So here's the deal, in 1995 I got my first set of MB Quart speakers, and I
was blown away.  I loved the range of the vocals, the hard hitting bass, but
then the company fell on difficult times and was sold, this is the usually
the death knell of most companies.  Most of the time when a  Premier company
changes hands, the spirit of the product becomes diluted as the new owners try
to pinch the 'soul' (read this as whatever made the products really great)
and make a few bucks.  Sometimes they cut corners on the manufacturing, or
use cheaper materials, while riding the products name and making some bucks
on the deal. Fortunately Maxxsonics (you know the manufactures of Hifonics,
Autotek and Crunch), the newest owners of MB Quart don't think that way.
Maxxsonics announced when they bought MB Quart in 2005 that they would help
the company regain its once-revered position and let the German engineers
and designers do what they do best.

I, like so many others in the industry, was a little skeptical when I heard
about the acquisition by Maxxsonics, so I was excited when I got the chance
to review a set of MB Quart’s 'Mid Level' speakers, the Discus DKH 116.
The main question was could they keep the 'soul' in the brand?

Everything from the packaging to the fit and function of the product is the MB Quart
quality I remember from 1995, but better.  These 'Mid Level' speakers
were very nice, but you must read on to see just how nice and the exceptional job
Maxxsonics has done in keeping the MB Quart 'soul' in the brand!

The Good:

Woofer

The polyamide composite basket is MB Quart-designed and built, utilizing a
special metal plate to both control magnetics and to improve heat
dissipation (also part of MB's Balanced Temperature Technology program).
The woofer cone and the surround look and feel great, a seamless fit and finish
which rivals other brands costing 3 times more!  The excursion on the woofers is nsane,
these woofers play low and loud.
The DKH116 has nicely finished cosmetics and a great looking grill!  


Tweeter

WideSphere is MB Quart's name for a new inverted dome titanium tweeter
design.  The heart of the WideSphere system is the new and unique tweeter
technology, its inverted titanium dome and high performance neodymium ring
magnet. This gives the speakers an extraordinarily wide radiation angle, an
extremely low resonance frequency and tremendous power handling combined
with outstanding linearity.  MB Quart states the design is "the result of
intensive research, computer simulations and decade-long experience with
ultra light titanium as source material for tweeter domes." One of the
drawbacks to titanium tweeters can be a potential for 'ringing' or very
'tinny' sound in the upper vocal and musical range (like cymbals). The sound
range of the MB Quart is very nice, I have always been a fan of titanium
tweeters when done right and these were done right.  With great imaging and
a nice range these MB Quarts were remarkable!


Installation

The speakers are a multi-fit speaker with enough holes to accommodate
virtually any vehicle.  The install was very easy and the polyamide
composite basket installed the same as a metal basket without the worries
of rusting.  


Manuals/Web Support

If you need to use the manual you will be happy that it was printed in
several languages.  Overall you should not really need help with these as
they are pretty close to 'wire and play' no other adjustments are needed.


The Bad:

Power handling on the 80% long test (4+ hours) showed a bit of fall off in
performance in the midbass. This is really not so bad unless your on a 4+ hour
roadtrip and you don't want to hear Neo's* snoring in the back seat.

Summary:

Ok, first off these speakers sounded great in all the ranges we tested,
exceptionally good in the lower power to mid power range of testing, from
Rock to R&B, Blues, Metal and even Classical.  They also have an insane
amount of excursion, they really move when you give them bass.
 
With the WideSphere tweeters, the off axis range was awesome.  The
power handling on longer high power setting seemed to be a little bit weak,
they got a little mushy and bottomed out on the extended
(4+ hours @ 80% of full power) but on the lower power with
intermediate power surges they hung in very well.   
 
These were mounted in the lower front door section of our test vehicle
and they had a noticeable impact on the imaging, great job MB Quart.
 The other factor is the look/feel of the speakers.  These looked great,
the grills and the finish of the speakers were Awesome!
If your looking for a speaker in this price range, then the DKH116
should be on your list!  
 

Strengths

•     Nice performance at lower power levels

•     Slim design

•     Great looks

•     Good Bass/Midbass and Highs vs. Price

Weakness  

•     Power handling at higher power levels after 4+ hours Midbass seems to  get a bit mushy.

Best Use

These are a great all around choice for any mid level to better system.

                Sound Quality:           4 Stars out of 5:   * * * *
                Installation Ease:       5 Stars out of 5:   * * * * *
                All Around Value:       4 Stars out of 5:   * * * *

MB Quart Discus DKH 116
Min/Max Power Range
50 / 120 W
40 to 30,00 Hz

Size/Type
6 ½" Coaxial Speaker Set [WideSphere]

Price & Contact: $199(MSRP)
http://www.mbquartusa.com

See the DKH116 in action on YouTube!

Adobe Flash Player not installed or older than 9.0.115!

* Ok, just to set the record straight Neo stands for NEO or: Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) are comets and asteroids that have been nudged by the gravitational attraction of nearby planets into orbits that allow them to enter the Earth's neighborhood.  So my buddy Neo got the nick name because he was so big it seemed like gravitational forces where pulling him into the Earth at one point!