Short answer: the Audio First Cadentia 3 if sound quality matters most, the MoFi SourcePoint 8 if price matters most. The Audio First Cadentia 3 ranks #8 of 130 bookshelf speakers at $7199. The MoFi SourcePoint 8 ranks #17 at $2594, $4605 cheaper.
What the Audio First Cadentia 3 offers: Near-textbook measurements - excellent on-axis linearity, listening window, and directivity, with only minor deviations. Extremely low distortion and compression, holding steady even at 102dB with barely any loss. Very wide, consistent horizontal dispersion (~70 degrees) gives a big, enveloping soundstage with strong image specificity outside the speaker boundaries. Strong bass extension for a bookshelf (F3 43Hz, F10 26Hz) with a punchy, guttural mid-bass. Watch for: A mild scoop through the upper midrange/lower treble slightly softens the attack of snares, hand claps, and sibilants - fixable with a single-band EQ (2.5kHz, +1dB, Q~1). High-frequency dispersion narrows quickly above about 4kHz, so off-axis listeners lose some air and detail. Very high asking price for a bookshelf-class speaker, and the complete (finished) version has a long lead time; the loaner kit version ships as an unfinished cabinet you assemble and finish yourself.
What the MoFi SourcePoint 8 offers: 8” twin-drive concentric driver paired with a 1.25” soft dome tweeter, in a diffraction-reducing baffle design; rated 47Hz-30kHz. Notably more neutral and true-to-source than its sibling SourcePoint 10, which the reviewer found a bit too bright in the treble by comparison - measured about 4-5dB less high-frequency output. Excellent imaging: passed multiple stereo-panning and depth tests, including smooth continuous left-to-right pans without wobble and correct front-to-back layering of vocals versus percussion. Wide horizontal dispersion of about ±60°, broader than the reviewer expected from a coaxial design, and forgiving enough in placement that about 10° of toe-out variance and moving above or below the tweeter axis both still sound good. Excellent dynamic range and compression linearity - about 26dB of headroom up to 102dB/1m equivalent, with issues only appearing below about 60Hz. 8-ohm nominal impedance made it easy to drive on everything from a budget Denon AVR to a high-end Macintosh amplifier. No significant evidence of woofer-cone modulation distortion affecting the tweeter, even at 96dB/1m. Watch for: Like other coincident designs, produces diffraction dips around 4kHz and 7kHz when pointed directly on-axis; needs about 10-15° of toe-out to smooth those out. The rear-ported cabinet (two ports) means it can’t be placed too close to a wall without the bass becoming overblown - the reviewer settled on about 2 feet of clearance. F3 of 52Hz and F10 of 43Hz mean genuine deep bass tops out in the mid-40s Hz in-room - a subwoofer is still needed for true low-end extension. Harmonic distortion crosses the reviewer’s 3% threshold at 96dB (though it’s second-order and less audibly significant), and multitone distortion becomes noticeably more audible at that same output level. Vertical response doesn’t perfectly mirror horizontal, since the cabinet is a rectangle rather than a perfect square around the driver.
Buy the Audio First Cadentia 3 when sound quality outweighs the price for you, and the MoFi SourcePoint 8 when the price outweighs sound quality instead.
Still deciding? The full Passive Home rankings cover every ranked option.
Specifications Side By Side
| Audio First Cadentia 3 | MoFi SourcePoint 8 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $7199 per pair | $2594 per pair |
| Ranked | #8 of 130 in Large Size Bookshelf Speakers | #17 of 130 in Large Size Bookshelf Speakers |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 26Hz (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) | 43Hz (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 43Hz (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) | 52Hz (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Dimensions | 23.2" x 11.8" x 17" (590 x 300 x 433 mm) | 18"H x 11.4"W x 13.2"D (457.2 x 289.6 x 335.3 mm) |
| Impedance | 4 ohms nominal (3.1 ohms minimum, measured by Erin's Audio Corner) | 8 ohms nominal (8 ohms minimum above 80Hz, measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Sensitivity | 86.4dB (2.83V/1m, measured by Erin's Audio Corner) | 86.3dB (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Drivers | 1.1" tweeter, 4.5" midrange, 9" woofer | 8" woofer, 1.25-inch soft-dome tweeter |
| Weight | 45.9 lbs (20.8 kg) each | 28 lbs (12.7 kg) each |
| Woofer Cabinet | 3-way, bass reflex | ported, rear |
| Country | United Kingdom (Cambridge) | - |
| Spinorama Preference Score | 7.38 | 4.39 |
| Spinorama Preference Score with Perfect Sub | 8.74 | 6.53 |
Related Speaker Comparisons
How Audio First Cadentia 3 compares with other leading options:
- Perlisten S4b vs Audio First Cadentia 3
- Audio First Cadentia 3 vs KEF Reference 1 Meta
- Audio First Cadentia 3 vs GR-Research NX-Studio
- March Audio Sointuva vs Audio First Cadentia 3
- AsciLab C6B vs Audio First Cadentia 3
Prices on this page were last checked September 16, 2026 at 12:41 AM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of that date/time and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
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The Two Speakers In Full
Audio First Cadentia 3: $7199 per pair Audio First Designs eBay
Pros: Near-textbook measurements - excellent on-axis linearity, listening window, and directivity, with only minor deviations. Extremely low distortion and compression, holding steady even at 102dB with barely any loss. Very wide, consistent horizontal dispersion (~70 degrees) gives a big, enveloping soundstage with strong image specificity outside the speaker boundaries. Strong bass extension for a bookshelf (F3 43Hz, F10 26Hz) with a punchy, guttural mid-bass. Measured bass extension of 43Hz (-3dB), with a measured sensitivity of 86.4dB.
Cons: A mild scoop through the upper midrange/lower treble slightly softens the attack of snares, hand claps, and sibilants - fixable with a single-band EQ (2.5kHz, +1dB, Q~1). High-frequency dispersion narrows quickly above about 4kHz, so off-axis listeners lose some air and detail. Very high asking price for a bookshelf-class speaker, and the complete (finished) version has a long lead time; the loaner kit version ships as an unfinished cabinet you assemble and finish yourself.
Full Audio First Cadentia 3 review and specifications →
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 26Hz (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
|---|---|
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 43Hz (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Country | United Kingdom (Cambridge) |
| Dimensions | 23.2" x 11.8" x 17" (590 x 300 x 433 mm) |
| Drivers | 1.1" tweeter, 4.5" midrange, 9" woofer |
| Impedance | 4 ohms nominal (3.1 ohms minimum, measured by Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Sensitivity | 86.4dB (2.83V/1m, measured by Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Spinorama Preference Score | 7.38 |
| Spinorama Preference Score with Perfect Sub | 8.74 |
| Weight | 45.9 lbs (20.8 kg) each |
| Woofer Cabinet | 3-way, bass reflex |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- Audio First Cadentia 3 vs AsciLab C6B
- Audio First Cadentia 3 vs March Audio Sointuva
- Audio First Cadentia 3 vs KEF R3 Meta
- Audio First Cadentia 3 vs KEF Q Concerto Meta
- Audio First Cadentia 3 vs GR-Research NX-Studio
- Audio First Cadentia 3 vs Wharfedale Aura 2
- Audio First Cadentia 3 vs KEF Reference 1 Meta
- Audio First Cadentia 3 vs Perlisten S4b
- See all 45 comparisons
MoFi SourcePoint 8: $2594 per pair Crutchfield eBay
Pros: 8” twin-drive concentric driver paired with a 1.25” soft dome tweeter, in a diffraction-reducing baffle design; rated 47Hz-30kHz. Notably more neutral and true-to-source than its sibling SourcePoint 10, which the reviewer found a bit too bright in the treble by comparison - measured about 4-5dB less high-frequency output. Excellent imaging: passed multiple stereo-panning and depth tests, including smooth continuous left-to-right pans without wobble and correct front-to-back layering of vocals versus percussion. Wide horizontal dispersion of about ±60°, broader than the reviewer expected from a coaxial design, and forgiving enough in placement that about 10° of toe-out variance and moving above or below the tweeter axis both still sound good. Excellent dynamic range and compression linearity - about 26dB of headroom up to 102dB/1m equivalent, with issues only appearing below about 60Hz. 8-ohm nominal impedance made it easy to drive on everything from a budget Denon AVR to a high-end Macintosh amplifier. No significant evidence of woofer-cone modulation distortion affecting the tweeter, even at 96dB/1m. Measured bass extension of 52Hz (-3dB), with a measured sensitivity of 86.3dB.
Cons: Like other coincident designs, produces diffraction dips around 4kHz and 7kHz when pointed directly on-axis; needs about 10-15° of toe-out to smooth those out. The rear-ported cabinet (two ports) means it can’t be placed too close to a wall without the bass becoming overblown - the reviewer settled on about 2 feet of clearance. F3 of 52Hz and F10 of 43Hz mean genuine deep bass tops out in the mid-40s Hz in-room - a subwoofer is still needed for true low-end extension. Harmonic distortion crosses the reviewer’s 3% threshold at 96dB (though it’s second-order and less audibly significant), and multitone distortion becomes noticeably more audible at that same output level. Vertical response doesn’t perfectly mirror horizontal, since the cabinet is a rectangle rather than a perfect square around the driver.
Full MoFi SourcePoint 8 review and specifications →
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 43Hz (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
|---|---|
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 52Hz (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Dimensions | 18"H x 11.4"W x 13.2"D (457.2 x 289.6 x 335.3 mm) |
| Drivers | 8" woofer, 1.25-inch soft-dome tweeter |
| Impedance | 8 ohms nominal (8 ohms minimum above 80Hz, measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Sensitivity | 86.3dB (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Spinorama Preference Score | 4.39 |
| Spinorama Preference Score with Perfect Sub | 6.53 |
| Weight | 28 lbs (12.7 kg) each |
| Woofer Cabinet | ported, rear |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Erin’s Audio Corner: Why Do People Love the MoFi SourcePoint 8? More from Erin’s Audio Corner →
- Erin’s Audio Corner Website MoFi SourcePoint 8
- Erin’s Audio Corner: Upgrade Your Sound with These 6 Surprisingly Affordable Speakers!
- Erin’s Audio Corner: My Personal Favorite Speakers Under $2500
- Erin’s Audio Corner: My Top Picks of 2023: Must-Haves Under $3000
- GR-Research: Danny Tackles Andrews Jones: The Source Point 8! Spoiler Alert (It’s Really Good) More from GR-Research →
- Erin’s Audio Corner Measurements (spinorama.org)
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- MoFi SourcePoint 8 vs Buchardt Audio E50
- MoFi SourcePoint 8 vs KEF R3
- MoFi SourcePoint 8 vs Epos ES14N
- MoFi SourcePoint 8 vs AsciLab F6Bs
- MoFi SourcePoint 8 vs Wharfedale Aura 2
- MoFi SourcePoint 8 vs Arendal 1528 Monitor 8
- MoFi SourcePoint 8 vs KEF Q Concerto Meta
- MoFi SourcePoint 8 vs Ascend Acoustics CMT-340 SE2
- See all 57 comparisons