Mo-Fi Launches Andrew Jones's SourcePoint 10 Loudspeaker at Capital Audio Fest 2022
"Why repeat what I've already done?" says Jones. Stay tuned for more Cap Audio Fest coverage!
At Capital Audio Fest 2022 Andrew Jones went back to the future with a new circa $3700/pr depending upon finish cube shaped loudspeaker featuring a 10" woofer/concentric tweeter driver. The rear vented speaker is 91dB efficient has an 8 ohm impedance that Jones says remains consistent throughout the speaker's 42Hz-30kHz bandwidth and can handle up to 200 watts.
The speaker's 14 1/2 W x 22 1/2"H x 16 5/8" D dimensions are in start contrast to the slender, small driver speakers Jones designed for ELAC. With those products still on the market and readily available Jones was faced with a what to do next dilemma. "I don't like side firing woofers" he told me and he wanted a speaker that could produce prodigious bass, so he went with the large front firing 10" paper cone woofer featuring a triple ribbed butyl surround and concentric large surround, soft dome tweeter. The diffraction-reducing faceted front baffle of two inch MDF also serves to break up the square visual. The speaker also included a form-fitting faceted magnetic grille.
Obviously, the 42 pound easy to drive speaker requires a substantial extra cost stand but still, the pair with stands should come in at under $4500 with stands per pair. It's well-braced MDF cabinet is available in black and for a few more dollars in wood veneer.
How did it sound? Like an Andrew Jones design: open and smooth with an honest not honey-coated midrange and of course with prodigious, well controlled bass. Jones concentrated on bass-heavy music during the demonstration I heard with a room full of people.
When the crowd cleared I asked for a few more subtle tracks including male vocals. I chose a few Nat King Cole and Mel Tormé tunes that demonstrated to me that the midrange/lower midrange is very well integrated and free of "honky" or "hoody" colorations. My first comment was "For some listeners this would go well with a tube amp", which was not meant as criticism but just what immediately came to mind.
I was listening for the subtle back of the room bass on "When I Fall in Love" from Love is the Thing and I was not disappointed. It fell perfectly into place and was tautly and properly expressed under difficult show conditions.
This new speaker will present strong competition at and beyond its price point with its retro-looks in keeping with what seems to be "going around" aimed at the younger audio enthusiast market, especially the new vinyl loving crowd.
This speaker plus the new Peter Madnick designed phono preamp and Allen Perkins created "Spiral Groove"-like turntable that were shown but not formally introduced in finished form at last spring's AXPONA show add up to a complete Mo-Fi system priced around $10K. Not inexpensive, but "doable" for many.
