MBL - USA MBL 120

MBL 120 Omnidirectional Loudspeaker

First-time listeners of the MBL 120 are frequently mystified. Their most common question is: “Where is the music coming from?” Their second question: “How is the bass produced?” The answers are pure MBL. The proprietary enclosure-free radial midrange and high-frequency drivers deliver buoyant, crystalline performance that soars over a bedrock of bass typically found in larger loudspeakers. Combined with the stop/start speed and low-frequency texture found only in smaller-sized speakers, the result is unrivalled clarity and dimensional range. Such a fast, detailed, and dynamic full-spectrum transducer consistently leaves listeners searching in vain for a hidden subwoofer. True consequence by design!

The 120’s 20-litre pyramid-shaped cabinet surrounds mid-woofers with premium chassis technology to produce incomparable bass response. Two 6 ½-inch long-throw woofers featuring custom-designed aluminum membranes are strategically positioned on the sides of the bass-reflex enclosure. Internally connected by massive aluminum rods, the two drivers work seamlessly in a push-push configuration, preventing inherent recoil forces from being transferred to the cabinet, creating distortion. Taking care of business above 650 Hz is MBL’s exclusive 360-degree dispersion of middle and high frequencies using the same omnidirectional radial-driver combination found in the 120’s larger siblings. For the media-minded, MBL developed the 120 RC to serve as the Radial Center channel in home-theater applications. The 120s are specified for room sizes up to 35m² (400 ft²). When paired with components from MBL’s Cadenza or Noble Lines, these pyramids of power effortlessly convey the emotional magnitude and meaning of music with a verve and clarity that is peerless.

"Their sound, though always substantial, tends to stay detailed without getting thick or muddy…The MBL 120s can be addictive.”

Julie Mullins, STEREOPHILE

Mids and Highs

Tweeters and midrange drivers are the heart of every loudspeaker. Without the critical frequencies they produce, it’s almost impossible to capture the emotional nuances of voices and instruments. This frequency range covers most of the vocal spectrum while allowing listeners to pinpoint the location of players or instruments within the original recording space.

Refined to perfection over the past 45 years, MBL's Radialstrahler technology enables full 360-degree distribution of sound waves to fill entire rooms with concert-hall majesty, creating a truly immersive spatial experience. And this holds true for all listeners, not just one or two individuals located in the sought-after sweet spot or sound apex of two conventional loudspeakers.

MBL’s technology also bests the geometric design challenges of most living rooms, where multi-angled reflective surfaces and protuberances cause reverberation, making it difficult to reproduce lifelike music. Our one-of-a-kind Radialstrahler technology, used in all tweeters and midrange drivers throughout our speaker lineup, smoothly overcomes edges, angles and reflective planes for the ultimate listening enjoyment.

More about MBL's loudspeaker technology

Chassis strength: the push-push arrangement

Loudspeakers are complicated devices, with lightning-fast internal actions that occur in rapid succession. The membrane is fired back and forth in time with the music signal, and the recoil hits the housing. The larger the chassis, the heavier the membrane and the more powerful the magnet and voice coil, the harder the shock. With such active internal movements, speaker housings tend to produce undesirable vibrations, and can delay and weaken the sound signal if they give in to the recoil.

The housing-less Radialstrahler transducers are not affected by these challenges of movement, especially since their sound impulses are evenly distributed in all directions. Even the cone chassis in MBL loudspeakers conquer the forces that impact faithful sound reproduction. They are only installed in pairs, and are located on the left and right sides of the housing. The two rear sides of the chassis are connected with a massive aluminum strut. The respective membranes oscillate in and out in unison, and the recoil forces cancel each other out. Through clever engineering, the speaker housing is spared mechanical vibrations and shocks, producing sound that is controlled, tight and refined.

The 120  at a glance

• 3-way loudspeaker, bass reflex tuning
• Ideal for rooms up to approx. 35m² (400 ft²)
• HT37 tweeter and MT50 midrange drivers built with Radialstrahler technology
• Long-stroke aluminum chassis bass drivers with aerodynamic baskets for low friction losses
• Bass drivers in push-push arrangement to prevent power loss to the cabinet
• Pyramid shaped, 20-liter bass cabinet with 42 Hz tuning
• Crossover with 2-pole subsonic filter to protect the bass driver
• Choice of customizable finishes