Although it may seem like a time long gone by the current state of things, it used to be that any concerned audiophile in the US could find a righteous audio show close by, filled with the likes of MBL Loudspeakers. With the recent announcements of shows being cancelled as far out as 2021, it makes those memories feel even more distant as Covid-19 continues to present substantial obstacles for public gatherings world wide.
For those feeling nostalgic about it all, there is an interview captured at the FLAX 2020 show from none other than high-end, omni-directional speaker maker MBL – still on tap for your listening entertainment.
The interview with The Occasional Podcast touches on a short history of the company, but also dives into the specifics of their very unique “Radialstrahler” speaker. The big music-making technology actually pushes metal plates outward from a central point below each set of 360 dispersion drivers. It is an unusual sight, and even more special to hear in person. US representative Jermey Bryan sits down with the show for an informative walk into the world of the Germany-based company. Not only does the company make one-of-a-kind MBL loudspeakers, but a large range of audio electronics to exactly match and fill out the front end.
While it may not be the panacea for show-goer blues, the throwback is perhaps representative of a little snack while we all wait for the smoke to clear a bit more. For those interested in a more technical excursion for the week, TOP has last month’s An Audiophile’s Guide To The Loudness Wars to wade into the production side of things.
The Occasional Podcast is now working its way though season 4, with interviews from Nelson Pass, Joseph Audio, ZMF Headphones, and Rob Watts providing interesting highlights from season 3 and a peek behind the backdrop of high end audio and hifi in general. One can still check out last season’s educational drop with TOP’s Beginners Primer To Reel-To-Reel – sometimes considered a deeper dive into analog listening than even vinyl is.
Options to stream: direct from the embed below or subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast platform including iTunes, Android, Google, Deezer, Spotify, iHeartRadio and more.
More on MBL: http://www.mbl-northamerica.com