Review: Scansonic MB5 B

As soon as I unpack the Scansonic MB5 B, I find myself getting excited. The slim speakers are smooth and sleek in their white satin finish with delicate woven carbon fiber details on both the top and bottom of the faceplate. The design is unmistakably Scansonic with the rounded shapes and distinctive ribbon tweeter.

This is a new version of the MB5, and behind these speakers is the same team that builds the exclusive Raidho speakers. Same technical principles, but with more reasonable material costs. But don’t get me wrong – these are still expensive speakers.

Advanced construction

The Scansonic MB5 B is a pair of slim floorstanding speakers with a price tag of €7,200. Unless you opt for the slightly more expensive walnut finish.

That’s a lot of money, but still a pittance compared to something similar from Raidho. At the moment, there is actually no directly comparable model. But the one that looks the most similar when we look at the trim is the discontinued C3.2 at 34,000 euros.

The MB5 B can be seen as a miniature line source with its symmetrically placed drivers. Two 5.25-inch midwoofers flank the ribbon tweeter in the center, while two dedicated woofers are placed at the bottom. This provides many of the benefits of a line source like its big brother MB6 B – including even dispersion and good phase response – but in a more compact format.

The ribbon tweeter with waveguide is also taken from the Raidho arsenal. The membrane consists of a sandwich construction of kapton and aluminum, only 20 micrometers thick and weighing 0.03 grams. This is around 50 times lighter than conventional dome tweeters, which bodes well for the tweeter’s resolution and purity.

Where Raidho uses extremely expensive ceramic diaphragms and titanium voice coils, Scansonic has chosen more sensible, but still high-quality materials. The diaphragms are woven carbon fiber for high stiffness and low mass, while the voice coils are aluminum. This results in a significantly smaller impact on inductance than conventional copper coils, which means the drivers can move freer and faster. The result is drivers that respond quickly and accurately to the music signal and have only marginally higher distortion than their far more expensive relatives.

The cabinet is curved and braced with carbon fiber and stands on solid feet with adjustable spikes. A slight backward tilt should provide the best possible phase reproduction when listening. This is important for both stereo perspective and rhythm. On the back we find a bass reflex tube and a single pair of solid speaker terminals.

 

Easy to position

Where previous Scansonic models have tended to be a little difficult to position in the room, the MB5 B speakers are more flexible. They are still at their best when placed some distance from the back wall, but can also be positioned closer to the wall without the bass becoming too dominant. In our 30 square meter test room, they actually worked surprisingly well just 60-70 centimeters from the wall.

They are also easily driven. With a sensitivity of 90 dB, they don’t need many watts to come to life. In the test room, the Hegel H590s play up perfectly to their huge stereo perspective and dynamic capabilities. But other amplifiers will work great too. The Denon PMA-3000NE has a warm and lush sound that fires up the huge soundstage. A fast Naim amplifier, on the other hand, will emphasize their tactful and rhythmic qualities. The Rotel Michi X3 S2 will add a great deal of authority and power, while a more budget-friendly integrated amplifier like the Marantz Model 40n can also go a long way.

But it’s when they get a lot of amplifier power that the entertainment department really comes alive.

Impressive dynamics

Susanne Sundfør’s version of Dejlig er jorden evokes both goosebumps and a wet eye. Ole Morten Vågan’s mighty double bass sounds so powerful and big that you almost have to pinch yourself. What sounds like a real and towering church organ, but which I interpret from the available information to be sampled, is so otherworldly grandiose that it is almost unbelievable.

Similarly, the sampled strings, cellos and violins have a warm and crisp sound that is a treat for the soul. Everything sounds as real and authentic as if it was recorded in the Notre Dame itself, and Sundfør’s voice stands out so beautifully in the soundscape that I wish she could hear what I hear in the room right now.

Rap and electronic music also show how dynamic and rhythmic these speakers are. The bass feels both deep and punchy, while vocals and details stand out clearly without being intrusive or harsh. Where many hi-fi manufacturers are tempted to pull down the midrange to evoke a sense of airiness, Scansonic has found a fine balance. Yes, the upper midrange is slightly pulled back, but not so much that I think it compromises the presence register. The voices still come out really well. At the same time, there’s good fullness in both the lower and mid-midrange.

The MB5 B delivers a natural and engaging music reproduction that never gets tiring to listen to. The stereo image is huge with precise placement of instruments and vocals. And thanks to the lightweight ribbon tweeter, there’s plenty of air and detail at the top without being harsh or obtrusive.

Scansonic MB5 B versus the competition

The MB5 B has several strong competitors in its price range. At the time of writing, I have the fabulous Dali Rubicore 8 fresh in my mind. The Dali speakers are physically larger and they too have wonderful, rhythmic bass and well-resolved sound. However, they don’t go quite as deep in the bass as the Scansonic. In terms of detail, the Dali speakers also have a thinner midrange and a slightly sharper treble. This makes them more discerning when it comes to recording quality; on sharp recordings, they can be a little hard to listen to.

Quite simply, the Scansonic MB5 B is a more complete speaker. With a natural ability to make all music engaging, almost regardless of the recording quality. And the dynamic control is second to none.

The tweeter in the Scansonic MB5 B doesn’t sound as ultra-detailed as the more expensive Audiovector R3 Arreté, but it’s also more delicate than the more affordable R3 Signature. The kinship with Raidho is easy to hear, although the smallest and most fleeting details of the Raidho branch of the family are lost.

Conclusion

The Scansonic MB5 B is an impressive speaker that really delivers on its Raidho DNA. You get much of the magic of the ultra-exclusive speakers, but at a more reasonable price. The dynamics are fantastic, the stereo image is huge, and they’re both easy to drive and flexible to place.

Yes, they still cost a good amount of money, but compared to what you have to pay for similar quality from the competition, they seem like a bargain. These are speakers that really bring out the best in music – almost regardless of genre.