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Monitor Audio Silver 500 7g

MrOtto

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I was actually dissapointed by the Silver 500 7G. There just wasn't anything special there, I was not moved by the music. Would save some money and buy the Wharfedale Linton 85th instead. Pretty amazing speaker.
You might want to try Polk R700 also
Also doesn't help the 500 7G looks cheap
 

hdkeith

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Jun 11, 2022
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I did not find that it looked cheap. I had auditioned the Focal 836 and 936 and they had good highs, but the 826 sounded hollow(resonance)when push and the 936 sounded like a boom box with uncontrolled boomy lows that overwhelmed led the speaker. I was thinking about Plk but talk about cheap looking the R700 vinyl wrap look way too cheap. I have seen too many people mixed on Wharfdale some saying too laid back. Also their center is too large for my opening. I really wanted to tre the Ascend Acoustics RAAL towers, but while size I’d not fully indicative of performance the 5.q5 drivers scare me, when pushed I have to believe distortion/compression will be high. I was very impressed with the Silvers and maybe because it was a very dynamic speaker and I have had Klipsch for 19 years.
 

Will3

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I have been auditioning the Silver 500 7G and actually made the mistake of listening to the Gold 300 and 200 as well. The Silver was pretty impressive. The Gold 300 ribbon tweeter really is pretty amazing. I am going back again tomorrow to do some more listening. I would really love the Gold, but I was impressed how the Silver held its own. I actually was impressed as the Silver bass seemed a tad tighter and more impactful. But then the highs on the Gold were phenomenal. After hearing the silky smooth Gold tweeter the Silver highs were a tad bright/harsh, but that is only because I had just heard the Golds. Ironically I prefer the Gold highs and the Silver lows. If only they had a Silver with the ribbon for say $1K more and cal, it a Silver 700 and I am in.

The Silvers break in nicely between 60-100 hours. something I noticed; then read in different reviews. It sounds cliché, but I've yet to own a speaker that lets me hear so deeply into music. I mean clarity of voice, details, bass response. I find sitting for hours listening to what I would've considered a somewhat bright speaker without interruption. I would imagine this is a what a monitor speaker built for home use would sound like, though i'm no expert on that subject nor an "audiophile".
Because I biamp, I am able to adjust the bass/treble balance via the gains on my amps if I want, though i don't use any true tone controls in my amp chain @ this point.
I'm very satisfied with them so far, especially for the price.
 
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hdkeith

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I just got back from on minutes of Gold vs Silver auditioning. I started with the Gold 200 vs. Silver 500. Started with wanting to focus on the tweeter and mids so used Nils Lofgren Keith Don’t Go as it is an amazing acoustic recording. I played it several times on each speaker. With this track the guitar stings on the Gold 200 we’re just a bit smoother and life like. The Silver was a tad harsher/bright. If you were not A/B ing them you would never notice. The mids were great and other than the slighter harsher nights the Silvers held their own once you moved down range from the strings. Tried a little Blue Man Group How To Be A Meagstar and this is where the 200 felt a little flat. After a while I then moved on to Hans Zimmer (a FLAC rip of the Live in Prague) BD. I focus on the Interstellar and Inception tracks. Since these tracks have a good mix of instrument and rang this is where the Silvers actually took a bit of a lead. The Gold 200 was less robust in the lows, clearly driver size matters, even if in theory the Gold woofer is a better quality driver. The 200 had lows, just seems the entire low to mod end felt a little flat which dragged the overall sound (to me) come across a little laid back. That comparison drove me to bring the Gold 300 into the mix since the Silver and Gold have equal size drivers.

Same tracks and as expected on the Nils Lofgren tracks no different than the Gold 200 since it is not low range tracks. But when I moved back to Hans Zimmer the Gold 300 lows were really good, full bodied and dug deep. Clearly the extra 20+ pounds in the cabinet build and better woofer starred to pay off. The Silver was no slouch, but the Gold just seems to dig deeper and full. The Silver actually seems a tad cleaner, but I assume that was because it was not digging as deep. Don’t get me wrong the Silver when room loaded and with a sub there would likely be no difference. The Silvers overall came across a bit more dynamic and lively with the Gold 300 being a tad laid back and neutral compared to the Silvers. When you look at the fact that the Gold 300 is about 3X the Silver 500 it is the prime example of the point of diminishing returns where 3X price increase to me maybe gets you 20-30% improvement.

This dealer clearly knows how to try and land a sale, as we were getting speakers set up he took me over to show me a pair of “demo” Gold 300 they have the the boxes with for $5500 for the pair vs. normal $9500. It was tempting but, I am still not sure.
 

Will3

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Jun 22, 2022
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I just got back from on minutes of Gold vs Silver auditioning. I started with the Gold 200 vs. Silver 500. Started with wanting to focus on the tweeter and mids so used Nils Lofgren Keith Don’t Go as it is an amazing acoustic recording. I played it several times on each speaker. With this track the guitar stings on the Gold 200 we’re just a bit smoother and life like. The Silver was a tad harsher/bright. If you were not A/B ing them you would never notice. The mids were great and other than the slighter harsher nights the Silvers held their own once you moved down range from the strings. Tried a little Blue Man Group How To Be A Meagstar and this is where the 200 felt a little flat. After a while I then moved on to Hans Zimmer (a FLAC rip of the Live in Prague) BD. I focus on the Interstellar and Inception tracks. Since these tracks have a good mix of instrument and rang this is where the Silvers actually took a bit of a lead. The Gold 200 was less robust in the lows, clearly driver size matters, even if in theory the Gold woofer is a better quality driver. The 200 had lows, just seems the entire low to mod end felt a little flat which dragged the overall sound (to me) come across a little laid back. That comparison drove me to bring the Gold 300 into the mix since the Silver and Gold have equal size drivers.

Same tracks and as expected on the Nils Lofgren tracks no different than the Gold 200 since it is not low range tracks. But when I moved back to Hans Zimmer the Gold 300 lows were really good, full bodied and dug deep. Clearly the extra 20+ pounds in the cabinet build and better woofer starred to pay off. The Silver was no slouch, but the Gold just seems to dig deeper and full. The Silver actually seems a tad cleaner, but I assume that was because it was not digging as deep. Don’t get me wrong the Silver when room loaded and with a sub there would likely be no difference. The Silvers overall came across a bit more dynamic and lively with the Gold 300 being a tad laid back and neutral compared to the Silvers. When you look at the fact that the Gold 300 is about 3X the Silver 500 it is the prime example of the point of diminishing returns where 3X price increase to me maybe gets you 20-30% improvement.

This dealer clearly knows how to try and land a sale, as we were getting speakers set up he took me over to show me a pair of “demo” Gold 300 they have the the boxes with for $5500 for the pair vs. normal $9500. It was tempting but, I am still not sure.

I 'm using a 12" used Polk 505 subwoofer (not a bad older sub btw) in a carpeted 11 x 20 living room/ kitchen apt. and rarely need the sub beyond it's idle settings.
When I do; the Silver's woofers work well to a touch of reinforcement. There are newer mid-priced 12" subs with dsp that should sound even better. For the price of a good use higher end or new mid priced subwoofer, the Silver 500 might work for you. The high end of the Silvers will stabilize after some hours as well. You can always sell the Silvers, work a better deal? on the Golds and keep any sub you may have chosen to use and try it with Gold set...
 

hdkeith

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Oh I have dual PSA V1800 subs so below 100Hz is not usually a concern for me, as I usually leave the sub in play with 2CH listening, but was going to try it without the sub. The Gold, Martin Logan ribbon tweeters are very appealing having heard both. I was tempted with the Ascend Acoustics towers with the RAAL, but those 5.25 drivers concern me no matter how good they are. I proved that with the Gold 200 today, smaller woofer loses some of the deep rich lows and no knowing where the sub would kick in on why I am listening too is a concern. I may listen to the same tracks at home with and without my sibs to see how concerned I should me. I was actually looking at ML 60XTi/50XTi with 15i as surrounds, but they are a bot big on my wall and their 4i will be lacking in the low end since it has a single 4 inch driver and the AMT.
 

hdkeith

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This is old, the subs are inside the L/R for the last few years. I do like volume, not unusual for me to be listening to music in the _80db range or even 90s with peaks over 100. I do run the sub 6db hot.

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Will3

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The Silvers are not afraid of that much room. Based on my limited experience, I think it's close to ideal. And if it turned out to be good for the Silvers, then probably the Golds as well.
 
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poxymoron

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May 7, 2021
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I 'm using a 12" used Polk 505 subwoofer (not a bad older sub btw) in a carpeted 11 x 20 living room/ kitchen apt. and rarely need the sub beyond it's idle settings.
When I do; the Silver's woofers work well to a touch of reinforcement. There are newer mid-priced 12" subs with dsp that should sound even better. For the price of a good use higher end or new mid priced subwoofer, the Silver 500 might work for you. The high end of the Silvers will stabilize after some hours as well. You can always sell the Silvers, work a better deal? on the Golds and keep any sub you may have chosen to use and try it with Gold set...
Is be interested to know your verdict on the Canton Sub. I'm interested in Canton and Nubert subs but there's not a whole lot on this forum about either brand.
 

hdkeith

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The Silvers are not afraid of that much room. Based on my limited experience, I think it's close to ideal. And if it turned out to be good for the Silvers, then probably the Golds as well.
I am sure the Silvers would be fine as my Klipsch so fine in this room on the low end. Not sure how the Gold 200 would sound, but I am sure the Gold 300 would be fine as well.
 

hdkeith

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Is be interested to know your verdict on the Canton Sub. I'm interested in Canton and Nubert subs but there's not a whole lot on this forum about either brand.


Do not overlook PSA subs, I have been impressed with mine for over 7 years and they have made even more refinement since then.
 

poxymoron

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Do not overlook PSA subs, I have been impressed with mine for over 7 years and they have made even more refinement since then.
I have to unfortunately, American brands are, for the most part, not an option in Europe. At least in my part of Europe. Availability is one thing but cost is the biggest factor.
 

hdkeith

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I have to unfortunately, American brands are, for the most part, not an option in Europe. At least in my part of Europe. Availability is one thing but cost is the biggest factor.
Ah, did not realize you were in Europe. We do,have a few ai twenty Direct brands here that make for very good cost effective high value options.
 

poxymoron

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Ah, did not realize you were in Europe. We do,have a few ai twenty Direct brands here that make for very good cost effective high value options.
I know. So much of my research in subs leads me to America brands, which in turn leads to disappointment. Big and heavy means very high transport costs.
 

Will3

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Those Silver 500s shouldn't dissapoint you...After they break in a bit you'll prolly want to hear the Gold 300s in the same space to be sure you're not missing anything. I already know where this might go :facepalm:. The thing is, you'll probably end up missing the Silvers in your large space.
I listen to mine (8' apart) from 10' out, but when I go into my kitchen (20' away) they sound a bit fuller, bit more balanced, and just as focused than @ half the distance (10') if that makes sense to you.
 

Will3

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Is be interested to know your verdict on the Canton Sub. I'm interested in Canton and Nubert subs but there's not a whole lot on this forum about either brand.
It's an older basic 8" powred sub that had a profile to fit a tight space near my bedroom wall. That being said, it's an IDEAL fit sound wise for the Monitor Audio Silver One 5gs in there. Very controlled, powerful, quality bass to 30hz or so that doesn't smear the lower midbass or treble of the Silvers at all. The black non gloss finish and silver woofer cone matching the Silver Ones doesn't hurt either!
I have stopped looking for another speaker/sub for the bedroom after a few tries. Very happy with the Canton's sound, quality of build and looks.
 

Will3

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It's an older basic 8" powred sub that had a profile to fit a tight space near my bedroom wall. That being said, it's an IDEAL fit sound wise for the Monitor Audio Silver One 5gs in there. Very controlled, powerful, quality bass to 30hz or so that doesn't smear the lower midbass or treble of the Silvers at all. The black non gloss finish and silver woofer cone matching the Silver Ones doesn't hurt either!
I have stopped looking for another speaker/sub for the bedroom after a few tries. Very happy with the Canton's sound, quality of build and looks.
Correction; 6.5" woofer....
 

Doctors11

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Oct 26, 2020
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Oh I have dual PSA V1800 subs so below 100Hz is not usually a concern for me, as I usually leave the sub in play with 2CH listening, but was going to try it without the sub. The Gold, Martin Logan ribbon tweeters are very appealing having heard both. I was tempted with the Ascend Acoustics towers with the RAAL, but those 5.25 drivers concern me no matter how good they are. I proved that with the Gold 200 today, smaller woofer loses some of the deep rich lows and no knowing where the sub would kick in on why I am listening too is a concern. I may listen to the same tracks at home with and without my sibs to see how concerned I should me. I was actually looking at ML 60XTi/50XTi with 15i as surrounds, but they are a bot big on my wall and their 4i will be lacking in the low end since it has a single 4 inch driver and the AMT.
Maybe consider the MartinLogan Motion 8i for surrounds. They can be wall mounted vertically.
 
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