What's wrong with this picture?
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MBL's are statement pieces, in the same vein as a Bugatti Veyron is. For someone looking at those speakers - or the Veyron, for that matter - price isn't a consideration. Not everything falls into the "best bang for the buck!" category thankfully (not that I could afford them, of course).
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Those are MBL amps as well.
And other one from Liberace:
"He who dies with the most toys wins."
OK, first off the room effect there remove $248,000.00 quality from the loudspeakers. It's playing in a great big bathtub... boom boom boom --more reverb than the Cologne Cathedral, like 13 seconds? 15 foot ceiling, approx 30 feet wide, and a guess, 45 foot deep. 15x30x45=20,000+ sq ft. Not bad, those amps can push that much, and presumably the speakers can take the power, but sheese, all that glass, and no carpets? And the ceiling is flat and looks like plaster. Nothing there to break up standing waves. That appears to be a flat panel TV in the center. It's maybe a 65" pano but the seating area is back in binocular country, around 20 feet away. I wouldn't want to watch a subtitled movie from.
Now about the windows. There does appear to be some light screening and filtering going on, like a fain screen over the glass, but I guess stops around 1/2 a stop, but that is not going to cut much light during the day, so perhaps the flat panel is what is called an outdoor tv, if not, this is going to be an after dark event watching movies.
After a certain price level, quality reaches limit and it then becomes "what is your favorite cocktail?" You may like a Manhattan, me a Sidecar, and our friend over there an, old fashion, but it is hard to say one is better than the other. I don't know where that price level is, but I can say for sure it is a lot lower than a quarter million.
It's clearly a marketing shot, designed to tweak someone who has money, the issue is the buy (Sell?) the very best, and conspicuously so. That it does. I kind of like the looks, slightly French Belle Epoque.
I remember the old joke about hi-fi from the 60's.
Question: What is the biggest problem in hi-fi?
Answer: "You are going to put those where?"
--Dick Sullivan
"He who dies with the most toys wins."
OK, first off the room effect there remove $248,000.00 quality from the loudspeakers. It's playing in a great big bathtub... boom boom boom --more reverb than the Cologne Cathedral, like 13 seconds? 15 foot ceiling, approx 30 feet wide, and a guess, 45 foot deep. 15x30x45=20,000+ sq ft. Not bad, those amps can push that much, and presumably the speakers can take the power, but sheese, all that glass, and no carpets? And the ceiling is flat and looks like plaster. Nothing there to break up standing waves. That appears to be a flat panel TV in the center. It's maybe a 65" pano but the seating area is back in binocular country, around 20 feet away. I wouldn't want to watch a subtitled movie from.
Now about the windows. There does appear to be some light screening and filtering going on, like a fain screen over the glass, but I guess stops around 1/2 a stop, but that is not going to cut much light during the day, so perhaps the flat panel is what is called an outdoor tv, if not, this is going to be an after dark event watching movies.
After a certain price level, quality reaches limit and it then becomes "what is your favorite cocktail?" You may like a Manhattan, me a Sidecar, and our friend over there an, old fashion, but it is hard to say one is better than the other. I don't know where that price level is, but I can say for sure it is a lot lower than a quarter million.
It's clearly a marketing shot, designed to tweak someone who has money, the issue is the buy (Sell?) the very best, and conspicuously so. That it does. I kind of like the looks, slightly French Belle Epoque.
I remember the old joke about hi-fi from the 60's.
Question: What is the biggest problem in hi-fi?
Answer: "You are going to put those where?"
--Dick Sullivan
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Couldn't agree more, some people simply have disposable income like that. They simply want something that looks amazing in the space they have.
The flat screen display is a 2,35:1 aspect so they are not cheap either. I bet classical and jazz sound amazing on those MBLs, agree the room is not ideal but the type of music those speakers are designed for they would do well in a large space like that. The MBLs are not "rock and roll" speakers although in the right environment I'm sure would do well with that as well.
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Precisely. When my friend graduated from high school and signed with the New York Yankees there wasn't a single set of speakers or amps he couldn't afford. He wasn't a avid audiophile but he always saw me drooling over audio gear, so what did he do?... He went out and bought the most expensive Martin Logan electrostats and Mark Levinson amps the dealer had with his signing bonus.
Money was of no concern. Some people are just in a position like that.
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I agree, even if they were purchased purely for the "Bling" value, they are probably more than adequate for what they want in the audio department.
Unfortunately, I don't have a room large enough to accommodate that setup.
I fully agree with the conspicuous consumption issue these speakers raise, and yes, if I were Bill Gates I might build a home theater of top gear too. However I would certainly pay more attention to room effects. If there is one thing I am learning after about a decade of limping along with half dead Hogan's Goat system, it is what room effects can do. Software wizards can do much to "fix" bad rooms and placements, but only so far.
I have been in too many college lecture halls where it was impossible for anyone to hear what was being said over the pa system. (And some that were superb as well!) Most of the time it was a "multi purpose room," perhaps doubling as a basket ball court of gymnasium, hard floors, and flat high ceiling.
The gear is spectacular looking and likely sounds OK, but is all show. Clearly only a stereo set-up, with no surround and not well suited for watching movies.
--Dick Sullivan
I have been in too many college lecture halls where it was impossible for anyone to hear what was being said over the pa system. (And some that were superb as well!) Most of the time it was a "multi purpose room," perhaps doubling as a basket ball court of gymnasium, hard floors, and flat high ceiling.
The gear is spectacular looking and likely sounds OK, but is all show. Clearly only a stereo set-up, with no surround and not well suited for watching movies.
--Dick Sullivan
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If I had the disposable cash, I'd buy that system (but I wouldn't have it in that room and $1M systems are way out of my reach). I've heard the little brother to those Radialstrahlers, and they are superb transducers in every respect. Those amps are equally impressive (after 16 hours of driving a 101E at insane volumes, each was barely warm), as is the entire MBL line. I'm very happy with a ridiculously pedestrian system, by comparison, but I don't look at those unreachable grapes and think, "Ah, well, they're probably sour, anyway."
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Looks great. Probably sounds like a 1k HTIB(loudness notwithstanding) with about 5 minutes of decay in the room. I'd guess the open magazine on the table provides the most absorption of any surface in there. Room is gorgeous though.
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A $250,000.00 set of speakers. Could you make do it better for less? What I see is ridiculous.
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--Dick Sullivan
If I had the money, these would probably be mine. They handled everything thrown at 'em, rock music was not a problem in the least. The MBLs are not silly, over-priced jewelry, they are a purpose built statement piece that completely live up to their asking price.
I'd work on the room, it is likely the room pictured in the OP has an interior decorator's touch. The 2016 Axpona exhibitor room was painstakingly tuned, which certainly accounted for much of what we heard.
http://www.hometheatershack.com/for...-north-america-axpona-2016-show-report-3.html
Yup, it could be from the showroom.
There's nothing wrong with this picture, just luxury living, and some expensive speakers. :grin2:
Too bad I don't have enough space to do this.
I agree.
And of course, they are not selling to a knowledgeable market, at least not as theater and sound systems go. This also tells you that the system may not be that much better than say one that sells for perhaps, $12,000.00. I believe that at a certain point it's the "cocktail" that counts, not some supposed quality issue. In fact, a system that reproduced a "perfect" replication of the original sound may not be one that is preferred. Is it a good system? Yes. And it is powerful enough to fill the room --and pretty too. Would I like to have one? <Drool>
There used to be a 15 to 1 ratio of cost of manufacture to sales price for speakers, but today it may be different. Back when, that only applied to systems a normal human being could afford. Here it is a market where cost is of no concern. (One I'd like to be in!)
And of course, they are not selling to a knowledgeable market, at least not as theater and sound systems go. This also tells you that the system may not be that much better than say one that sells for perhaps, $12,000.00. I believe that at a certain point it's the "cocktail" that counts, not some supposed quality issue. In fact, a system that reproduced a "perfect" replication of the original sound may not be one that is preferred. Is it a good system? Yes. And it is powerful enough to fill the room --and pretty too. Would I like to have one? <Drool>
There used to be a 15 to 1 ratio of cost of manufacture to sales price for speakers, but today it may be different. Back when, that only applied to systems a normal human being could afford. Here it is a market where cost is of no concern. (One I'd like to be in!)
Well I admit one of the benefits of a system installed like this is I wouldn't have to turn on the "Arena" reverb function on my cheapo AV receiver, I would get the real thing here. Audessy or REW could remove a lot of the room effects here, but still, the room effects are going to be a real problem.
Then there is the point of diminishing returns where the curve flattens out, and then it becomes a "what is your cocktail effect." The conspicuous consumption, the WOW effect is certainly at play here, and big time. Would I like a system like this? You bet. But only if someone gave me a set. I would venture to say that many here, could for one tenth the $250,000.00 build a system that could egual this one in a double blind crossover test, and especially in this room. Double that and it is a done deal. The visual effect of the speakers is stunning, and it is interesting to note that all of the promo pics show the covers off. I do believe that they might move into the area of intrinsic value as art objects. A real Vermeer is priceless, one that takes serious scientific testing to determine it is a forgery, not so much.
--Dick Sullivan
Then there is the point of diminishing returns where the curve flattens out, and then it becomes a "what is your cocktail effect." The conspicuous consumption, the WOW effect is certainly at play here, and big time. Would I like a system like this? You bet. But only if someone gave me a set. I would venture to say that many here, could for one tenth the $250,000.00 build a system that could egual this one in a double blind crossover test, and especially in this room. Double that and it is a done deal. The visual effect of the speakers is stunning, and it is interesting to note that all of the promo pics show the covers off. I do believe that they might move into the area of intrinsic value as art objects. A real Vermeer is priceless, one that takes serious scientific testing to determine it is a forgery, not so much.
--Dick Sullivan
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You should frame that as opinion, instead of a sweeping generalization.
I am confident enough of my knowledge in this market to know that I have plenty to learn. The more you know, the more you understand what is left to know.
So you have heard these particular speakers?
You can either afford the cost of admission, or not. This system is not for "normal" humans. It is for those that want and can afford the state of the art.
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