Get ready for the latest audio gear! AXPONA 2023 debuts the KLH Model Seven!
The audio industry is constantly evolving, and every year brings new innovations and products that redefine what is possible in music listening. AXPONA, the largest high-end audio show in North America, is the perfect platform for companies to showcase their latest and greatest offerings. In this blog post, we’ll be taking a closer look at two of the most exciting debuts from AXPONA 2023: the KLH Model 7 and the Mofi Electronics SourcePoint 8. These products promise to deliver a listening experience like no other, and we were excited to see what they had in store!
At the show, renowned speaker designer Andrew Jones debuted his latest creation for Mofi Electronics, the SourcePoint 8 ($2999 with stands). The speaker has been designed to embody the same acoustic characteristics as his greatly admired SourcePoint 10 ($3999 with stands) that came out last year. That is to say, despite being a smaller and more manageable speaker, the SourcePoint 8 is supposed to provide the same sonic excellence as its larger counterpart.
It was cool to hear Andrew Jones talk about how he and his team at MoFi Electronics have scaled down the SourcePoint 10 to create a more compact speaker that can fit into a variety of spaces, while still providing a big and satisfying sound. As Jones says, the SourcePoint 8 is for those who want the sound of the SourcePoint 10 and its 10-inch woofer, but don’t have the space.
I listened to both the 10 and the 8 at the show, and I have to say they did sound rather similar, which is a good thing. They both were very coherent, had good dynamics, and had excellent tonal balance. That said, as you would expect, the 10’s played louder and went down deeper, but if you’re not the type to play rock music as loud as you can stand, you might want the more “relaxed” (for lack of a better term) sounding 8-inch model.
Jones had the SourcePoint 8 connected to a $3700 Hifi Rose RS520 integrated amp/streamer (250w/ch) with its beautiful 12.6-inch screen, and he made a point to say that the speakers didn’t require a massive amp to get loud. They do have a minimum impedance of around 6 ohms, and the sensitivity is 87db, which is about the same as the minuscule Kef LS50 Meta.
I was impressed by the organic nature of the SourcePoint 8’s sound, and it was one of my favorite rooms at the show. The speaker will
More Debuts: KLH Model Seven
While I was impressed by Andrew Jones’ latest creation, I was absolutely bowled over by the new Model Seven large format 3-Way from KLH. Scheduled to arrive in Q3, at a retail price of around $4000, the new speaker will be the third in KLH’s successful Model Collection, which is comprised of the Model Five Large Format 3-Way ($2500 w/stands), and the Model Three, which is currently $1200 with stands.
As you might suspect, the Model Seven will be the largest of the group, utilizing a thirteen-inch paper cone woofer in conjunction with a five-inch paper cone mid-bass, and a 1-inch aluminum tweeter.
Like the other speakers in the collection, the Model Seven will feature an Acoustic Suspension Design for a controlled low-end response, a Three-Position Acoustic Balance Control to tailor the loudspeaker’s output, and a Non-Resonant Die-Cast Aluminum Woofer Frame. They also feature a rigid MDF cabinet with real wood veneer for a beautiful finish.As you might suspect, the Model Seven will be the largest of the group, utilizing a thirteen-inch paper cone woofer in conjunction with a five-inch paper cone mid-bass, and a 1-inch aluminum tweeter.
Like the other speakers in the collection, the Model Seven will feature an Acoustic Suspension Design for a controlled low-end response, a Three-Position Acoustic Balance Control to tailor the loudspeaker’s output, and a Non-Resonant Die-Cast Aluminum Woofer Frame. They also feature a rigid MDF cabinet with real wood veneer for a beautiful finish.
I loved the sound of these speakers, even though they were probably a little bit too big for the tiny hotel room they were demoed in. However, because of the Acoustic Suspension design, they were able to produce some earth-shaking bass dynamics without totally overloading the room. On the other hand, Acoustic Suspension speakers are a little less efficient than ported ones, so you will need a decent amount of juice to get them going.
The Bryston Power amp they were paired with was more than up to the task, and the Model Sevens handled every genre of music that was thrown at it with aplomb. These speakers were full-range marvels, doing things that not many other speakers at $4k can do.