I recently received an email from Jürgen Reis, MBL’s chief engineer for more than 40 years, announcing he’s no longer with the company.
I’m not privy to any details beyond the content of that email from which I’ll quote:
“The transition from MBL Akustikgeräte to MBL International does go differently to what I would like to see or would / can support. It appears that there are different views regarding both the company’s legacy (all my work) and its future direction.
“I remain available to support former importers, dealers, and customers, and I am happy to assist directly. However, I am no longer affiliated with MBL International. I wish nothing but the best for the company, as this has been my life’s work.”
Here’s what I do know—when the person who has been largely responsible for a company’s products leaves that leaves more than a dent—more like a hole. But sure, brands can have staying power and fill that hole but I’m more of a people person than a brand devotee when it comes to hifi.
MBL in the more than capable hands of Jeremy Bryan, formerly President and CEO of MBL North America, Inc., typically saw long lines of people waiting to gain entry into an MBL room at hifi shows which is testament to both Jeremy’s fastidious attention to every last detail as well as Jürgen’s life’s work.
“There is nothing that sounds like an MBL system other than an MBL system.”
Is something I wrote more than once in show reports covering MBL’s rooms. And here’s some more from High End Munich 2019:
Pictured up top is MBL’s Jürgen Reis, the guy behind all of their designs, giving a presentation on the Radialstrahler mbl 101 X-treme Speakers. I’ve seen this and similar presentations before but I always attend Jürgen’s presentations because I always learn something new each time. There’s also an ease and inviting manner to his presentations which I attribute, in part, to the fact that Jürgen knows what he’s talking about and we are being treated to the tippy top of a very deep iceberg. Another piece of this inviting presentation puzzle is I believe Jürgen loves what he does and he enjoys sharing his knowledge and experience.
MBL International GmbH, the current MBL owner, is a subsidiary of Chinese luxury conglomerate Chow Tai Seng the leading jewelry brand in China.