radialstrahler speakers: dramatic design + sound

August 20th, 2007 post a comment stumble it! by: technabob

I’ve written about some out of this world speaker designs in my time, but never anything quite like these speakers from Germany’s MBL.

MBL 101 E Radialstrahler Reference Speakers

Their 101 E Radialstrahler Reference speakers offer a striking sculptural design that makes them look more like something you’d see at a power plant than something that would crank out world-class audio. Apparently, the unique design of these speakers radiates sound waves in all directions, creating an amazing level of depth and realism.

Each one has four separate speaker elements, including a conventional 12-inch subwoofer as well as MBL’s special radial woofer, midrange and tweeter. Frequency response goes from a booming 24Hz all the way up to an inaudible 40,000 Hz. They can handle continous power up to 500-watts, and peak up to a massive 2200-watts per channel. However, since the SPL of these speakers tops out at a wimpy 82dB, you’ll need to drive them with a ton of wattage if you want to experience the best sound they can offer.

All this style and substance will set you back a pretty penny though. A pair of 101 E Radiostrahler Reference speakers retails for about $50,000.