Short answer: the MoFi SourcePoint 8. It ranks #17 of 84 bookshelf speakers by sound quality at $2200; the Dynaudio Special Forty ranks #56 and costs $3600, so there is not much of a tradeoff to weigh.
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. 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.
What the Dynaudio Special Forty offers: Smooth, “buttery” overall tonal character consistent with Dynaudio’s house sound. Watch for: A glaring, sometimes sibilant quality around 3-4kHz was the most noticeable issue in listening, the one thing the reviewer would want notched out with EQ.
Buy the MoFi SourcePoint 8. It ranks higher for sound quality than the Dynaudio Special Forty and costs less, so there is no real case for the other one.
Specifications Side By Side
| MoFi SourcePoint 8 | Dynaudio Special Forty | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2200 | $3600 |
| Ranked | #17 of 84 in Large Size Bookshelf Speakers | #56 of 84 in Large Size Bookshelf Speakers |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 43Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 39Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 52Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 54Hz (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) | 14.1"H x 7.7"W x 12.1"D (358.1 x 195.6 x 307.3 mm) |
| Impedance | 8 ohms nominal (8 ohms minimum above 80Hz, measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 6 ohms nominal (4.9 ohms minimum above 80Hz, measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Sensitivity | 86.3dB (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 83.5dB (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner; 86dB manufacturer specified) |
| Drivers | 8" woofer, 1.25-inch soft-dome tweeter | 5.9" MSP (Magnesium Silicate Polymer) cone woofer, 1" Esotar soft dome tweeter |
| Weight | 28 lbs / 12.7 kg each | 17.9 lbs / 8.1 kg each |
| Woofer Cabinet | ported, rear | ported |
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- MoFi SourcePoint 8 vs Wharfedale Aura 2
The Two Speakers In Full
MoFi SourcePoint 8: $2200 Crutchfield
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.
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) |
| Weight | 28 lbs / 12.7 kg each |
| Woofer Cabinet | ported, rear |
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- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Erin’s Audio Corner: Why Do People Love the MoFi SourcePoint 8?
- 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)
- Reddit Search for MoFi SourcePoint 8 Review
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- MoFi SourcePoint 8 vs Wharfedale Super Linton
- MoFi SourcePoint 8 vs KEF R3
- MoFi SourcePoint 8 vs GR-Research NX-Bravo
- MoFi SourcePoint 8 vs MoFi SourcePoint 10
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Dynaudio Special Forty: $3600 Safeandsoundhq
Pros: Smooth, “buttery” overall tonal character consistent with Dynaudio’s house sound. Surprisingly precise, focused imaging despite wide horizontal radiation (about ±70°) - atypical, since wide-radiating speakers usually sacrifice some image precision in reflective rooms. Strong output capability: reached 100-101dB average at 3.5 meters with no audible distortion or woofer distress, and compression testing at 102dB shows the cabinet holding up mechanically well at extreme output. Bass reaches a genuine 50Hz (potentially 40Hz) in most rooms from a rear-ported design. Distortion stays below 1% at 86dB and doesn’t cross 3% THD until about 50Hz even at 96dB. Extra weight and impact on snares and percussion around 700-800Hz that the reviewer found appealing on many tracks.
Cons: A glaring, sometimes sibilant quality around 3-4kHz was the most noticeable issue in listening, the one thing the reviewer would want notched out with EQ. Multiple enclosure resonances appear between 500Hz-1kHz across on-axis, listening window, early-reflections, and sound-power measurements, corroborated by independent third-party CSD data showing similar 500-800Hz cabinet resonances. A dip around 1.2kHz traces to a cone-edge-to-surround compliance mismatch in the driver itself (confirmed by testing the bare driver’s impedance) - a known artifact common to many similarly-sized drivers across several manufacturers, contributing to elevated second-order distortion in that region. A somewhat laid-back, recessed 1-2kHz character (sometimes described as a “BBC dip”) gives an overall subdued quality that isn’t overtly problematic but shapes the tonal balance. Impedance drops below 3 ohms in the 100-200Hz region, requiring a genuinely 4-ohm-stable amplifier rather than an AVR. Rear port means it can’t be placed directly against a wall.
Full Dynaudio Special Forty review and specifications →
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 39Hz (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
|---|---|
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 54Hz (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Dimensions | 14.1"H x 7.7"W x 12.1"D (358.1 x 195.6 x 307.3 mm) |
| Drivers | 5.9" MSP (Magnesium Silicate Polymer) cone woofer, 1" Esotar soft dome tweeter |
| Impedance | 6 ohms nominal (4.9 ohms minimum above 80Hz, measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Sensitivity | 83.5dB (measured, Erin's Audio Corner; 86dB manufacturer specified) |
| Weight | 17.9 lbs / 8.1 kg each |
| Woofer Cabinet | ported |
As an eBay Partner, we may be compensated if you make a purchase.
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons