Monitor Audio Silver 100 Review (Speaker)

[raindance]

Vivid Audio also uses the same "bolt through" approach to secure their drive units. It would be interesting to see measurements of one of their speakers, given that they had a former B&W designer.

 

[thewas]

Vivid Audio also uses the same "bolt through" approach to secure their drive units. It would be interesting to see measurements of one of their speakers, given that they had a former B&W designer.

They measure quite nice(r) https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...-vs-stock-linn-katan.23509/page-5#post-879235

 

[sarumbear]

FYI, and knowing this from having just purchased a Monitor Audio C350 center channel for my system, that “mounting screw” is actually a through driver mount screw...The drivers are afixed to the front by a tensioning screw in the back. Note there are no screws attaching the drivers to the front baffle. My caveat with this system is not the design, but no mention of the fact in the enclosed manual that you are supposed to snug these screws once you have determined your speaker placement. No doubt, loose drivers might cause some resonance!

Why would they wanted to ship the screws loose and want the user to tighten it after you "determined your speaker placement?" What can be affected by a tensioning screw that is part of the speaker by the speaker placement?

 

[beagleman]

I agree that the above comment might have sound a bid condescending and I probably would have now formulated it differently, but to my excuse the dialogue evolved to this stage in several steps. Anyway I just wanted to express that directivity really and easily audibly matters and cannot be ignored or corrected by EQ.

I only mention this, as I am someone who has commented on a speaker lacking in really deep bass, and have had others give a "So what" type of answer.

Meaning to imply, that characteristic may be higher in importance to "me", but not to all listeners, for whatever reason.

 

[daftcombo]

Nice review! Any plan of measuring the best-seller and cheaper Bronze 2?

 

[Smislov]

The graphs are for the Gold 200 so current generation? If so comparing current 200 vs GX100 looks like they have improved although not that much from a directivity perspective, distortion at 90dB does seem to have improved though. I have GX300 for the left and right.

Im Test: Standbox Monitor Audio Gold GX 200

Die Monitor Audio Gold GX 200 (2900 Euro pro Paar) ist eine unglaublich spielfreudige, fein aufgelöste und ausgewogene Box, gerade bei geringen Lautstärken überragend groß.

www.connect.de

It's GX 200

and GX 300 link

 

[VintageFlanker]

Nice review! Any plan of measuring the best-seller and cheaper Bronze 2?

Bronze 2 is discontinued for a while now. The actual Bronze 100 could be interesting.

Perhaps you know someone who would be ready to ship a Bronze 2 to Seattle?

 

[Ron Texas]

My take is one can do better at this price range with either a DBR-62 or a Polk R200. Thank you @amirm

 

[Krobar]

Im Test: Standbox Monitor Audio Gold GX 200

Die Monitor Audio Gold GX 200 (2900 Euro pro Paar) ist eine unglaublich spielfreudige, fein aufgelöste und ausgewogene Box, gerade bei geringen Lautstärken überragend groß.

www.connect.de

It's GX 200

and GX 300 link

Thanks for the link, hard to compare to the ASR results but directivity in general look OK apart from a 4dB peak on axis at 5Khz.

 

[Promit]

Well this is nice to see. I bought a set of MA Silver 500 towers plus the C350 center last year to be my new cine/gaming rig. (At a substantial discount.) I sort of took a gamble on them at the time but spouse was especially fond of the aesthetic and I was a stickler for a speaker with at least 8” woofers on it. (I also flatly refuse to buy gloss finish speakers.) The main competing option was the KEF Q950. There are not many matte towers with 8”+ woofers out there, at least for $2000.

Having lived with them for a year, a tinge of unobjectionable brightness is pretty much exactly how I feel about them. Works really well for a mostly movies and games setup. My room incorporates a fair bit of absorption which I think probably helps limit the dispersion issues. I also gave them a slightly more aggressive downward slope in Audyssey and I’m pretty happy with the results for the price.

 

[theyellowspecial]

Strikes me as a less refined Focal.

 

[Bruce Morgen]

I'd say it's a great pair of passives, basically means without internal calibration or tweaking in the active domain it did able to produce a neutral +/- 1.5db speaker with the crossover being +/-3db, and it do so in a great looking design and "only" $799 a pair, so really a bargain in it's performance class, no idea about the power handling and if they can be driven well with some decent chip amp like the topping one it would be a low cost yet stylish product

Not all that much of a bargain when you can get a pair of first-rate active 3-way monitors for the same price -- unless of course a certain ilk of "great looking design" is a priority.

 

[Subway2400]

Strikes me as a less refined Focal.

Not really. Having listened to both I have to say that Focal speakers have a coloration due to their inverted domes which are not the finest nor the most natural tweeters I was given the opportunity to listen to. I find the recent MAs to be better, with tighter bass and a better treble. As pointed by this review, the upper midrange could use some refinements but that's the only negative thing I noted.

 

[VintageFlanker]

Strikes me as a less refined Focal.

Not really comparable.

I had Silver 2/RX2/100 and 906s.

The 906 are smoother and more balanced speakers, especially off-axis. The Silver, deeper bass extension and way better distorsion behaviour at high SPL.

Build quality: Silver all day.

 

[gsp1971]

Until the latest Silver gen shows up at Amir's door, this is a glimpse of their performance:

the smallest standmount Silver 50 - looks ragged

MONITOR AUDIO Silver 50

Aktualna seria Silver liczy sobie niespełna 2 lata, więc pewnie drugie tyle przed nią. Testowaliśmy już Silver 200 - najmniejsze kolumny ...

audio.com.pl

and the smallest floorstander Silver 200: looks pretty good, it's been on my watch list for a while, hope one knocks Amir's door at some point.

MONITOR AUDIO Silver 200

Kolejna edycja serii Silver została opatrzona indeksem 6G, co oznacza szóstą generację, chociaż może się też kojarzyć z przyszłościową ...

audio.com.pl

 

[pseudoid]

Thank you for the post @amirm.
I don't want to use the corollary to that old definition of "insanity" besides making this short reference to it.
These long-established speaker designers/manufacturers (of repute) seem to be exercising that right.
And the only response I hear from the collective is to put some band-aids (roon? rew? etc? on the problems that their gear is responsible for) to make them "correct".
What of the poor consumer who lacks the talents to understand what the PinkPanther is trying to tell them?
If this is the only possible salvation (eq) of a consumer, then maybe the PinkPanthers should call such speakers what they are >> $800 pos w/o eq.
So, big-deal: I will get flack from the members for being 'silly' and I will hear a whole bunch of "the dog ate my homework" lines as to why most such speakers are a piece of crap.
I don't mind!
What I do mind is the fact that such arguably 'inferior' speakers will continue to be shoved down the [ummm] ears of consumers.
A loose screw is NOT even in the realm of regular consumers? DO these manufacturers even listen?

 

[Zutroye]

Thanks for the review @amirm. I've been wanting to see some Monitor Audios show up here. I've been very happy with my gen 6 silver 500s and gen 5 bronze bookshelves. I'm off to check my bolts

 

[enio nery]

i once had a pair of silver RX1s with fake phase plugs, one of the screws attached to the woofers keeps getting loose and rattle. got tired of the little buggers real quick.

 

[Subway2400]

Thanks @amirm for the review. It's great to see some Monitor Audio speakers reviewed.

The tweeter of the Silver 6G reviewed here doesn't have any waveguide, as shown on this picture :

But the tweeters of the new generations of Bronze (6G) and Silver (7G) feature a waveguide :

Bronze :

Silver :

I guess they should theorically measure better, even in a 2-way configuration with the 8" woofer.

 

[Inner Space]

Anyway I just wanted to express that directivity really and easily audibly matters and cannot be ignored ...

I agree, but for the sake of completeness (and pedantry, I suppose) we should occasionally bear in mind (and occasionally say) that directivity matters only if choice, family or financial circumstances put you in a reflective room. I have been lucky enough to be able to build non-reflective rooms, where directivity is completely and totally irrelevant.

Some folks think reflections are essential per se, but no, you're better off without them. In my experience, listening in a non-environment is hugely, vastly, entrancingly, magnificently superior.