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Monitor Audio Platinum 3G

Phorize

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That's not a bad thing in my book actually. Lower chances of man made mistakes as it happens with hand built speakers in the UK; and I saw a few unfortunately
Take your point about but I seriously doubt there will be a QA problem with a KEF reference…
 

Phorize

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You keep saying false claims like that high quality drivers sound the same that cheap ones. I see brands like Marten laughing at you with their amazing Accuton-sourced ceramic and diamond drivers. Maybe the speakers you sell are made of cheap materials so repeating this stupid phrase will make it true for your potential customers?
Harman found no relationship between cost and preference. Sure, in theory a higher BOM allows for better standards and engineering excellence has aesthetic value in and of itself, but is it really debatable that speaker design now stands or falls on whole system design and validation rather the use of any specific component, no matter how fancy it may be?
 

dogmamann

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Take your point about but I seriously doubt there will be a QA problem with a KEF reference…
I think it’s the same case with every other speaker company. Once in a while you get bad apples. But how the company reacts to complaints is what matters here.
 

dogmamann

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No, It doesn't because he justified himself being caught in his lie saying that 100 EUR difference after I uncovered his intentions on this thread.

I don't have any brand preference. I am brand agnostic. If a product sounds better to me I will buy it. I have evaluated and also owned some Kef's speakers for years now. If the Kefs R where better, I would have purchased it instead. The Kef's R are cheaper by a good amount of money on my country than the Cantons 7k (even the 9k where more expensive than the R3 and R7 when I purchased them) and I value price as 50% of the purchase decision.
I think the distortion thing is wrongly understood. Klippel measures distortion differently in different rooms as per this

Post in thread 'Ascend Acoustics Announces New Klippel NFS-Optimized Sierra Towers and Horizon Center'
https://audiosciencereview.com/foru...-towers-and-horizon-center.39567/post-1398700
 

BrokenEnglishGuy

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dogmamann

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Why are you talking about the Klippel NFS?
Canton doesn't even have Klippel NFS measurements, nobody was talking about the klippel and Canton..
the distortions talked over here about cantons come from a measurement from the stereoplay magazine. I guess they use Klippel for measuring. So we can safely ignore the distortion measurement from the magazine. This is a Fantanstic speaker. I owned it for a brief period and never noticed anything nasty with them except a little mid bass heavy. But I could easily use a graphic eq to fix that in my room. But sometimes for some songs that bass hump of about 3 db was adding good impact to the kick drums as if in real life.
 

BrokenEnglishGuy

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the distortions talked over here about cantons come from a measurement from the stereoplay magazine. I guess they use Klippel for measuring. So we can safely ignore the distortion measurement from the magazine. This is a Fantanstic speaker. I owned it for a brief period and never noticed anything nasty with them except a little mid bass heavy. But I could easily use a graphic eq to fix that in my room. But sometimes for some songs that bass hump of about 3 db was adding good impact to the kick drums as if in real life.

My take is you're very confusing about that post.

I don't know why '' we can safely ignore the distortion measurement '' from HiFi-News, Stereoplay, etc. Because of the post who (AscendDF) wrote about '' we can't compare different Klippel NFS distortion measurements ''.

We were comparing same measurements, this wasn't the case that ADF was talking.
 

dogmamann

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My take is you're very confusing about that post.

I don't know why '' we can safely ignore the distortion measurement '' from HiFi-News, Stereoplay, etc. Because of the post who (AscendDF) wrote about '' we can't compare different Klippel NFS distortion measurements ''.

We were comparing same measurements, this wasn't the case that ADF was talking.
Yes even a brand like that says Klippel measurements are unreliable in distortion measurements. Unfortunately this was the basis of all th arguments now no longer valid.
 

BrokenEnglishGuy

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Yes even a brand like that says Klippel measurements are unreliable in distortion measurements. Unfortunately this was the basis of all th arguments now no longer valid.
???.


He said you cannot compare AMIR KLIPPEL MEASUREMENTS vs Ascend KLIPPEL MEASUREMENTS, because is not reliable. Nobody said distortion measurements are unrealiable, please read again, you are making these kind of post very frequently.


We had 2-3 measurements from different magazines, the point that you make is not valid. The comparasions were done using the same measurements method, for example distortion measurements ONLY FROM STEREOPLAY.



Klippel does distortion measurements because it matters, speakers companies DO low distortion speakers because that matter.

EDIT: If you did read this carefully, that guy said you can BUY a module from Klippel NFS, an extension that eliminate the room. So, measurements are more reliable, so YOU CAN.
 
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dogmamann

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???.


He said you cannot compare AMIR KLIPPEL MEASUREMENTS vs Ascend KLIPPEL MEASUREMENTS, because is not reliable. Nobody said distortion measurements are unrealiable, please read again, you are making these kind of post very frequently.


We had 2-3 measurements from different magazines, the point that you make is not valid. The comparasions were done using the same measurements method, for example distortion measurements ONLY FROM STEREOPLAY.



Klippel does distortion measurements because it matters, speakers companies DO low distortion speakers because that matter.

EDIT: If you did read this carefully, that guy said you can BUY a module from Klippel NFS, an extension that eliminate the room. So, measurements are more reliable, so YOU CAN.
I think the distortion measurements were only from audio magazine and stereoplay who share the same lab if I undertand right. I did not make any frequent posts like this.
 

dogmamann

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I think the distortion measurements were only from audio magazine and stereoplay who share the same lab if I undertand right. I did not make any frequent posts like this.
???.


He said you cannot compare AMIR KLIPPEL MEASUREMENTS vs Ascend KLIPPEL MEASUREMENTS, because is not reliable. Nobody said distortion measurements are unrealiable, please read again, you are making these kind of post very frequently.


We had 2-3 measurements from different magazines, the point that you make is not valid. The comparasions were done using the same measurements method, for example distortion measurements ONLY FROM STEREOPLAY.



Klippel does distortion measurements because it matters, speakers companies DO low distortion speakers because that matter.

EDIT: If you did read this carefully, that guy said you can BUY a module from Klippel NFS, an extension that eliminate the room. So, measurements are more reliable, so YOU CAN.
I did not say we cannot trust distortion measurements. If Klippel measurements on distortions are different for the same speakers in two different rooms, (for example in Amir’s room and in ascends room) as per the same logic, can’t it be the same probability that cantons distortion measurements can be more(or wrong) and in another room right ? Anyway we atleast 3 people who owned this speaker stated that we never heard any nasty distortion, does it matter anymore ?
 

BrokenEnglishGuy

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can’t it be the same probability that cantons distortion measurements can be more(or wrong) and in another room right ?
Ok, last post. Too many phone notifications.



Yes, but it does not matter because in all '' rooms '' we saw shos the same distortion thing.
Measurements from everyone shows the same. no matter if we look at stereoplay or hifinews, both shows the same, for example. Also, canton use the same big mid range in all of his floorstanding except the 8k, so is pretty easy to compare/find information.
 

dogmamann

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Ok, last post. Too many phone notifications.



Yes, but it does not matter because in all '' rooms '' we saw shos the same distortion thing.
Measurements from everyone shows the same. no matter if we look at stereoplay or hifinews, both shows the same, for example. Also, canton use the same big mid range in all of his floorstanding except the 8k, so is pretty easy to compare/find information.
By „all“, you mean 2 rooms. There are several other magazines which reviewed this speaker atleast 7 of them. None mentioned there was a audible distortion. If it was there, they would have noticed it from their experience in hearing several speakers as part of their jobs. If they heard it and never understood it was distortion, well does it matter to us? We are just over blowing a small issue if any as if it was totally bad. There are lot of virtues which are getting discarded because of this blow up.

For instance this has a very wide radiation and very flat midrange. Also what I noticed while using them in my living room was, I could easily place them next to the wall and bass wasn’t boomy as I was used to with other ported speakers. This has a clever trick that vents out 40 percent of the air to behind of the speaker and 60 to the front through a slot below it. No matter how you place, the bass is always even, I tried keeping it in different places and noticed almost no difference in the bass quantity and no room modes were getting excited. Midrange on them had full body as they orginate from a large 7 inch midrange compared to a 5 inches on many other speakers. I have listened to several speakers like harbeth, pmcs, Proacs and so on which are known for their natural midrange. But somehow the cantons are more transparent than them but at the same time more balanced with treble.
 

dogmamann

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Canton reference frist need to measure on par of Kef reference if you want to compare. Even the monitor 7G have less distortion in the mid range vs Canton reference 7K, they are a better contender. For now Canton need to work a lot in their directivity, cabinet and distortion if they want to be comparable with Kefs.

Kef reference are one of the best measure speaker, while the canton references not, even the new vento 100's have a little bit better distortion and bit better directivity than these canton reference, the current Reference from Canton are not even near of that kef level. Maybe their measurements are in par with Q series.

Sorry but having high distortion, bad directivity and high Q resonances in the cabinet is not what Kefs are.
The whole argument is based on the reviews from stereoplay magazine. There is no way to verify if they are right or not. In person I owned this speaker and it doesn’t exhibit any of these problems. I am not sure if audio, ornater play can be trusted.

For example I found this in T+As website:

As per this charts the speaker must be excellent but as per the second review by another magazine it’s way different from what the “audio” magazine claims. Audio and stereoplay use the same measurements


 

franknorris12

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So erm anyway, has anyone managed to get the new 3Gs in for listening? Curious how they compare to the current Gold 5G and Silver 7G lines, both of which are very good for their price points.
 

dogmamann

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So erm anyway, has anyone managed to get the new 3Gs in for listening? Curious how they compare to the current Gold 5G and Silver 7G lines, both of which are very good for their price points.
I think measurements is all we need. Unfortunately it’s not available anywhere yet
 

Jukebox

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PL100 3G in the house; tested them for the last 2 weeks.
In my opinion they are one of the better (best?) sounding bookshelfs speakers from Monitor Audio (in the last 5 years I had them all); maybe the current Silver 100 is a little bit more linear in the tweeter range (Dome vs MPD).
They sound neutral overall, with good low end for the size with open highs (without being sibilant); they project a wide soundstage with good enough separation between instrument (but not like KEF crazy good); I suspect the wide dispersion has a role here.
The midrange clarity is just great; they don't sound dark or muddy.

I made some nearfield drivers and port measurements + a full range nearfield measurement on axis; happy to see they targeted a flat frequency response and not went for the showroom bright sound:
- there are some mismatch in the crossover region (the tweeter goes down really fast); probably the floorstand versions, with the small midrange, does a better job integrating with the teeter.
- a resonant peak in the port (didn't heard it in my listening test from about 3.5m);
- the tweeter could be smoother in response but maybe we are seeing some diffraction from the measurement (the peak at 15k I suspect is real); despite that it has a good energy and presence (cymbals are there, very vivid, love the sparkles it offers)

Overall is a solid design from Monitor Audio with a compact form factor, beautiful look and finish, great for a medium size room; the sensitivity is nothing to write home about but with a good 150-200 WPC amp works just fine also in a bigger 45sqm room.

P.S. would I buy them? Probably not, but I like them enough to wonder how the PL200 will sound in my room. I'll report back once I have them because it could be a keeper

1674244972967.png
 
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franknorris12

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PL100 3G in the house; tested them for the last 2 weeks.
In my opinion they are one of the better (best?) sounding bookshelfs speakers from Monitor Audio (in the last 5 years I had them all); maybe the current Silver 100 is a little bit more linear in the tweeter range (Dome vs MPD).
They sound neutral overall, with good low end for the size with open highs (without being sibilant); they project a wide soundstage with good enough separation between instrument (but not like KEF crazy good); I suspect the wide dispersion has a role here.
The midrange clarity is just great; they don't sound dark or muddy.

I made some nearfield drivers and port measurements + a full range nearfield measurement on axis; happy to see they targeted a flat frequency response and not went for the showroom bright sound:
- there are some mismatch in the crossover region (the tweeter goes down really fast); probably the floorstand versions, with the small midrange, does a better job integrating with the teeter.
- a resonant peak in the port (didn't heard it in my listening test from about 3.5m);
- the tweeter could be smoother in response but maybe we are seeing some diffraction from the measurement (the peak at 15k I suspect is real); despite that it has a good energy and presence (cymbals are there, very vivid, love the sparkles it offers)

Overall is a solid design from Monitor Audio with a compact form factor, beautiful look and finish, great for a medium size room; the sensitivity is nothing to write home about but with a good 150-200 WPC amp works just fine also in a bigger 45sqm room.

View attachment 258617

Thank you for this - how do they compare to the Gold 200 5G please? Do you have measurements for the Gold 200s?
 

Jukebox

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Thank you for this - how do they compare to the Gold 200 5G please? Do you have measurements for the Gold 200s?
More similar than different I would say. Gold 200 is still my choice between the two, it offers the complete package and comes also in very compact form factor, especially for a stand floor.
Handles better dynamics and low end extension, but the Platinum is a tad better in almost every other aspect.

Didn't make any measurements for the Gold yet, although I suspect is flatter.
I will make some measurements when I have time
 

dogmamann

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No, It doesn't because he justified himself being caught in his lie saying that 100 EUR difference after I uncovered his intentions on this thread.

I don't have any brand preference. I am brand agnostic. If a product sounds better to me I will buy it. I have evaluated and also owned some Kef's speakers for years now. If the Kefs R where better, I would have purchased it instead. The Kef's R are cheaper by a good amount of money on my country than the Cantons 7k (even the 9k where more expensive than the R3 and R7 when I purchased them) and I value price as 50% of the purchase decision.
From what I know, they both are priced almost the same. If you are in Europe, the R11 and 7K has a sticker price of 5000 and 5200 euros respectively. If you negotiate at a store you get greater discounts. I bought my Reference 7k for 3800 while they were running a promotion. the same store has now R11 for 3650.

When you listen to both of them, it’s a matter of personal preference about what you like. I don’t like the KEF’s house sound as they are narrow. But that doesn’t mean one of them is completely superior to the other. It totally depends on what you value the most. I sold mine, as I found the bass to be too “loose” for the price as opposed the opinion here. I too heard no nasty distortion as they say here.

If you live in US, I undertand the pain of paying over double the price we pay here there for the same speaker. Imo, you have more options there which are cheaper there and expensive here. I would play smart and get one of them instead of this. Anyway, stereophiles review seemed to have worked!
 
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