Mbl

MBL is a German maker of loudspeakers and electronics, founded in Berlin in 1979 by Wolfgang Meletzky with partners Bieneke and Lenhard. The company is known for the Radialstrahler, an omnidirectional loudspeaker whose drivers radiate through 360 degrees. Its first model, the MBL 100, was shown at the Berlin broadcasting exhibition in 1979, and MBL products are now distributed in 44 countries.

Range & what it's known for

Six Radialstrahler loudspeakers form the speaker range, led by the 101 E MKII, successor to the original 100, with a large melon-shaped radial woofer in aluminium and magnesium alloy. Electronics arrived in 1986 with the 6010 preamplifier, first built as an internal development tool, and the 9010 power amplifier followed in 1993. Today the electronics come in three tiers - the entry Cadenza line, which launched in 2011 under the Corona name, the mid-priced Noble line with the N11 preamplifier, N15 monoblocks, N21 stereo amplifier and N51 integrated, and the top Reference line. The second-generation Noble range of 2016 brought the in-house LASA amplification and Roon streaming.

Who owns it and where it's made

Meletzky retired in 2008 and entrepreneur Christian Hermeling took over as owner and CEO. After an insolvency filing in May 2025, a majority stake passed on 1 October 2025 to Chow Tai Seng, a Chinese jewellery group that also owns the distributor United Audio. MBL kept its Berlin headquarters and German production in Berlin and Eberswalde with around 50 staff. Jürgen Reis, who joined as development engineer in 1982, became chief engineer.

The lineup in this catalog

Here MBL is represented by loudspeakers and electronics, priced from about EUR 20,000 to well beyond EUR 300,000 for the largest Radialstrahler systems.

Who it's for

MBL is aimed at buyers who want omnidirectional loudspeakers and electronics designed to drive them from one maker. A Cadenza amplifier or integrated is the entry into the brand, the Noble line adds streaming and LASA power stages, and the Reference line sits at the top. Owners of a Radialstrahler system usually build the chain around the 101 E MKII or a smaller model, then upgrade the electronics step by step.