{"id":42980,"date":"2024-07-13T13:37:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-13T17:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tedpublications.com\/fr\/?p=42980"},"modified":"2024-07-13T19:42:33","modified_gmt":"2024-07-13T23:42:33","slug":"mofi-sourcepoint-888-presentation-at-passion-audio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tedpublications.com\/fr\/en\/mofi-sourcepoint-888-presentation-at-passion-audio\/","title":{"rendered":"MoFi SourcePoint 888 Presentation at Passion Audio"},"content":{"rendered":"

Passion Audio<\/strong>, a high-fidelity boutique located at 43, rue Principale in Ch\u00e2teauguay, Qu\u00e9bec, invited all its customers for a special presentation of the new SourcePoint\u00a0888<\/em> loudspeaker by MoFi<\/strong> on Wednesday, July\u00a04th<\/sup>. This loudspeaker, from the American manufacturer MoFi Electronics, is a first in Canadian territory. Founded in\u00a01977, this company also distributes around twenty high-fidelity brands under the MoFi Distribution<\/strong> banner, with Rich Zidel<\/strong> as the sales director for Canada. He was present to demonstrate the MoFi<\/strong> SourcePoint\u00a0888<\/em> loudspeaker and answer our questions.<\/p>\n

MoFi Electronics<\/strong> 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<\/strong>, a guru and designer in the field. Jones<\/strong> has worked with renowned manufacturers like KEF<\/strong> in England, TAD<\/strong> in Japan, and ELAC<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

With Andrew Jones’<\/strong> collaboration, MoFi Electronics<\/strong> has since developed two loudspeaker models: the SourcePoint\u00a010<\/em>, a stand-mounted speaker equipped with a 25\u00a0cm concentric driver with a 1.25\u00a0inch soft dome tweeter, and the SourcePoint\u00a08<\/em>, a bookshelf loudspeaker with a similar 20\u00a0cm concentric driver.<\/p>\n

Following commercial success, there was a rapid demand for a floor standing (tower type) loudspeaker capable of reproducing deeper bass frequencies. Thus, the SourcePoint\u00a0888<\/em> was born, a three-way speaker with the same concentric driver as the SourcePoint\u00a08<\/em>, 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.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>For low frequencies, a 20\u00a0cm driver was specifically developed for the SourcePoint\u00a0888<\/em>. This way, the front face of the speaker remains as narrow as possible for better horizontal dispersion, hence the name 888<\/em> for these three 20\u00a0cm 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\u00a0cm 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\u00a0Hz. 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.<\/p>\n

Like its counterparts, the SourcePoint\u00a0888<\/em> 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\u00a0Hz. 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\u00a0888<\/em> 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<\/em> 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 $\u00a07,250\u00a0CAD.<\/p>\n

Naturally, the electronics used for this demonstration were of very high caliber. We are talking about a VK-80<\/em> preamplifier and a VK-80t<\/em> amplifier from BAT<\/strong> (Balanced Audio Technology<\/strong>). The source consisted of MoFi<\/strong>‘s Ultradeck<\/em> turntable and an Ultraphono<\/em> preamplifier. A Madison LE<\/em> streamer\/DAC from the Swiss manufacturer Wattson Audio<\/strong> was used. All cables were from the Quebec manufacturer Luna Cables<\/strong>. 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\u00a0888<\/em>. The tonal balance was exquisite, with impressive bass, non-harsh high frequencies, and a beautifully open midrange.<\/p>\n

The dimensions of the SourcePoint\u00a0888<\/em>, with the grille in place, are 107\u00a0x 32\u00a0x 41\u00a0cm, and its respectable weight is 43\u00a0kg. Its frequency response is 32\u00a0Hz\u00a0\u2013 30\u00a0kHz, with a nominal impedance of 6\u00a0Ohms and a minimum of 4.5\u00a0Ohms. Its maximum admissible power is 200\u00a0W per channel, but given its sensitivity of 87\u00a0dB, it should not be too difficult to drive. The MoFi<\/strong> SourcePoint\u00a0888<\/em> is currently available at Passion Audio<\/strong> for $7,250\u00a0CAD. I have been informed that this boutique now has the exclusive rights to MoFi Electronics<\/strong> products for the greater Montreal area, including the South Shore and Laval.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Quick questions for Andrew Jones
\n<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Question\u00a01<\/strong>: With companies like KEF<\/strong>, TAD<\/strong>, Elac<\/strong>, and now MoFi<\/strong>, you have developed many products using concentric speaker technology. Do you believe this technology is the best for designing loudspeakers?<\/p>\n

Answer<\/strong>: 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<\/p>\n

Question 2<\/strong>: To what extent are you involved in the design of the transducers for MoFi<\/strong> loudspeakers?<\/p>\n

Answer<\/strong>: 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.<\/p>\n

Question 3<\/strong>: Where are these transducers manufactured?<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Question<\/strong>\u00a04: Are the cabinets manufactured locally? And by locally, we mean which in country?<\/p>\n

Answer<\/strong>: Cabinets are also sourced in China, at the factory that used to make the TAD<\/strong> cabinets.<\/p>\n

Question 5<\/strong>: The MoFi<\/strong> SourcePoint\u00a0888<\/em> 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?<\/p>\n

Answer<\/strong>: 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\u2019re spending extra money for an additional amplifier, you are better using it in bridge<\/em> mode instead. You will get a significant improvement in output in this mode.<\/p>\n

Question 6<\/strong>: For amplifying the SourcePoint\u00a0888<\/em> loudspeakers, what do you prefer: tubes or transistors, Class\u00a0A<\/em>\u00a0\/\u00a0B<\/em> or Class\u00a0D<\/em>?<\/p>\n

Answer<\/strong>: Class\u00a0D<\/em> has reached a very high quality now, especially with GaN<\/em><\/strong> 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\u00a0A<\/em>\u00a0\/\u00a0B<\/em>, as these are generally more neutral. Tubes are much too variable and interactive to use in the initial stages of development.<\/p>\n

The management of TED Magazine<\/strong> warmly thanks Mr.\u00a0Andrew Jones<\/strong> for the time he kindly gave us for this short interview.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.passionaudio.ca\/<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.mofielectronics.com\/<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Passion Audio, a high-fidelity boutique located at 43, rue Principale in Ch\u00e2teauguay, Qu\u00e9bec, invited all its customers for a special presentation of the new SourcePoint\u00a0888 loudspeaker by MoFi on Wednesday, July\u00a04th. This loudspeaker, from the American manufacturer MoFi Electronics, is a first in Canadian territory. Founded in\u00a01977, this company also distributes around twenty high-fidelity brands […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":42974,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2709,2723,2725],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42980","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events","category-hifi","category-whats-new","entry","has-media"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tedpublications.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42980","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tedpublications.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tedpublications.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tedpublications.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tedpublications.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42980"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.tedpublications.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42980\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42986,"href":"https:\/\/www.tedpublications.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42980\/revisions\/42986"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tedpublications.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42974"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tedpublications.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42980"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tedpublications.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42980"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tedpublications.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42980"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}