Passion Audio, a high-fidelity boutique located at 43, rue Principale in Châteauguay, Québec, invited all its customers for a special presentation of the new SourcePoint 888 loudspeaker by MoFi on Wednesday, July 4th. This loudspeaker, from the American manufacturer MoFi Electronics, is a first in Canadian territory. Founded in 1977, this company also distributes around twenty high-fidelity brands under the MoFi Distribution banner, with Rich Zidel as the sales director for Canada. He was present to demonstrate the MoFi SourcePoint 888 loudspeaker and answer our questions.
MoFi Electronics is primarily known for its turntables, including accessories and electronics that accompany them. About two years ago, the manufacturer decided to venture into loudspeaker production and enlisted Andrew Jones, a guru and designer in the field. Jones has worked with renowned manufacturers like KEF in England, TAD in Japan, and ELAC in Germany. He has particularly developed expertise in designing loudspeakers that use the principle of a two-way concentric driver with the tweeter mounted at the center of the cone. This design allows for a driver where both transducers emit their signal in phase, approaching a point source of emission.
With Andrew Jones’ collaboration, MoFi Electronics has since developed two loudspeaker models: the SourcePoint 10, a stand-mounted speaker equipped with a 25 cm concentric driver with a 1.25 inch soft dome tweeter, and the SourcePoint 8, a bookshelf loudspeaker with a similar 20 cm concentric driver.
Following commercial success, there was a rapid demand for a floor standing (tower type) loudspeaker capable of reproducing deeper bass frequencies. Thus, the SourcePoint 888 was born, a three-way speaker with the same concentric driver as the SourcePoint 8, modified to handle only high and mid frequencies. Thanks to a double neodymium magnet, the tweeter is inserted inside and at the center of the woofer, whose short voice coil moves in a longer magnetic gap.
For low frequencies, a 20 cm driver was specifically developed for the SourcePoint 888. This way, the front face of the speaker remains as narrow as possible for better horizontal dispersion, hence the name 888 for these three 20 cm drivers. They all feature a cellulose pulp (paper) cone, a less exotic but highly regarded material among high-end equipment manufacturers due to its excellent weight-to-rigidity ratio and excellent timbre fidelity. The two woofers of this floor standing loudspeaker are each mounted in their own cavity with a bass reflex design and have their own port located at the rear of the loudspeaker. The 20 cm concentric driver, handling only mid and high frequencies, is housed in the upper part of the loudspeaker. It is also isolated in its own cavity and operates in a wideband up to a frequency of 130 Hz. At this frequency, it is filtered and does not have to reproduce very low frequencies that could alter its midrange. This feature of isolated compartments provides the loudspeaker with a series of very elaborate internal reinforcements. This effectively solidifies the cabinet to combat vibrations and the formation of standing waves.
Like its counterparts, the SourcePoint 888 features a very thick front face, beveled at the top and bottom, which helps avoid wave diffraction on the front edges. At the rear are the two ports for each of the two low-frequency drivers. This feature allows the two woofers to go down to a frequency of 32 Hz. A double binding post is also provided for bi-wiring or bi-amplification. The available finishes are black, white, and walnut, covered with a satin lacquer. A black plinth under the loudspeaker contains adjustable feet and helps increase the stability of the SourcePoint 888 on the floor. The loudspeaker comes with a nice protective grille made of fabric that respects the shape of the front panel and is magnetically attached. However, the manufacturer recommends listening to the loudspeaker without the grille. The listening session at Passion Audio was very convincing regarding the performance of this superb speaker, which remains reasonably priced at $ 7,250 CAD.
Naturally, the electronics used for this demonstration were of very high caliber. We are talking about a VK-80 preamplifier and a VK-80t amplifier from BAT (Balanced Audio Technology). The source consisted of MoFi‘s Ultradeck turntable and an Ultraphono preamplifier. A Madison LE streamer/DAC from the Swiss manufacturer Wattson Audio was used. All cables were from the Quebec manufacturer Luna Cables. In my experiences with various brands of loudspeakers using a concentric driver, I have often perceived a slight megaphone-type coloration, but not in the case of the SourcePoint 888. The tonal balance was exquisite, with impressive bass, non-harsh high frequencies, and a beautifully open midrange.
The dimensions of the SourcePoint 888, with the grille in place, are 107 x 32 x 41 cm, and its respectable weight is 43 kg. Its frequency response is 32 Hz – 30 kHz, with a nominal impedance of 6 Ohms and a minimum of 4.5 Ohms. Its maximum admissible power is 200 W per channel, but given its sensitivity of 87 dB, it should not be too difficult to drive. The MoFi SourcePoint 888 is currently available at Passion Audio for $7,250 CAD. I have been informed that this boutique now has the exclusive rights to MoFi Electronics products for the greater Montreal area, including the South Shore and Laval.
Quick questions for Andrew Jones
Question 1: With companies like KEF, TAD, Elac, and now MoFi, you have developed many products using concentric speaker technology. Do you believe this technology is the best for designing loudspeakers?
Answer: I strongly believe in concentric drivers. I know their strengths and also their weaknesses. I constantly work to minimize those weaknesses, such as new magnet structures and cone/surround design
Question 2: To what extent are you involved in the design of the transducers for MoFi loudspeakers?
Answer: All driver design is done by myself. I design the cone and surround shapes, I design the voice coil, the motor structure. I then give these designs to the factory to build samples for evaluation, then make any necessary changes to meet my target goals.
Question 3: Where are these transducers manufactured?
They are made in China, at a factory known for very high-quality production. The consistency of the measured response is extremely good, at least the equal of any driver manufacturer I have worked with.
Question 4: Are the cabinets manufactured locally? And by locally, we mean which in country?
Answer: Cabinets are also sourced in China, at the factory that used to make the TAD cabinets.
Question 5: The MoFi SourcePoint 888 loudspeaker has a dual binding post for bi-amplification or bi-wiring. Do you believe these options truly improve the sound quality of the loudspeakers, or can a single good amplifier with quality mono-wiring perform just as well in powering the loudspeakers?
Answer: I chose to provide bi-wiring to give the buyer options. The reality is that bi-amplification gives very little benefit in output compared to single amplification. If you’re spending extra money for an additional amplifier, you are better using it in bridge mode instead. You will get a significant improvement in output in this mode.
Question 6: For amplifying the SourcePoint 888 loudspeakers, what do you prefer: tubes or transistors, Class A / B or Class D?
Answer: Class D has reached a very high quality now, especially with GaN devices. I use all types to evaluate my speakers so I can have an idea of how they will sound with the different types of amplifiers, but I do my design work with solid state Class A / B, as these are generally more neutral. Tubes are much too variable and interactive to use in the initial stages of development.
The management of TED Magazine warmly thanks Mr. Andrew Jones for the time he kindly gave us for this short interview.