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A REVELATION...
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HiFi Rose VI
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DAC from the

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MoFi 888 BLACK SABBATH

PARANOID

SourcePoint
series gains a
floorstander

BUDGET ESOTERICA
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Towering music from
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• OPINION 12 pages of letters and comment • VINYL RELEASE Julian Cope’s St Julian album on 180g UK £5.99
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• SHOW BLOG Revisit the UK Hi-Fi Show Live 24 • READERS’ CLASSIFIEDS More hi-fi bargains galore
 Three-way coincident-driver floorstanding loudspeaker
Made by: MoFi Electronics, Chicago, USA
Supplied by: Karma-AV Ltd, York
Telephone: 01423 358846

LOUDSPEAKER Web: www.mofielectronics.com; www.karma-av.co.uk

Price: £5599

MoFi SourcePoint 888

Three 8in drivers bring added foundation and scale to the
SourcePoint 8 – say ‘hello’ to the 888 with bass a-plenty
Review: Jamie Biesemans Lab: Paul Miller

I
f you thought that MoFi Electronics’ Most loudspeaker manufacturers want
SourcePoint 10 [HFN Apr ’23] was a to optimise their production processes
sizeable speaker, then you haven’t by ‘reusing’ drivers in multiple models,
seen anything yet. Sporting a trio so the fact that Jones has carried over
of 200mm drivers, the new SourcePoint the SourcePoint 8’s concentric array isn’t
888 is the company’s third outing in the unusual. An evolution of the 250mm
loudspeaker space and something of a design of the original SourcePoint 10, it
beast – reasonably tall at 107cm, positively positions a decoupled 32mm soft dome
stocky at 32cm wide and 41cm deep, and tweeter, with 28mm copper voice-coil, in
hefty too at 43kg. the throat of a 200mm pulp paper cone. As
Despite the increase in size, this before, a ‘Twin Drive’ motor system, where
floorstander is very closely related to neodymium magnets for both the woofer
the standmount SourcePoint 10, and and tweeter are coupled together, is said
principally the SourcePoint 8 [HFN Aug to limit distortion, while the shape of the
’23], which makes sense as all three were cone has been modelled to optimally load
designed by noted engineer Andrew Jones the tweeter and minimise reflections from
[see boxout, p63] and sport his trademark the cone’s low-profile surround.
coaxial driver. When the ’888 launched,
Jones stated its aim was to evolve the THREE’S COMPANY
SourcePoint range ‘to an even higher These two units crossover at a relatively
performance level’. But does bigger always low 1.6kHz, but the doubling in cabinet
mean better? size over the SourcePoint

IN THE MOOD ‘There’s no 8 has made space for two

additional 200mm paper
There’s a whiff of nostalgia
about the MoFi brand, with
faulting the cone woofers, this time with
dual-opposed neodymium
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab’s bass thrills of magnets, operating in

this speaker’
vinyl re-releases of landmark tandem below 130Hz. As the
albums and, since 2014, a designer notes, this relieves
MoFi Electronics subsidiary the concentric driver from
that produces a turntable brandishing any significant low frequency duty, which
Fender’s iconic Sunburst finish, plus a should improve its midrange performance.
phono stage adorned with VU meters [HFN Low-end extension, meanwhile, is
Dec ’23]. The SourcePoint 888 entertains down to a claimed 32Hz [again, see Lab
the same mood, in particular the Walnut Report, p65], aided by the SourcePoint
and Satin Black Oak colourways, but you 888’s pair of rear-facing bass reflex ports,
can opt for a Satin White option if you’d below which is a new set of dual binding
prefer something a bit more ‘modern’. posts, linked by metal straps. Sensitivity
Grilles are supplied, but are colour- is rated by MoFi at 87dB/2.83V/1m, the
matched to your chosen finish, so a same as the SourcePoint 8, but nominal
black ’888 comes with black grilles, and and minimal impedance figures have
grey grilles accompany the white and lowered to 6ohm and 4.5ohm respectively,
walnut models (additional black grilles meaning this bigger model will also benefit
can be bought for £199). These attach from a beefier amplifier...
magnetically and their unusual, angled The mass of the SourcePoint 888 can be
shape – to follow the contours of the partly explained by the use of thick 25mm
speaker’s multifaceted black baffle – is
rather pleasing, but using them isn’t RIGHT: MoFi’s cabinet employs 25mm MDF
recommended for critical listening [see panels, a 50mm faceted baffle shaped to
PM’s Lab Report, p65]. Also supplied are minimise diffraction, and internal bracing
flat and coned feet options that screw into that separates the concentric 200mm pulp
the speaker’s plinth stand. mid/32mm tweeter from the 200mm woofers

Reprinted from Hi-Fi News for global distribution | www.hifinews.co.uk

BELOW: The faceted baffle forms part of the MDF panels for the cabinet’s sides, top on ‘Fragments...’ gel better with the
speaker’s waveguide and informs the shape of and bottom, plus a base that doesn’t look underlying bass and percussion, with a toe-
the colour-matched plastic-framed grille. This light either. The front baffle is also thicker, tapping sense of rhythm that felt missing
attaches magnetically to the satin black oak, reaching up to 50mm in places, ensuring with the ’888s turned outwards. This was
satin white and walnut veneered cabinets the speaker’s three drivers have a solid played via Roon through a Lyngdorf TDAI-
foundation from which to work. On top of 3400 amplifier [HFN Aug ’18], which had
that, each driver is mounted into no problems driving MoFi’s new speakers
its own internal chamber, these – a versatile but less potent Marantz Stereo
also helping to strengthen the 70s proved decent horsepower is required
rigidity of the enclosure. to really deliver those low frequencies.

THE LOWDOWN STOP, LOOK, LISTEN

As you would expect, the This impressive bass delivery does mean
SourcePoint 888 continues there’s real potential for exciting room
down the sonic route already modes, and care should be taken in
travelled by the SourcePoint positioning the ’888s at a reasonable
10 and 8, generating warm distance from corners and walls. MoFi
textures, a lush lower midrange recommends between 2ft and 4ft as part
and a good sense of time of a rather good setup guide that also
coherence. But, and this is notes experimentation is key. Generally, I
quite significant, there’s a lot am a proponent of using room correction
more bass extension. The two below 300Hz, something offered by the
200mm woofers and the large Lyngdorf amp’s RoomPerfect system, and
cabinet are used very effectively with these MoFi speakers it’s certainly
to deliver deep bass, and in this worth considering if you’re installing
respect the SourcePoint 888’s them into a smaller or even medium-sized
performance is outstanding. space. As is true with most similar sized
While the lowest frequencies floorstanders, to be fair.
aren’t perfectly taut and It would take a particularly bad speaker
defined, there’s no faulting to make the classic Ella And Louis [Verve
the bass thrills produced by Records download; 96kHz/24-bit] sound
the SourcePoint 888. If you disagreeable, but that doesn’t mean there
really want to feel the bassline isn’t a chasm between ‘pretty okay’ and
in Daft Punk’s ‘Fragments Of truly engrossing. Listening to the texture
Time’, or the profound beat of Armstrong’s trumpet in ‘Under A Blanket
in ‘Motherboard’ [Random Of Blue’ found the SourcePoint 888 on the
Access Memories, Columbia right side of that divide, offering a slight
0886443927087; 88.2kHz/ roughness that juxtaposed perfectly with
24-bit], then you’ll enjoy these. the smooth voice of Fitzgerald and the
Some (but not extreme) more gravelly delivery of Armstrong.
angling-in made Todd Edwards’ As before with Jones’ coaxial designs for
singing and pedal steel guitar KEF and ELAC, vocals and most instruments

HI-FI’S GUN FOR HIRE

Loudspeaker designers are usually only household names if said
household is packed with hi-fi equipment, but if anyone can claim to
be well-known in the industry it’s Andrew Jones. After studying physics
and acoustics at the University of Surrey, followed by postgraduate
studies in crossover design, he landed a job at KEF in 1983. He stayed
in Maidstone until 1994, becoming Chief Engineer and working
on – among other projects – KEF’s Reference 104/2s and the Uni-Q
driver that’s still used (albeit much improved). After a stint at Infinity
Systems, he moved on to Pioneer in 1998, where he worked on the TAD
Model 1-derived EX series. It was in 2015 that Jones left the Japanese
brand for Germany’s ELAC, where he took up the role of vice-president
of engineering and lead designer. Based in the US, he engineered
several celebrated speakers, including the affordable Debut ranges. In
2021 he left ELAC, to the great surprise of many hi-fi enthusiasts, and
joined Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab to expand the hardware offering of
its new MoFi Electronics subsidiary. The first speaker for the American
brand was the SourcePoint 10, built around a concentric driver design
that remains the hallmark of Jones’ extensive career.

www.hifinews.co.uk | Reprinted from Hi-Fi News for global distribution

 LAB
REPORT
MOFI SOURCEPOINT 888
Take MoFi’s SourcePoint 8 [HFN Aug ’23], double the enclosure
volume and add two additional 200mm bass units to relieve the
LEFT: Two pairs of bi-wire/bi-amp-ready
concentric 32mm tweeter/200mm midrange of all bass duties
4mm cable binding posts connect to below 130Hz and, hey presto, you’ll have the 888... Higher SPLs
the split (130Hz) bass and mid/treble are possible here, deeper bass and a much reduced LF distortion
crossover. The cabinet tapers slightly to (0.1% vs. 0.8% re. 100Hz/90dB/1m) while sensitivity is 1dB
the rear where two large ports provide higher at 87.7dB/1kHz but unchanged at 86.4dB/500Hz-8kHz.
However, the 888 is a tougher drive, meeting its 6ohm nominal
the 200mm bass drivers’ reflex loading and 4.5ohm minimum rating with a dip to just 4.5ohm at a very
low 29Hz and 4.6ohm at 78Hz. The impedance modulus lies
eponymous 1988 release [Universal below 8ohm from 45Hz-2.3kHz, and with phase angles dropping
4733804]. There’s not much low- to –66o in the deep bass there’s an EPDR of 1.7ohm/26Hz and
sub-3ohm from 48-73Hz for the amplifier to deal with.
frequency content in this track, The 888’s response trend is like a mildly exaggerated ’8 –
besides some sparse folksy drums, the facetted baffle is no longer symmetrical here – the coaxial
which allowed me to savour the treble dome now responsible for slightly higher ±4.4dB and
ambient atmosphere encapsulating ±5.8dB response errors [see Graph 1] and ~2dB pair matching.
A smoother trend is revealed by listening slightly off-axis [grey
Julianne Regan’s singing. Although
trace] where the response is flat to within a tighter ±1.6dB
turning up the volume – which is (ignoring the +4dB/19kHz peak). Again, the plastic-framed grille
very rewarding with the SourcePoint disrupts the baffle’s facets, leading to bold peaks and notches
888 – was required to really open up in the presence/treble [blue trace] – remove before listening!
The ports are both tuned to 31Hz and are broadly free of pipe
the soundstage and get the song’s
or cabinet modes, the most obvious at 615Hz (–24dB). The two
full emotional impact. 200mm paper-coned bass drivers operate between 40Hz-160Hz
(–6dB), leaving the ports to push the diffraction-correction bass
READY TO ROCK extension down to a very creditable 32Hz (–6dB re. 200Hz). PM
The tracks on The Pixies’ 2019
Beneath The Eyrie set [Infectious
Music INFECT526CD] veer closer
to classic rock than the loud-quiet-
loud trademark compositions of the
band’s heyday, and this powerful riff-
laden approach suited these large
MoFi speakers nicely. A dynamic
stomping kick drum led the way on
‘Graveyard Hill’, before the ’888s
effortlessly transitioned into a fully
fledged wall of growling guitars
without sounding compressed, and ABOVE: Response inc. nearfield summed drivers/ports
with Joey Santiago’s emblematic [green], freefield corrected to 1m at 2.83V [yellow],
high-pitched slide guitar detaching ultrasonic [pink]. L, blk; R, red; grille, blue; off-axis, grey
itself sufficiently from the noise.
Refined? Maybe not, but quietly –
figuratively – proving that rock music
can be played to good effect on the
had outstanding coherence, right speaker. The concentric driver 0 dB
bringing a life-like character to the helps achieve that aim, allowing the
-7
proceedings. Everything seemed to SourcePoint 888 to convey a big 0.0
originate naturally from the same stage experience without making a -14
2.0
point in space, which made for a muddle of it. Electrifying stuff. -21

relaxing listen, free of distractions. -28 4.0

HI-FI NEWS VERDICT -35 6.0msec

ART ATTACK Big bass is on offer with this grand
200 500 1k 2k 5k 10k
Frequency in Hz >>
20k 60kHz

These big speakers are fairly nimble

evolution of the SourcePoint 8,
too, which ensured the speed and ABOVE: Cabinet and port modes are well suppressed,
but that’s not all. While these
finesse of Art Blakey’s performance leaving mid cone modes above the 1.6kHz crossover
floorstanders might not be suited
on ‘The Drum Thunder Suite’
to every living room, if you have HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS
[Moanin’; Blue Note BST 84003]
the space – and power to drive HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS
was communicated in an exciting
them – MoFi’s SourcePoint 888s Sensitivity (SPL/1m/2.83V – 1kHz/Mean/IEC) 87.7dB / 86.4dB / 85.1dB
manner. Combine these qualities
deliver a full-range, vivacious Impedance modulus: minimum 4.53ohm @ 29Hz
with some midrange warmth and a
performance that few equal at the & maximum (20Hz–20kHz) 43.6ohm @ 17.6Hz
morsel of extra presence, and the
price. Andrew Jones’ concentric Impedance phase: minimum –66o @ 21Hz
1950s/’60s jazz recordings I listened +48o @ 13Hz
driver design is once again put to & maximum (20Hz–20kHz)
to on a rainy audition day sounded
good use, now underpinned by Pair matching/Resp. error (200Hz–20kHz) 2.15dB / ±5.8dB/±4.4dB
deliciously inviting.
rousing low frequencies. LF/HF extension (–6dB ref 200Hz/10kHz) 32Hz / 38.9kHz/34.8kHz
There’s also the ’888s expansive
soundstaging to enjoy, as evidenced Sound Quality: 88% THD 100Hz/1kHz/10kHz (for 90dB SPL/1m) 0.1% / 0.16% / 0.5%

when playing ‘She Moved Through 0 - - - - - - - - 100 Dimensions (HWD) / Weight (each) 1070x320x410mm / 43kg
The Fair’ from All About Eve’s

www.hifinews.co.uk | Reprinted from Hi-Fi News for global distribution