Our manufacturers like to capitalize on the buying frenzy of the holiday season. Since you’re buying for other people, ya might wanna treat yourself too.
We have two auspicious intros for you. Audio Emporium is carrying two of the hottest speaker introductions in the great wide world of hi-fi!
The Magnepan LRS+ is in house right now. LRS+ is an upgraded model from the company’s legendary LRS. If you’re looking for precision detail with a tremendous image for a grand, you can’t beat LRS+.
The MoFi SP10 has just arrived! MoFi hired Andrew Jones about two years ago and took the leash off. SP10 will be Andrew’s first MoFi speaker. I’m tremendously impressed by early impressions of this clear, dynamic and powerful speaker. I predict it will OWN its price class for the foreseeable future!
Both are fairly priced and offer cutting edge technology. We’re spoiled to have these high performance speakers under one roof for you to audition.
MoFi SP10 Speakers $3700 Per Pair
(22.5h, 14.5w, 16.6d, 47lbs, 8 ohms, 91dB SPL, Walnut or black ash)
Speaker designer extraordinaire Andrew Jones joined MoFi in 2020. Andrew was brought in to design an innovative line of speakers for MoFi. The speakers feature Andrew’s latest thinking and deliver high performance at attainable pricing.
Andrew’s goal is to produce speakers that eclipse traditional hi-fi expectations. He’s confident SP10 will provide “hear through” resolution to allow a closer emotional connection to your music. He is going after performance comparable to what a mastering studio would require, vs just making another hi-fi speaker.
In his most recent designs for Elac, the speakers were fatter and darker. SP10 is a very transparent and dynamic speaker which gives you a more vivid picture of what’s on your recordings.
Andrew had free rein to create the best speakers he could. All the decisions were in his court. The first model is the SourcePoint Ten, or SP10 as its friends will call it. SP10 is a 10” Concentric 2-way design.
SP10 sounds just as good when used horizontally as it does vertically. Center ch?
Driver: A 10” Concentric Two Way
Per Andrew’s predilection, SP10 starts as a 10” cast frame, Concentric driver. It uses his new Twin-Drive high flux neodymium magnet system. It minimizes distortion in the drive unit’s motor structure. He has created a corrugated, multi-roll surround and uses a pulp fiber cone.
The tweeter is a 1.25” silk dome design with extra wide surround, coupled to the 10” Concentric to act as a wave guide. Note- the 1.25” design is a quarter wider than his previous work and yields superior detail, imaging and power handling.
It is imperative to minimize long throw movement in the 10, so it doesn’t disrupt the tweeter’s performance. SP10 has outstanding, uniform off-axis dispersion. You can easily locate instruments in the mix, regardless of the type of music. SP10 is placement friendly as a result of Andrew’s choices.
All New Cabinet Design
SP10’s cabinet uses dual rear ports and is very solid. The front baffle is 2” MDF. All other cabinet walls are 1” MDF. SP10 has dual internal bracing walls which contribute to its impressive bass response. The cabinet employs a faceted front baffle with wave guide pattern for the driver. The faceted cabinet construction minimizes baffle diffraction problems to provide excellent imaging characteristics.
Unique Crossover- Easy Drive
The tweeter is crossed over at 1.6kHz which is significantly lower than the industry norm. Most tweeters come in at 3-5kHz and yield a brighter sound as a consequence. Andrew favors 6dB slopes which are less intrusive than steep filters. The impedance of SP10 judiciously never falls below 6 ohms. THIS is a huge deal. You can drive SP10 with a garden variety amp until you can get a high performer. Since speakers matter more than amps, start with the SP10s and upgrade your electronics as your wallet allows.
Stands $250 Per Pair
Stands are optional. They’re made of steel. They’re $250 and 22” tall. Since they’re made of metal they’ll hold up better than wood if you ding them with your vacuum. The top plate is 8.5 x 8.5”. Soft pads are included for the top plate. Spikes are included and add 1.25” for carpet use. The size of the base is 11.52w by 14.62d.
Magnepan Speakers
Magnepan speakers project a large, lifelike musical image in your living room. The panels are tall and produce a cohesive, linear image. Yes, they take up some space in your room. SO WHAT?!
If you love music, Maggies are worth the real estate they require.
The speakers consist of a Mylar diaphragm that is about as thick as a human hair. Strips of foil are adhered to the diaphragm to create a voice coil. A steel plate with magnets is put in close proximity. When the signal goes through the foil, the panel vibrates to create music.
The panel barely moves. It is similar to the motion of a snare drum’s head. The speed and definition of Magnepans is as good as it gets.
The panels are 4-6 feet tall, depending on the model. The music comes towards you as a large linear wave, the size of the panel.
As you listen to a vocal or acoustic instruments, the sheer size of the music is quite convincing. Sounding more like the real thing, is more FUN! It’s especially enticing to hear great singer standing right before you. Samara Joy anyone?
Larger models produce more bass. They also move from two ways to three ways. Some have a more advanced TRUE RIBBON tweeter as opposed to a QUASI.
Magnepans are built in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, just up the road.
LRS+ $1000 Per Pair
(48h, 13.5w, 1.5d)
Matching Stands $289 Per Pair
Raise the height 3.5”
Magnepan has just shipped its new LRS+ speakers for $1000 Per Pair. They strongly recommend you buy the matching stands, $289 per pair, to get maximum performance.
The LRS was a highly revered Maggie model for three years. LRS+ is even better- especially in terms of deeper bass response. The matching stands help imaging quite noticeably!
The reviews on LRS+ are OVER THE TOP. And to think you can buy them for only $1289 including the stands!
Great Mono Recording
There are zillions of great contemporary recordings. But did you know we have incredible mono recordings of artists who were in their prime before stereo was common? Here’s an example.
Open your iPad, pull up Tidal, and search out Ella Fitzgerald singing “My One And Only.” It was recorded by Decca in mono, 1950, and will make goose bumps rise if you have a pulse!