MoFi SourcePoint 10 - Review & Measurements by Erin

[BrooklynNick]

Mofi offers "Low Slung Speaker Stands" for these speakers. What negatives, if any, should one expect with these stands vs the more typical stands they also offer?

MoFi Electronics SourcePoint 10 Low Slung Speaker Stands [Pair]

Enhance your audio experience with SourcePoint 10 Low Slung sSeaker stands. Elevate your sound to new heights and achieve optimal speaker placement.

www.mofielectronics.com

MoFi Electronics SourcePoint 10 Speaker Stands [Pair]

Enhance your audio experience with SourcePoint 10 speaker stands. Elevate your sound to new heights and achieve optimal speaker placement.

www.mofielectronics.com

 

[xanalog]

Less imposing low-slung stands works for some of us.
Spend some extra time to make sure you assemble them so that they are perfectly level << On a kitchen marble-top and a digital level gauge.
I cheated with my stands and put some 25mm thick, clear silicone tape along its backstop, that the SP10's back rests on.

 

[xanalog]

...From Erin’s measurements, the new crossover does at least have some added impedance comp...

Did anyone else hear something from Erin or elsewhere that would motivate an owner to rip into his nice new speaker to install this crossover upgrade?

I got motivated to install the MoFi SourcePoint10 MasterEdition kit because I enjoy ripping into my gizmos.
Especially, if there can actually be a benefit or an improvement to be gained from the mod.

The cost of the ME kit is cheaper than the cost of SP10s' "Low Slung" stands.
...and, wouldn't you know it! The new "Mid" tweeter setting seems to work to tone down the highs and w/o futzing w/EQ.

ty MoFi!

 

[RickS]

View attachment 470209

I got motivated to install the MoFi SourcePoint10 MasterEdition kit because I enjoy ripping into my gizmos.
Especially, if there can actually be a benefit or an improvement to be gained from the mod.

No doubt there is a measurement benefit here and is partly why more components are in the new crossover. Many speakers have a comparable impedance peak to the original crossover. Most amplifiers will handle just fine and so is a limited benefit.

View attachment 470210
The cost of the ME kit is cheaper than the cost of SP10s' "Low Slung" stands.
...and, wouldn't you know it! The new "Mid" tweeter setting seems to work to tone down the highs and w/o futzing w/EQ.

ty MoFi!

Thanks for sharing and have no issue with individuals doing what they want. The unresolved question is whether the audible benefits are worth the cost and effort in general. Unfortunately, Erin did not do a full spin. Will have to wait and see if one is forthcoming and may be more revealing of more substantive benefits.

As I and others posted earlier, this upgrade could have been made a simpler justification if better information was supplied by MoFi. If you are happy, please enjoy.

 

[Sokel]

No doubt there is a measurement benefit here and is partly why more components are in the new crossover. Many speakers have a comparable impedance peak to the original crossover. Most amplifiers will handle just fine and so is a limited benefit.



Thanks for sharing and have no issue with individuals doing what they want. The unresolved question is whether the audible benefits are worth the cost and effort in general. Unfortunately, Erin did not do a full spin. Will have to wait and see if one is forthcoming and may be more revealing of more substantive benefits.

As I and others posted earlier, this upgrade could have been made a simpler justification if better information was supplied by MoFi. If you are happy, please enjoy.

The added Zobel (at tweeter) will probably benefit lots of high impedance, older amps and some new load depended ones, that's a no brainer.
The question is about the rest of the network, I see more than the needed resistor+cap a Zobel needs.

Amir should definitively measure one, I'm curious to see what makes them have the kick they have at such a small enclosure (always compared with bigger ones, not that they are very small, the V1 I have listened to at least) .

 

[RickS]

The added Zobel (at tweeter) will probably benefit lots of high impedance, older amps and some new load depended ones, that's a no brainer.
The question is about the rest of the network, I see more than the needed resistor+cap a Zobel needs.

Maybe a no-brainer mod IF you know your amplifier may be load dependent. However, if purchasing new, MoFi is charging a $1500 premium for the improved crossover. If your amplifier is old, $500 can go a long way towards a newer amplifier these days.

Note: misread the Mofi website and corrected my math error.

Amir should definitively measure one, I'm curious to see what makes them have the kick they have at such a small enclosure (always compared with bigger ones, not that they are very small, the V1 I have listened to at least) .

Fully agree but seems more likely from Erin. He already mounted the speaker on his Klippel.

 

[Sokel]

MoFi is charging a $1500 premium for the improved crossover.

??? I see it for about $300 (a pair, for crossover) pretty much everywhere:

MoFi Electronics - SourcePoint 10 Master Edition Crossover Kit (Pair)

The world's largest online retailer of high-end audio, audiophile music, and accessories. We specialize in vinyl records and turntables.

www.musicdirect.com

 

[RickS]

??? I see it for about $300 (a pair, for crossover) pretty much everywhere:

MoFi Electronics - SourcePoint 10 Master Edition Crossover Kit (Pair)

The world's largest online retailer of high-end audio, audiophile music, and accessories. We specialize in vinyl records and turntables.

www.musicdirect.com

That's the DIY mod price. If you want it to come installed from factory, it is $1500500 adder.

 

[icssiculo]

I noticed that in the original crossover, on the lower part, there is a 15ohm resistor and a 20uf capacitor, while on the new one there is a 10ohm resistor and a 30uf capacitor. The cutoff point is the same: 530Hz. maybe they increased the woofer volume by about 2db?

 

[Abdo]

Which would be the best option today! R3 Meta or Mofi 10 with the new crossover?

 

[xanalog]

The SP10 ModKit arrives with 2 port-plugs, and no mention of them that I've discovered.
[There are 2 (rear) ports in each speaker.]
I've heard that port-plugs supposed extend the bass a bit, along with needing a bit more power...
Pretty difficult to A/B test to verify.
Even replacing the 'A/B' with L/R (ported and not ported), which would require gain matching (2 amps or balance control).
Would Klippel be able detect the differences in ported versus not ported (SPL/Freq)?

Which would be the best option today! R3 Meta or Mofi 10 with the new crossover?

I recall Erin (in his youtube review) stating that the SP10s compare well with floor-standers at twice their price.

 

[MarkS]

The SP10 ModKit arrives with 2 port-plugs, and no mention of them that I've discovered.
[There are 2 (rear) ports in each speaker.]
I've heard that port-plugs supposed extend the bass a bit, along with needing a bit more power...

Here is the effect of port plugs on the Arendal 1723 Tower S speaker (graph taken from the Arendal site):

 

[Miniyouuuu]

Plugs don’t extend the bass. I tried them in my SP10 ME and they work better in my place.
Sealed speakers have less room gain and require more power per dB. As sealed speakers interact less with closer front walls, they get less gain in the 40/80hz but low bass decay is more even. I have a 67hz peak gain room mode so I don’t want any gain in that frequency. Find attached my 1 port-closed frequency response.

 

[testp]

i like to think of the port as extra woofer tuned in very narrow band, removing it removes some extra room modes like @Miniyouuuu said but also takes away that extra gain.

at the end it's all about try and listen, it's easy to distingush. @xanalog (don't do L/R, do both as A/B)

 

[Arindal]

Here is the effect of port plugs on the Arendal 1723 Tower S speaker (graph taken from the Arendal site):

Would be careful here as the effect of plugging ports might vary from speaker concept to speaker concept, so the effect for a MoFi speaker compared to an Arendal (no connection to the company from my side) might be a completely different one.

 

[MarkS]

How ports work is basic physics, a "completely different" effect is not possible.

 

[Arindal]

How ports work is basic physics, a "completely different" effect is not possible.

The fact that a port acts like a Helmholtz resonator - which is indeed basic physics - does not say much about what happens if you plug it. The only thing that all vented boxes have in common if you block the air in the port from resonating is a loss of lower bass level this or that way. The remaining closed box plus air in a ´dead end port´ might behave pretty differently in terms of slope, resonance boost, quality factor, excursion limits, lower cutoff frequency, depending on the parameters of the bass driver in question. Most of drivers suitable for a vented concept, are not made to act in a closed box of the same enclosure volume.

 

[MarkS]

The fact that a port acts like a Helmholtz resonator - which is indeed basic physics - does not say much about what happens if you plug it. The only thing that all vented boxes have in common if you block the air in the port from resonating is a loss of lower bass level this or that way. The remaining closed box plus air in a ´dead end port´ might behave pretty differently in terms of slope, resonance boost, quality factor, excursion limits, lower cutoff frequency, depending on the parameters of the bass driver in question.

Well every graph I've ever seen comparing plugged to unplugged ports looks very much like the Arendal graph that I posted. You are of course correct that the details can vary (such as where the lines cross, both in frequency and amplitude), but IMO not so much as to be "completely different".

Most of drivers suitable for a vented concept, are not made to act in a closed box of the same enclosure volume.

And yet many speaker companies like Arendal, KEF, Revel, MoFi, etc etc etc, supply port plugs.

Here is KEF on the subject:

Ports and Port Plugs

To get an idea how a port in a loudspeaker cabinet works think of blowing air across the top of a bottle. At some point, the air pressure and bottle volume combine to make a noise. That’s the Helmholtz Resonance. As the volume changes with increased or decreased liquid in the bottle the “note”...

us.kef.com

 

[Arindal]

Well every graph I've ever seen comparing plugged to unplugged ports looks very much like the Arendal graph that I posted.

Have you compared waterfall plots, group delay calculations and THD with increasing SPL in the affected frequency band as well? These usually show a very different picture, even if frequency response might look similar.

And yet many speaker companies like Arendal, KEF, Revel, MoFi, etc etc etc, supply port plugs.

There is no contradiction to what I have said. If companies deliberately design vented boxes with having the possibility of plugging the port in mind, and choose driver parameter accordingly, that might absolutely work.

You are referring to loudspeakers offering quite some amount of excursion capability, diaphragm area and enclosure volume, in many cases relying on a bass reflex tuning well below the Bullock standard. Well, in such cases, it is absolutely doable to cover both vented or sealed operation and let the user choose in accordance with the room acoustics.

This does not mean it applies to compact enclosures, more effective port tunings, compact drivers with limited excursion or high-Q tuning strategies as well. Try it with an LSX II!

 

[Salt]

Closing the port absolutely, you become a slave of enclosure volume, Fs and Qts. If those fit to a Qtb around 0.6 +- 0.1, that would be fine. If not, you are in trouble.