MBL Corona C31 CD Player Review

In the second configuration, I connected the C31 to a Parasound Halo JC2 preamp ($3,999) on loan from Richard Schram of Parasound. Interconnects, amplification, and loudspeakers were again Nordost Odin. In my final set-up, I dispensed with a preamp entirely, and, at Bryan’s request, replaced preamps and amps with MBL’s Corona C51 integrated amplifier ($11,000 – review forthcoming). At the risk of repeating myself, all cables were Nordost Odin, save for the USB cable; I used either a Nordost Blue Heaven or Audioquest Diamond USB when sourcing music from my Macbook Pro.

Listening was conducted in a 21 x 24 living room with 9’2” high ceilings and a host of Synergistic Research ART devices. (Details of my reference system follow.) Because my loudspeakers changed from Sophia 3s to more revealing Sashas during the course of the audition process, and various Synergistic Research Tranquility Bases also entered the picture (review also forthcoming), I returned to each of the three configurations to confirm my observations after equipment had changed.

The first time I listened to the Corona C31/Noble 5011 pairing, I began with a recording of baritone Matthias Goerne singing Schubert lieder (songs) to piano accompaniment. I immediately noted that the sound, consistent to my observations concerning MBL’s house sound, was warmer and rounder than I was accustomed to. While it was also less detailed than I had come to expect, due to the softening of the leading edges of voice and piano, MBL’s romantic presentation had a seductive glow all its own. While I found the sound of the baritone’s voice a bit diffuse, the imaging less than ultimately transparent, and colors slightly softened, I also acknowledged that for people whose systems sound overly analytical or mechanically etched, this front end would seem like a gift from the gods.

Once the Noble 5011 went back to MBL, I spent a lot of time listening via the Parasound Halo JC2 preamp. The first thing that struck me was that, with this preamp, the presentation seemed more neutral and less romanticized than with MBL’s Noble preamp. When I auditioned one of my favorite jazz test CDs, a Chesky disc with Brazilian vocalist Rosa Passos and bassist Ron Carter, I admired the sound’s lovely warmth. True, a slight softening of colors and the leading edge of sounds contributed to a presentation that might be best described as “impressionistic.” Nonetheless, the sound was so warm and inviting that I could have listened for hours without fatigue.

Next came mezzo-soprano Lorraine Hunt Lieberson’s SACD of Handel arias with Harry Bickett and the period instrument Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. While some of the bass definition and three-dimensionality I was accustomed to hearing were not present, I couldn’t tell how much of this was caused by the Halo JC2, which had recently entered my system. But with the system’s newfound, beautiful warmth drawing me in, I found the sound, to quote my notes, “very lovely, totally listenable, and very musical.”

Next I moved on to Ivan Fischer’s recording of Mahler Symphony No. 2 with the Budapest Festival Orchestra. “Not the widest soundstage, clearest presentation, or most defined low bass,” I wrote in my notes. Switching to very different music, soprano Elly Ameling singing Schubert, I was able to improve bass definition by changing supports under the preamp to Stillpoints. Still, while far bigger voiced dramatic soprano Eileen Farrell’s voice sounded as warm as I’m accustomed to hearing it, the overall presentation was neither as detailed nor as captivatingly rich in the midrange as it was sounds through either of my current references, the Antelope Zodiac Gold DAC/preamp or the dCS Puccini CD/SACD player/Scarlatti U-Clock combo.

Classical music is hardly the only music I use to audition equipment. While covering show after show for Stereophile, I’ve found it nigh impossible to make the rounds without encountering Chris Jones’ “No Sanctuary Here.” Listening to a CD-quality file of that track via my Macbook Pro connected to the C31’s USB input, I found the sound very clear. I also found the deep bass on “Le temps passé” very impressive. Jazz vocalist Karrin Allyson’s voice sounded fabulously present and tight on “Moanin’,” from a Telarc CD I adore. Although I noted some grayness around the voice’s edges, but the core sound was lovely.

I also listened to hi-res files sourced from my Macbook Pro. San Francisco Symphony’s 88.2/24 version of John Adams’ intentionally edgy Short Ride in a Fast Machine (HDTracks) had the same characteristics as the recordings and files mentioned above. The Corona’s relaxing smoothness, which made it ideal for background listening, was a definite plus in this bright and brassy track.