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MusicLover

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  1. The original German company, not the company bearing the name following purchase by Maxxsonics and subsequent bankruptcy and resurrection by someone else. Prior to 2008, MB Quart manufactured high-quality, home audio, in addition to car stereo, and whose quality was considered to be similar to Canton Designs, another famous German loudspeaker manufacturer. The history lesson is now over... Following a relative's passing, I was given the task of disposing of his stereo equipment, mostly vintage, but all quality pieces. (I will post the additional pieces, as available, for sale here after they're in my possession and tested.) Among the items was a pair of MB Quart, Quart 2000 loudspeakers (circa 1995), the top of the line, reference (bi-wirable) model, featuring a D'Appolito Array, with a list price at that time of $2,800 USD (see attached)! That was a lot of money in '95! Current Blue Book value is $1,500, according to a dealer I contacted, and include original boxes and packing materials. These speakers have less than 100 hours on them, being replaced shortly after their purchase by a pair of Magnepan MG 3.5s, his ultimate 'dream speakers,' when a pair of the latter became available at an aggressively low price. I've set up a test system using my Sunfire tube preamp/Carver C-11 preamp/Carver 4000t preamp/ (alternating between them), along with Carver M500/M1.5t amps that I'm alternating. I'm using a Samsung DVD-HD950 Universal Disc Player ($10 from Goodwill, some time back) that plays DVD-A and SACD, along with CD formats, in the test system. Along with commercial titles, I'm also using a test CD of music that I made when I was working with Bob during voicing of the ALS. Compared to my B&W Matrix 801 Series III, I found the Q2000s (when bi-wired, worse if not) are not quite as honest as the B&Ws (once used as studio monitors at Abbey Road Studios for large, orchestral recordings, the 801 SIII sound bad when listening to poor recordings, revealing every deficiency in detail), but are very musical and engaging, and I couldn't stop listening to them! Subsequently connecting my DIY 'listen to the room' adapter (based on Bob's work, initially at Sunfire, and with his cooperation) in series with the solid-state amplifier outputs, the Q2000s sounded even better! (Anyone who has used the CURRENT OUTPUTs on a Sunfire amplifier is familiar with this technique.) Their LF extension is specified to 28 Hz, and that's likely an honest number, compared to the 19 Hz response of my B&Ws, with the Q2000s reproducing all but the very lowest bass during my listening, occurring in perhaps <5 % of the recordings. On Bela Fleck & the Flecktones' Flight of the Cosmic Hippo, Victor Wooten's bass has the roundness and tone you expect, just a tiny bit less of the 'gut punch' that the 801 SIII provides, while fully capturing the fundamental and harmonics produced by Bela's banjo on the high end. Although rated for amplifiers having 160 - 350 W, and having an input impedance of 4 ohms, the Q2000 appear to be an easy load for most amplifiers, while the B&Ws definitely require an amplifier of at least 200 W/ch and a high current capacity to deliver the goods. In short, these speakers sound so good, I'll likely keep them, especially since they're somewhat heavy (73 lbs, ea.) and have glass tops on their beautiful, cherry cabinets, which would more than likely get broken in motor shipment. I was not familiar with the sound of these (or any MB Quart models) prior to this exercise, barely familiar with the manufacturer, and then only through the relative that purchased them. Going forward, I'll be swapping them in and out (with my B&W Matrix 801 Series III) in my reference system. If interested in purchasing a similar pair of these rare speakers (I have no connection whatsoever with the seller), I did find a pair available (at this writing) in the Norfolk, VA area for $800. A web search should easily reveal the specifics for anyone interested. I suspect that anyone that listens to these will be as impressed as I am! I've attached a copy of the original (German) datasheet, with the information translated into English included for ease of digestion. If someone on the forum purchases a pair of Q2000s, I also have the crossover schematic and full parts list available, upon request. [Edit] Apparently I inadvertently selected Reply to this Topic instead of Start New Topic - Sorry 😞 MB_Quart_Quart-2000_Technical_Data.pdf
  2. I'm a lifelong music lover, previously a musician, with a love for the audio hobby. I have several pieces of Carver equipment (4000t, C-9, C-11, M500, M1.5t), as well as a 1st Gen (no remote) Sunfire Classic Vacuum Tube Control Center (tube preamp) fitted with the optional phono stage. I primarily listen to LPs, owning over 3,000 titles, but also own over 1,000 CD, DVD-A, and SACD digital formats (stereo only). For my reference, I'm using B&W Matrix 801 Series III loudspeakers, coupled to a McIntosh C2300 Vacuum Tube Preamp and McIntosh MC402 Amplifier, driven by an Oppo BDP-105 UDP and Mobile Fidelity UltraDeck Turntable fitted with Master Tracker cartridge. For FM, I use a Carver TX-11 (non-A), the best tuner ever manufactured short of a Marantz Model 10B. I have nearly 50 years experience in electronics, so I know a little about the technology. I previously worked with Bob Carver as a 'lab jockey' (Bob's term) during development of the Atmos® subwoofer, ALS loudspeakers, and current (and previous) version(s) of the Raven monoblock amplifiers, so I'm very familiar with Bob and his thinking. I previously authored three reviews for The Absolute Sound magazine, a few years back, with two published in the magazine, at the time, and available on the web to this day. During one of those reviews, Bob loaned me a Silver Seven 900 for use in powering the loudspeaker that I was testing. For the other, I used a pair of the (then) 305 W monoblocks, also on loan from Bob. For music, I only listen to physical media (2 channel stereo), no streaming or file downloads, and I've recently been expanding my collection of DVD-A and SACD titles. I'm really interested in vintage equipment, of all brands, and this seems to be one of many good places to communicate with others in that realm! Good to be among others that appreciate this hobby!
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