Mobile Fidelity featuring Andrew Jones
A couple of weeks prior to FLAX, I got an email press release from Mobile Fidelity alerting me that speaker designer extraordinaire Andrew Jones would be present in Tampa, giving talks about his new MoFi SourcePoint 10 loudspeaker. "Great!" I thought, "I'll definitely need to check that out!" Yeah, me and everyone else—after multiple attempts at entering a room where the tightly packed crowd pushed out into the hallway, I finally got up my nerve and literally shoved my way past the adoring throngs to get a closer look!
MoFi's new SourcePoint 10 loudspeakers are Andrew Jones' latest design.
The Mobile Fidelity SourcePoint 10 loudspeaker is Jones' latest design; after his announcement that he was parting ways with ELAC, it was radio silence for a while. Then came a somewhat cryptic post on social media that he was working on an exciting new project—more to come soon! Soon seemed like forever, until we finally got the word middle of last year, when he was announced as the new lead loudspeaker designer at MoFi. Mobile Fidelity is now making loudspeakers? Getting a designer of the caliber of Andrew Jones on board had to mean that MoFi was intent on stepping up their game—this could be pretty interesting!
Andrew Jones kept the packed room captivated as he described the evolution of his new design for MoFi.
The SourcePoint 10 was paired in a minimalist system with a HiFi Rose RS520 Hybrid amplifier/streamer/DAC; the equipment rack was supplied by Solidsteel, and power conditioning was provided by Isotek. AudioQuest provided the Thunderbird cables that were used in the setup. The MoFi/HiFi Rose combination was surprisingly potent and superbly musical—I've been working with Class D amps from a variety of manufacturers over the last few years, and I'm definitely a believer! The HiFi Rose is a really cool unit (it definitely gets big points on appearance alone!), and seemed perfectly matched to the SourcePoint 10. The sound was powerfully moving, emotionally engaging, and simply remarkable. Especially considering the total cost of the system was somewhere shy of $10k!
The SourcePoint 10 is a very large standmount loudspeaker, but definitely has a really cool aesthetic!
Andrew Jones gave a brief but really interesting summary of his career as a loudspeaker designer and how that prepared him for his current gig with MoFi. And he also outlined MoFi's design goals for the SourcePoint 10, which was basically to employ a minimalist speaker complement, with a really cool looking cabinet! And they also gave him a reasonable price-point budget, which allowed him to easily accomplish his personal goals for the SP 10 and supply an excellent product. In order to minimize cabinet interactions with the concentric driver, and also to help achieve the desired bass response, the cabinet for the SourcePoint 10 was enlarged significantly over that of a typical bookshelf loudspeaker. So even though the SP 10 is a standmount loudspeaker—although a rather large one—dedicated stands were also designed to accommodate the SP 10's large-ish footprint. Which likely wouldn't work too well with off-the-shelf designs.
I'd say that the SourcePoint 10's are a technological and musical triumph on every level, and I'm really glad that I brutishly forced my way in to have a listen! A guy in the front row kept asking questions and making music requests; he finally proclaimed to the room: "I'm buying these—man, I mean, I've been in this room all day long!"
Volti Audio with Border Patrol and Triode Wire Labs
Volti Audio's room is always a "can't miss" for me. Greg Roberts of Volti and "Triode Pete" Grzybowski are two of the nicest, most accommodating guys in high-end audio, and spending time in this room is like visiting with old friends. They're always quick to offer a beverage, and never refuse a music request, and generally will accommodate any volume level for any particular selection. That keeps the show attendees happy, and also gives them an excellent opportunity to check out the synergy of the particular system on display in the room.
The Border Patrol tube electronics and Triode Wire cables are an integral part of Volti Audio's excellent sound!
This year Volti featured two loudspeakers, the "New Rival" and the Razz (which I reviewed for Stereophile a couple of years ago). The New Rival has a slightly more compact cabinet structure compared to the original Rival, but still features the same internal componentry found in Volti's flagship Vittora loudspeaker. The Razz offers a generous helping of the sonic signature of its larger siblings in the Volti line, which, considering its quite reasonable price point, is pretty amazing. Amplification and DAC were, as always, all-tube from Border Patrol, and the excellent cables were supplied by Triode Wire Labs. Streaming was courtesy of an Innuos Zen/Phoenix stack.
The New Rival loudspeaker is an superb update on the original!
I missed the Razz demo, which is usually much later in the afternoon, but made it in time to get an extended listen to the New Rivals, which were cranking out some Led Zep as I slipped into the crowded room. The sound was robust, but still very fluid, especially in the midrange and top end. No doubt due to Greg's constant attention to the crossover elements he employs in his designs—and the tubed Border Patrol amp and DAC contribute mightily to the great sound. A guy sitting beside me leaned over and asked "So how do you like the sound?" I told him he was asking the wrong guy, that I'd wear his ears out about how great this room and those loudspeakers sound. He just laughed, but he also hung around and continued to enjoy the music for an extended period—this is one of those rooms you just can't get enough of!
ampsandsound, featuring Acora Acoustics, VPI Industries, and Cardas
Justin Weber and I go back a few years, when I reviewed his Leeloo Mono tube amps HERE on Positive Feedback. That experience was a complete eye-opener for me with regard to what a two-and-a-half-watt tube amplifier can do with a high-efficiency loudspeaker! When I got his email that he'd be exhibiting at FLAX, I reached out to let him know that I'd looove to check out his room to see and hear some of his current amp designs. Justin's a really interesting guy; when he's not building world-class tube amplifiers, he works as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in both psychiatric and medical health situations, often in emergency rooms. Justin's definitely talented at engineering great tube designs, but he's also a real stand-up guy!
Justin's Casablanca amps were the stars, and they meshed perfectly with the Acora SRB standmounts.
The ampsandsound room featured a pair of Casablanca mono amplifiers, along with the stereo preamplifier, which sports a built-in MM phono stage. ampsandsound paired with Acora Acoustics, who supplied their SRB standmount loudspeakers (including the granite stands). The analog source was a VPI Classic Signature table mounted with an Ortofon 2M Bronze cartridge; the digital streaming stack was supplied by AURALiC. All cables in the system were supplied by Cardas.
Justin Weber is really interesting guy, and his passion for his designs is hard for him to suppress!
The Casablanca monos will output 60 wpc with KT88 tubes, and are a high-current design that Justin claims are capable of driving any medium-efficiency loudspeaker to satisfying levels. The Acora SRB are rated at 8 ohms and 86dB/watt, which is pretty much the textbook definition of a medium-efficiency loudspeaker. Justin played a diverse selection of demanding tracks that would challenge any amplifier, but the Casablanca never ran out of gas, powering the diminutive SRB perfectly! The Acora projected a soundstage that was deep and wide, casting a tantalizing illusion of realism. And never at any point did they seem starved for power; Justin cranked the volume on more demanding material, and the SRB just kept on coming! Color me impressed—I was blown away a couple of years ago by 2.5 watts driving my Zu Omens; I can't even fathom how great my system would sound with the Casablanca's. This was a seriously great-sounding room!
Orchard Audio featuring Soundfield Audio and Triode Wire Labs
I was familiar with Orchard Audio from my exposure to their PecanPi streamer, but I had no idea prior to FLAX that designer Leo Ayzenshtat also would be exhibiting two Gallium Nitride Class D amplifiers. The Orchard room featured the Starkrimson Ultra Stereo 500 wpc amp, as well as a pair of Starkrimson Mono 150 watt amps. And the system would also be featuring the aforementioned PecanPi streamer/network audio player/DAC. Soundfield Audio supplied two different standmount loudspeaker models, the M1C and a second model I haven't been able to identify yet. All cables were provided by Triode Wire Labs, with the exception of the proprietary power supply cables utilized by the pair of mono amps.
The Starkrimson Ultra stereo amplifier is a beast!
The Starkrimson Monos are a cool and compact design that Leo prefers to position close to the loudspeakers. The Triode Wire Labs cables are everywhere in this room!
To say that my interest in Gallium Nitride amps is extreme would be a complete understatement! I've used multiple Class D amps in my system over the last couple of years, and I'm definitely a believer. I had the luxury to chat with Leo for what seemed like forever about GaNFET technology, and about his design goals for both the stereo and mono amp configurations. And because the amps were each connected to separate pairs of Soundfield Audio loudspeakers, it was very easy for Leo to switch between them and demo the differences (and similarities) between the two amp designs. When I walked into the room, the Starkrimson Ultra stereo amp was playing through the Soundfield M1C loudspeakers; the track was the DSD file of "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" from an SACD by Harry Connick, Jr. The track displayed absolute realism of sound, a perfectly rendered soundstage, and when Branford Marsalis' sax solo appeared, the complete liquidity of the presentation totally grabbed my attention! The sound was exemplary, probably due in no small part to the excellent Orchard digital equipment. I'd love to get my hands on one of these amps to test with my own system!
Leo Ayzenshtat, Orchard Audio's principal designer.
Leo is a very personable and approachable audio designer, and it's obvious that his knowledge of Class D amplifier implementations stretches out into the ether. This was a great sounding room, and Orchard Audio definitely seems poised to go places!
Upstream Audio featuring Focal, Aesthetix Audio, Clearaudio, and Sonore
I talked to Garth Leerer of Musical Surroundings several weeks before FLAX to check whether they'd be present this year, so we could perhaps catch up. He wasn't sure, they were still trying to get things organized, but at the very least, they might partner with a west coast dealer. That ended up being Upstream Audio, whose room showcased some of the brands that Musical Surroundings distributes. The loudspeakers in the room were a pair of Focal Kanta No. 2; they were powered by an Aesthetix Audio Dione hybrid amplifier along with an Aesthetix Pallene preamplifier. The analog sources were tables from Clearaudio, a Reference Jubilee fitted with a Hana Unami Red cartridge, a Concept AiR Wood that was fitted with a Concept MC cartridge, and an Ovation turntable that was fitted with a DS Audio optical cartridge. Digital sources included an Aesthetix Romulus Signature CD player/DAC, along with streaming supplied by a Sonore Optical Rendu. All cables in the system were from Iconoclast and Sonore, and power conditioning was supplied by IsoTek.
This chamber music re-imagining of the music of Jethro Tull shocked me with its goodness!
Garth didn't make it, but I still hung around and listened to the outstanding and visceral sound coming from the Focal loudspeakers in combination with all the Aesthetix electronics in the room. During my visit, the Ovation turntable was playing an LP of a string quartet that sounded…eerily familiar; but not in a classical way, and I just couldn't put my finger on it. When I inquired about the music, a show attendee reached into his bag and pulled out, of all things, a Jethro Tull album he'd brought with him, where Tull selections were performed by a string quartet with Ian Anderson contributing flute and vocals. The sound quality was almost lifelike over the Focal Kanta's; that was probably due in no small part to the excellent table and that DS Audio optical cartridge. Not surprisingly, I was amazed that I'd somehow missed this record from several years ago. Hey, FLAX is always a great place to discover new music!
Stay tuned for additional room coverage!
All photos by the author
