MB Quart home subwoofer

Emlyn
Emlyn Posts: 4,490
edited July 2005 in Subwoofer Hookup & Bass Management
Anybody know anything about MB Quart's Vera line of home speakers? Audio Advisor is selling off some stock of the MB Quart Vera VS1 subwoofer below. It has a Rockford Fosgate designed 450 watt amp, one 12" active driver, and two 10" passive radiators in a sealed enclosure. Opinions about the technical design compared with ported subwoofers (SVS type)? Is MB Quart still well regarded as a company generally? I know they're owned by Rockford Fosgate now.

I like the looks of it, but haven't been able to find any reviews of it on the internet. The Vera line is MB Quart's top line for home components, and the subwoofer is built in Germany.
Post edited by Emlyn on
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Comments

  • Early B.
    Early B. Posts: 7,900
    edited June 2005
    Looks nice. Without reviews, it's tough to drop a grand on any subwoofer, esp. one without a story to tell. Comparably sized, proven subs can be had for half the price.
    HT/2-channel Rig: Sony 50” LCD TV; Toshiba HD-A2 DVD player; Emotiva LMC-1 pre/pro; Rogue Audio M-120 monoblocks (modded); Placette RVC; Emotiva LPA-1 amp; Bada HD-22 tube CDP (modded); VMPS Tower II SE (fronts); DIY Clearwave Dynamic 4CC (center); Wharfedale Opus Tri-Surrounds (rear); and VMPS 215 sub

    "God grooves with tubes."
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  • MSALLA
    MSALLA Posts: 1,602
    edited July 2005
    I bought a set of MB quart bookshelf speakers and they were total crap! I don't know what line they were and I don't know that much about there home audio equipment.
    They do make some real nice car stereo speakers.
    A grands a big to drop nut with no information to go on. See if you have a grace period to return it if you don't like it.
    Michael


    Samsung 50" HD DLP
    Yamaha RX-V2500
    (2) Outlaw 200
    Adcom GFA 555
    Sony BDP300
    Denon 2900 DVD
    Lsi9's mains
    Lsi7's rear
    Lsic center
    12.1 SVS driver in 4.53 cuft. tube
    Harmony 880
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  • AsSiMiLaTeD
    AsSiMiLaTeD Posts: 11,727
    edited July 2005
    the front grill on that thing is fugly...

    What I've heard of their home audio stuff is crap, but also have heard good things about their car stuff.

    I'd steer clear of that not only because I think it's ugly, but also because I think you can do better for cheaper...
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  • michael_w
    michael_w Posts: 2,813
    edited July 2005
    I've never been a fan of Rockford so I would steer clear if you can't have a listen first... Have you thought about diy? For a grand you could make a killer sub.
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  • Emlyn
    Emlyn Posts: 4,490
    edited July 2005
    Originally posted by Polkmaniac
    the front grill on that thing is fugly...

    What I've heard of their home audio stuff is crap, but also have heard good things about their car stuff.

    I'd steer clear of that not only because I think it's ugly, but also because I think you can do better for cheaper...

    I was able to find an article from a German magazine that reviewed 12, mostly European, subwoofers from various price ranges. A Burmester S8 ($12,000) was by far the best. They rated the MB Quart subwoofer mid-pack in the same range as a Velodyne DD10 or B&W ASW750. I like REL subs as well, but they weren't included in the review. I've done the SVS thing a couple of times. Haven't done a DIY sub though. Audio Advisor has good return policies, but I don't know how much return shipping would be on the subwoofer because I haven't found a weight for it. I'd guess it's probably around 80 lbs unpacked.

    The more I think about the grille, the more this image comes to mind:
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  • Mjr7531
    Mjr7531 Posts: 856
    edited July 2005
    I dunno...
    It doesn't look like a face with no mouth or nose to me...
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  • goingganzo
    goingganzo Posts: 2,793
    edited July 2005
    my old sub i spent a little over a grand on it and was hitting 115 on the ring drop sene.
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  • Emlyn
    Emlyn Posts: 4,490
    edited July 2005
    Well, I got the MB Quart after all and have been testing it out for the last couple of weeks. After having two SVS ISD driver-based subs, I can say the MB Quart is a far more musical, very tight sounding, easy to integrate subwoofer, almost like picking up a REL subwoofer for a much lower cost. It won't shake the foundations of a house, but its bass is much more controlled, and it still has plenty of impact for movies. Sound effects are much better defined and seem to hit more sharply. SVS does the impressive house shaking, room pressurizing thing very well though.

    The design of the MB Quart is one downfiring active driver, with two passive drivers angled at 45 degrees to the front. Shipping weight was 135 lbs, so actual weight on the unit is a little over 100 lbs. The cabinet surround is real joined wood, very solid high-end construction throughout with an XLR input and remote volume control to boot. I've paired the subwoofer with a pair of LSi9's now with extremely good results, so good that I decided to remove a pair of SDA-1Cs from the front of my theater system. The MB Quart is a keeper.
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  • Schris22
    Schris22 Posts: 983
    edited July 2005
    well thats good that you found something you liked. Always good to do with what sounds best to you.

    Chris
    Receiver: Onkyo TX-SR502-S
    DVD Player: Pioneer DV-578A-S
    Left and Right: R50
    Center: CS1
    Rear Center: R15
    Surrounds: R30
    Subwoofer: 10'' Dayton 100 Watt
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  • Early B.
    Early B. Posts: 7,900
    edited July 2005
    Great review, Emlyn. Glad to hear you got impressive results.

    Also glad to see you got a chance to compare it to SVS-ISD based subs. Love the fact that it's more musical.

    Enjoy.
    HT/2-channel Rig: Sony 50” LCD TV; Toshiba HD-A2 DVD player; Emotiva LMC-1 pre/pro; Rogue Audio M-120 monoblocks (modded); Placette RVC; Emotiva LPA-1 amp; Bada HD-22 tube CDP (modded); VMPS Tower II SE (fronts); DIY Clearwave Dynamic 4CC (center); Wharfedale Opus Tri-Surrounds (rear); and VMPS 215 sub

    "God grooves with tubes."
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  • Airplay355
    Airplay355 Posts: 4,298
    edited July 2005
    Mjr,
    Did you think those pink things were supposed to be eyeballs?
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  • Mjr7531
    Mjr7531 Posts: 856
    edited July 2005
    Glad you found a keeper, I know you said that it doesn't pressurize the room as much, but nevertheless, does it still do a decent job of it?

    Airplay -
    I know what it's supposed to be... ;)
    I'm just kinda, playin' innocent, yanno'...
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  • Emlyn
    Emlyn Posts: 4,490
    edited July 2005
    Originally posted by Mjr7531
    Glad you found a keeper, I know you said that it doesn't pressurize the room as much, but nevertheless, does it still do a decent job of it?

    Much more than decent really. Within the limits of one 12 inch driver it does very well. It is a lot different than the ISD driver SVS's I've had. The only way I can describe it is that the SVS's have what can be an overwhelming "rumble" while the MB Quart is much cleaner and hits notes more precisely in a more controlled way. Still, it's nowhere near as powerful as the PB2-ISD I had, but then I didn't really need that much subwoofer in my house to begin with.
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  • haimoc
    haimoc Posts: 1,031
    edited July 2005
    Emlyn, nice pix... :D
    -?¿-
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