In this review, we will be comparing SourcePoint 888 and Ultra Tower, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from MoFi and SVS.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of MoFi SourcePoint 888 and SVS Ultra Tower first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | MoFi SourcePoint 888 | SVS Ultra Tower |
|---|
| Brand | MoFi
United States · founded 2016 | SVS
United States · founded 1998 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1.25" wide roll soft dome | 1.0" Dome |
|---|
| Midrange | 8" | 2 x 6.5" |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 8" Paper-pulp | 2 x 8.0" Polypropylene |
|---|
| Frequency response | 32-30k Hz | 28-32k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 87dB | 88 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 6 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | Up to 200 watts | 20-300 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 43.00kg / 94.6lbs | 34.27kg / 75.4lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 42.1" x 12.6" x 16.1"
1070 x 320 x 410mm | 45-5/8" x 13-15/16" x 17-1/2"
1159.0 x 355.0 x 445.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the MoFi SourcePoint 888 and SVS Ultra Tower speakers good for?
The size of the room in which you are planning to use these loudspeakers is an important decision
factor. Here we have compared their suitability to various sizes of environments considering their size
and max power parameters:
| Listening Environment* |
MoFi SourcePoint 888 |
SVS Ultra Tower |
| Near-field |
Poor |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Average |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Average |
Average |
(* Approximate Room sizes: Small < 100sq. ft / 9 m2,
Mid-size: 100-220 sq. ft / 9-20 m2, Large 220-400 sq. ft / 20-36 m2, Very Large: >
400 sq. ft / 36 m2.
Average Floor Height: 9" / 2.7m. Typical room sizes differ from country to country, and the actual
listening experience changes depending on floor height, room shape, surface materials, listening
position, speaker locations, etc.)
The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.
Drivers
Both SourcePoint 888 and Ultra Tower are 3-way speakers.
MoFi SourcePoint 888SVS Ultra Tower
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
MoFi SourcePoint 888 |
SVS Ultra Tower |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.25-inch
|
1.0-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 8-inch |
2 x 6.5-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 8-inch
|
2 x 8.0-inch
|
SourcePoint 888 features a 1.25" wide roll soft dome Tweeter, a 8" Midrange and 2 x 8" Paper-pulp Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 130Hz and 1.6kHz . On the other hand, the Ultra Tower features a 1.0" aluminum Dome Tweeter, a 6.5" Midrange and 2 x 8.0" Polypropylene Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 160HZ and 2000Hz.
Frequency Response
SourcePoint 888 has a frequency range of 32-30k Hz whereas Ultra Tower has a frequency range of 28-32k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 28Hz, the Ultra Tower can go slightly deeper then the SourcePoint 888's min frequency of 32Hz.
The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
Neither pair reaches down to 20Hz, the usual definition of full-range, which is normal for speakers of this size. If you want the bottom octave for movies or bass-heavy music, add a subwoofer to whichever you choose. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
SourcePoint 888 is a 6 ohms speaker compared to the Ultra Tower which has a nominal impedance of 8 ohms.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. SourcePoint 888 sensitivity is rated at 87dB and the Ultra Tower's is rated at 88 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the SVS Ultra Tower a more sensitive speaker compared to MoFi SourcePoint 888, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Floor-standing Speakers
Power Range
Power
range is the range of input power in watts RMS that a loudspeaker is designed to handle. Staying
within that range gives nominal performance; driving the speaker beyond its maximum wattage can damage it.
Ultra Tower can handle a max power of 300 watts RMS, whereas SourcePoint 888 has a max power handling value of 200 watts RMS, 100 watts less than the Ultra Tower.
Note that higher power handling does not make a speaker louder: that depends mainly on
sensitivity and impedance. The calculator below shows how loud each of these actually plays
on a real amplifier.
Which plays louder on your amplifier?
Starting with a popular amplifier - change it to the one you own, or any you are
considering, and watch both numbers move.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Both SourcePoint 888 and Ultra Tower features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.
SVS Ultra Tower's Binding post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Physical Specs
The size of a speaker can sometimes be an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare MoFi SourcePoint 888's and SVS Ultra Tower's external dimensions. MoFi SourcePoint 888 has external dimensions of 1070 x 320 x 410mm (42.1 x 12.6 x 16.1 inch) whereas SVS Ultra Tower has external dimensions of 1159.0 x 355.0 x 445.0mm (45-5/8 x 13-15/16 x 17-1/2inch).
SVS Ultra Tower is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 35mm wider, 89mm taller and 35mm deeper than MoFi SourcePoint 888.
Base Surface Area Comparison
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited.
The base surface area of the MoFi SourcePoint 888 is approximately 1312.0cm2 / 203.4inch2 and base area of the SVS Ultra Tower is approximately 1579.8cm2 / 244.9inch2. The SourcePoint 888 requires 17% less surface area than the Ultra Tower which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.
Weight Comparison The weight of a loudspeaker can become an important factor if you need to move and reposition the unit often. Weight of a speaker can also "sometimes" be an indicator of the rigidity of the enclosure and the quality of the internal components used. The MoFi SourcePoint 888 weighs 43.00kg / 94.6lbs and the SVS Ultra Tower weighs 34.27kg / 75.4lbs. This makes the SourcePoint 888 25% heavier than the Ultra Tower.
Here is a comparison of how SourcePoint 888 and Ultra Tower's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Floor-standing class.
Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers
What's in the Box of SVS Ultra Tower?
Here are the items that come with the Ultra Tower:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Cloth grille
- 2 Metal grilles
- Foam port plug
- 4 Elastomer isolation feet (pre-installed)
- 4 Spike feet
- 4 Nuts
- 4 Protective discs
- 2 Terminal jumpers (pre-installed)
- Owners Manual
- SVS brochure
- Online Product Registration Card
 Height |
1070mm
vs
1159mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
1312cm2
vs
1579cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Max Input Power |
300 watts
vs
200 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Sensitivity |
88 dB
vs
87 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
6 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
 Low Frequency Response |
28 Hz
vs
32 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
32k Hz
vs
30k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Price per pair* |
2600USD
vs
4999USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
MoFi SourcePoint 888 |
SVS Ultra Tower |
| Brand |
MoFi |
SVS |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
Up to 200 watts |
20-300 watts |
| Sensitivity |
87dB |
88 dB |
| Impedance |
6 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Impedance |
4.5 ohms |
n/a |
| Frequency Response |
32-30k Hz |
28-32k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
8" |
8.0" |
| Woofer Composition |
Paper-pulp |
Polypropylene |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1.25" |
1.0" |
| Tweeter Type |
wide roll soft dome |
Dome |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
8" |
6.5" |
| Crossover Frequency |
130Hz and 1.6kHz |
160HZ and 2000Hz |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
n/a |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1070.0mm (42.1") |
1159.0mm (45.6") |
| Width |
320.0mm (12.6") |
355.0mm (14") |
| Depth |
410.0mm (16.1") |
445.0mm (17.5") |
| Weight |
43.00kg (94.6lbs) |
34.27kg (75.4lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
real wood veneer |
MDF/Oak veneer |
| Available Colors |
Black, Walnut, Satin White |
Black Oak,Piano Gloss Black,Piano Gloss White |
| Grille |
Yes |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
Yes |
Yes |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
|
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
|
5 Years |
These sit in different price classes - MoFi SourcePoint 888 costs roughly 1.9x what SVS Ultra Tower does. Expect it to lead on paper; the question is whether the gap is audible enough in your room to be worth it.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | B | SVS Ultra Tower digs deeper - 28Hz against 32Hz. A subwoofer would even that out. |
| Amplifier needs | evenly matched | Similar sensitivity (87dB vs 88dB) - both want much the same power. |
| Amplifier match | B | SVS Ultra Tower is the easier load at 8 ohms. |
| Headroom | B | SVS Ultra Tower takes more power (300W vs 200W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size | depends | MoFi SourcePoint 888 is easier to place; SVS Ultra Tower is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Expandability | depends | MoFi SourcePoint 888: bi-amping; SVS Ultra Tower: bi-amping. |
| Price | B | SVS Ultra Tower is cheaper - $2,600 against $4,999, about 48% less; arguably a different class. |
A MoFi SourcePoint 888 B SVS Ultra Tower
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, your system or how you will use them. Only specs published for both speakers are judged; anything missing on either side is left out rather than guessed.
Which should you choose?
SVS Ultra Tower is the easier recommendation: it leads on most of the measured areas and costs less. Take MoFi SourcePoint 888 if its size, looks or fit in your room suit you better. Match it to your room: we rate MoFi SourcePoint 888 the better fit for a mid-size room; elsewhere the two are rated the same. Think about the whole system, not just the speakers: the roughly $2,399 saved by taking the cheaper pair would buy a subwoofer or a better amplifier, and either usually does more for the sound than the difference between these two.
And remember what a spec sheet cannot show: how each looks in your room and whether the finish suits it, what dealer support and warranty are like where you live, and how they actually sound to you. If you can hear them first - ideally with your own music - that will tell you more than any number above.