Munich High End 2011

MBL’s 101 Xtreme loudspeaker system ($260,000) combines mirror-imaged pairs of the company’s 101 loudspeaker with outboard active subwoofers. A pair of MBL 9011s drove the lower omnis, while a pair of 9008s handled the upper omnis.

Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” sounded appropriately thrilling, and it was cool to hear how well the system managed to depict Christina Aguilera as a petite woman with an enormous voice.

Drama, scale, impact, resolution, speed, speed, speed, three-dimensional images on a massive soundstage. This system produced music with a sort of muscular physicality and confidence. Another one of my favorite sounds at the show, though completely different from all others.

Rosemarie agreed, for once. She liked it, too. (Thank goodness! It obviously only takes half a million dollars to impress this woman.)