip to 3.8 ohms which is not too bad actually
To get reasonable dynamics out of such a design is extremely hard and requires enourmous amounts of power .
And even then it will not have the dynamics of a good designed high eff. Speaker .
My listening sessions lately of magico Q 5 only confirmed that
Slow speaker constrained dynamics .
Ps i am aware the radiastrahlers can obviously do things a standard cone cant , im not dismissing anything
You are right about the MBL’s, they are hard to drive correctly, even a 700 W Krell amp does not do it. A purpose built amp like the MBL 9011 will do the trick very nicely though
You are right about the MBL’s, they are hard to drive correctly, even a 700 W Krell amp does not do it. A purpose built amp like the MBL 9011 will do the trick very nicely though
Yes, hard to find amps with the juice to drive the MBLs. And even if those amps can drive them, tonal balance is off. A lot of people actually use the old Krell KSAs successfully, but it's too dark for my tastes.
Heck, put 4 of those 9011 amps on the MBL 101 and you have near horn-like dynamics.
Thee KR 45s took forever to burn in. Cunningham Globes go in for "me" time. Shhhhh people forget I still have my tube stash
Taken isolated these figures can be very misleading. The mbl are omnidirectional speakers and the efficiency measurement is carried in anechoic conditions, far from the reflective environment we have at home. In practice, the "equivalent" efficiency figure is higher. We can't simply compare efficiencies unless the radiation pattern is similar. Long ago I have owned the 101b's and they could be driven to frightening levels with the Levinson Ml 23.5 - and the pair was extremely dynamic IMHO. One of my never accomplished projects was driving the 101b's with one amplifier for each unit using an active crossover! The purity of the treble of these MBL's was exceptional.
always enjoyed MBL 101's. my only quibble seemed to be that they were not happy at moderate SPL's, and needed to be played just slightly louder than my comfort level to get traction. i have never been the one with the remote in my hand in those cases, so likely living with them is different.
easy to understand their attraction.
In my system they only need to be played at 75 db C to sound good.
Most of my listening is at levels around 80 db C, i rarely play over 85 db. Before i incorporated subwoofer towers 80 db C was a absolute minimum if you wanted decent mid-bass grunt, the melon part of the speaker needs a lot of clean power to be energized, and the passive crossover/12 inch driver in the low bass section is hungry too
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My favorite amplifier for driving the MBL 101E Mk. II is the Aesthetix Atlas Eclipse mono. I suspect the Lamm hybrid amps would be great also.
Yes, and add to that a metallic "sheen" to the sound that once heard cannot be unheard. So despite their apparent transparency and room filling soundstage they simply have this coloration that I could not live with.
Yes that’s what happens when i underdrive them with most tube amps, or place them in a to small room
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I agree with this. I think it is an insightful way to describe the sound I hear as well.
I would add that as much as I love much of what MBLs do sonically, and I completely understand why they are many, many people's very favorite speaker of all time, for my ears there is too much lower treble (?) energy. There is a relentlessness to the sound in the upper half of the frequency range that makes it difficult for me to relax.
Yes that’s what happens when i underdrive them with most tube amps, or place them in a to small room
This is exactly what happens to Under driven panels as well, with tubes. And you need good SS to get past it.
And some people just have to trow tubes at anything indiscriminately
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