Falcon Acoustics M10 and MoFi | FLAX 2023

I had at least two people tell me, just prior to the 2023 Florida Audio Expo, that MoFi Distribution‘s Jonathan Derda want me to stop by his room because he had a two-way speaker he wanted me to hear. At first I thought it was Andrew Jones’ new SourcePoint speaker because the buzz, quite frankly, has been deafening. (Is that an appropriate adjective in the world of high-end audio?) I found Jonathan in the Falcon room, where I immediate saw a new BBC-ish monitor, more SP3/1 than LS3/5a in appearance. It’s the newest model, dubbed the Falcon Acoustics M10.

Words and Photos by Marc Phillips

I asked Jonathan if this was the two-way monitor he wanted me to review–especially after my Falcon Acoustics LS3/5a MoFi Edition lovefest from 2021. He said yes, but it was between the Falcon Acoustics M10 and the 50th Anniversary LS3/5a Gold Badge ($4,000/pr USD)–which were also in the room with their glorious and exotic veneers. There was only one issue with reviewing the Gold Badge–they’re almost all gone. I heard there were less than ten pairs left. Suddenly I thought, “Should I review the Gold Badge or buy them?” I’m kind of hoping they just make a few more so I can eventually take a listen.

The Falcon Acoustics M10s were the ones actually playing in the room at the time, so I sat down and listened to a few songs. I realized that the M10s sounded a lot like the LS3/5a in terms of pure tonality–so much so that I kept referring to the M10s as LS3/5as while talking to Falcon Acoustics’ main designer, Jerry Bloomfield. I went back the next day to apologize, but he understood completely. The Falcon Acoustics sounds a lot like an LS3/5a, but with extended low frequencies.

I asked how much. The answer shocked me. Just $2,250 per pair. The Falcon Acoustics M10 might be a bigger bargain than the $1,995/pr MoFi LS3/5as. That’s just conjecture, of course–I’m going to need some additional time to make sure. Hint, hint.

While I was going nuts over the Falcon Acoustics M10, everyone else in the room fell in love with the MoFi “Fender” limited edition turntable. I think it was Brian Hunter who leaned in close and asked me, “Do you like this?” I told him I did, and he sighed and replied, “Yeah, me too.” It’s really pretty. Since Brian’s been running a MoFi turntable–he’s really enjoying it–this might be a candidate for coolest ‘table of the year. The amplification in the room was supplied by the superb Balanced Audio Technology VK-3500 integrated amp that I reviewed last year. But the Falcon Acoustics M10? This might be much bigger news.

If you would like to hear even more coverage from FLAX 2023, check out our recap report and highlights from our audiophile-oriented show The Occasional Podcast. You can stream the episode direct from the embed below, or from your favorite podcast platform including iTunes, Android, Google, Deezer, Spotify, iHeartRadio and more.