Stereophile MBL 6010 Review

[Uberbrown]

Stereophile reviewed the MBL 6010D Preamp in its October 2008 issue.
Stereophile: MBL 6010 D preamplifier (http://www.stereophile.com/solidpreamps/1008mbl/index.html)

I just wanted to see your impressions of the article. Without coloring your impression of the article prior to reading it, I found the review cool, detached, and somewhat enigmatic. It felt as if there was a deadline approaching and the reviewer hurried the review. ALso, given that this is a flagship piece, I dont understand why Stereophile tucked the review in the back of the magazine, when the new Ayre unit was on the cover, and declared the 8th wonder of the world. I also found the reviews' results do not mesh with what I have been told 1st hand by people who have compared the MBL with similar units.

The on-line copy of the review does not contain the Manufacturer Comments on the review (which are posted in the back of the Stereophile issue) Apparently (as recorded in the print version of the review under Manufacturer Comments) MBL USA found the review somewhat puzzling as well, and what impressed me was that MBL urged the reader to listen and make the decision for themselves, instead of basing their decision based upon a review. Apparently MBL feels that they are comfortable putting their unit up against anyones.

As of yet, I have not seen a follow up report on this item, even though there have been 3 follow ups on 2 Ayre cd players in the past months.

So what is your impression of the review.

[gregswaim]

Reviews are useful to some extent like knowing the dimensions of a particular piece to see if it will fit into my rack or not, weight of the item(can I lift it by myself or will I need some help), stuff like that.
As far as actual listening goes only the buyer can do that assessment. I would suppose that reviews may also serve to reassure buyers that they've made the right choice(?). After all, if Stereophile or The Absolute Sound say it's great then it must be right?
Spend some time at the dealer auditioning components and then make your own choices.
Some dealers will also allow customers to take home products for demo and that's even better.

[PHC1]

I've heard both of the products you mentioned, one in the context of another system which had other MBL products and thought it was superb and the other one in the context of my own system which I now own. (The 8th wonder :D) Both are superb in my opinion but system synergy is very important and I found the Ayre KX-R a perfect match for mine. It would have been interesting to also audition the MBL preamp in my own system but due to the complex nature of a trade with my local dealer that was not feasable and the Ayre KX-R reigns supreme in my system. :music:

The feedback of other owners and those that have auditioned the KX-R has been very positive as well.

[2-Channel]

... the Ayre KX-R reigns supreme in my system.

In reading the MBL 6010D review on Stereophile and the Ayre KX-R review as well, it seems clear to me that Ayre was given the nod.

I feel that "balanced" inputs and outputs should be plentiful and the standard option on this level of equipment. In that regard, Ayre and Boulder score high marks. From the Stereophile review, it appears that the MBL 6010D may favor unbalanced connections.

I have really begun to take notice of the Ayre reviews. At every turn, including Serge's own findings in his home system, Ayre scores almost off the charts with their components. They are definitely doing something right.

[Still-One]

In reading the MBL 6010D review on Stereophile and the Ayre KX-R review as well, it seems clear to me that Ayre was given the nod.

I feel that "balanced" inputs and outputs should be plentiful and the standard option on this level of equipment. In that regard, Ayre and Boulder score high marks. From the Stereophile review, it appears that the MBL 6010D may favor unbalanced connections.

I have really begun to take notice of the Ayre reviews. At every turn, including Serge's own findings in his home system, Ayre scores almost off the charts with their components. They are definitely doing something right.
Although I use balanced connections whenever possible, I have never found where they have improved the sound over a matching single ended input.

[TommyC]

The 6010D is not fully balanced.

[matt_zak]

I've always prefered the sound of balanced cables over single ended. They tend to lower the noise floor a lot and open up the sound stage. It's the one and only cable design that even the nay sayers can't argue about. Although, I'll admit it is probably more beneficial on a longer run.

[Still-One]

I've always prefered the sound of balanced cables over single ended. They tend to lower the noise floor a lot and open up the sound stage. It's the one and only cable design that even the nay sayers can't argue about. Although, I'll admit it is probably more beneficial on a longer run.
Matt
I think you are painting your comments with a wide brush. I buy into the premise that your choice of cables can have a significant impact on the sound of your system. I think you will find that many people would disagree with your premise that they lower the noise floor and open up the sound stage any more than a properly designed single ended cable using from the same company using the same technology. You are correct that in long runs the balanced cable will win out, but in standard runs once you normalize the differences in output levels between single ended and balanced connections, properly designed cables (from the same line) should sound virtually the same.