Monitor Audio Bronze 100 Review

Monitor Audio Bronze 100 is a bookshelf speaker equipped with an 8-inch mid-bass woofer, showing low-frequency power that other equipment at the same price can’t match. In terms of treble, Bronze 100’s C-CAM tweeter is equipped with a honeycomb structure waveguide design, making the sound wave spread more evenly. That has great potential for the Bronze 100. If you are still worried about which pair of speakers to choose, this pair of Bronze 100 is a very excellent choice!

For many music enthusiasts who want to get started with a two-channel system, the choice of the first audio system is very important. On the one hand, they are still unfamiliar with audio equipment. The price of an audio system is much higher than other entertainment equipment, like ps4, making more and more people pay attention to audio equipment with high cost-effective value.

Therefore, if a speaker can have an excellent sound quality and affordable price, it will definitely be an excellent choice. From this point of view, the Bronze 100 bookshelf speaker introduced by the well-known British manufacturer Monitor Audio is an excellent solution. More importantly, this speaker has also won EISA’s most valuable bookshelf speaker award!

I believe that experienced audiophiles have noticed a trend. That is, in recent years, many audio companies have decentralized flagship and high-end technology to more affordable models. The Monitor Audio brand from the United Kingdom is the best example in recent years. For example, the Gold 5G series speakers previously launched can show the critical technology used in the flagship speakers. The Bronze 6G home theater series speakers, which the Bronze 100 belongs to is also the brand’s latest series of speakers, and it also carries many high-end speaker technologies.

Monitor Audio’s Bronze affordable series speakers have entered the sixth generation. The entire series has eight models, including floor standing speakers Bronze 500 and Bronze 200, bookshelf speakers Bronze 100 and Bronze 50, center speakers Bronze C150, surround speakers Bronze FX, active subwoofer speakers Bronze W10, and a new sky sound Channel speakers Bronze AMS with Dolby Atmos Enabled. And this is the first time that Monitor Audio has launched a dedicated sky channel speaker.

Design

I have previously reviewed most of the Bronze 6G series members, including Bronze 500, 200, 50, C150, and W10 products, and the audiophiles have highly recognized their performance. However, since the previous reviews were About the home theater performance, I have always been curious how the music performance of the Bronze 6G series speakers is. Would the sound quality still be satisfactory? For this reason, I especially borrowed the bookshelf speaker Bronze 100 and have an in-depth review.

Monitor Audio Bronze 100 loudspeaker, the speaker has a very textured appearance, with four finishes of white, black, urban gray, and walnut, highlighting the user’s unique taste and perfectly blends into the home decoration.

But before sharing the actual listening experience with you, let me introduce what is special about this Bronze 100. First of all, of course, its appearance. The front baffle is flat and matted, and it is covered with a warm wood-grain leather grille. That gives it a more fashionable texture, highlighting the user’s unique taste, and can be perfectly integrated into the home decoration.

Since the Monitor Audio Bronze 100 has such an eye-catching appearance, and its acoustic design must be outstanding, let’s take a look at the design of this pair of speakers in detail. Bronze 100 is designed with two channels and two drivers. The tweeter is equipped with a 25mm C-CAM hemisphere. The so-called C-CAM is based on aluminum magnesium. The surface of the metal diaphragm is subjected to high-temperature anodization to form a ceramic layer with a thickness of 50μm.

Because the aluminum-magnesium alloy is light in weight and has excellent rigidity, after combining the resonance characteristics of two different materials, it can absorb each other’s resonance and further enhance the diaphragm.

Besides, Monitor Audio has adopted an innovative design for the tweeter of the 6G series. If you carefully observe the tweeter of the Bronze 100, you can find that it is equipped with a honeycomb-shaped waveguide design. According to Monitor Audio, the original design of this item is called “Uniform Dispersion (UD).” It can strengthen the diffusibility of high-frequency sound waves, make the sound waves spread more evenly in space, and make the listener have a more relaxed listening position.

If you look further, you can find that the treble is set at a deeper position. It is speculated that this approach can correct the phase difference between the cells to present a more accurate sound quality performance.

Monitor Audio Bronze 100 bookshelf speaker, equipped with an 8-inch C-CAM mid-woofer unit, with the “DCM” concentric technology, can significantly increase the diaphragm surface area, making it large enough to match a more prominent voice coil. It will also have a better heat dissipation effect and show excellent low-frequency transient response and more sensitive dynamic effects.

In terms of the mid-bass unit, the Bronze 100 is equipped with an 8-inch C-CAM unit. Yes, you read it right. It is an 8-inch large mid-bass unit. Anyone who sees such a large unit will be stunning because it is far beyond the size of the mid-bass unit commonly used in general bookshelf speakers. The low-frequency of Bronze 100 can reach 37Hz. It’s incredible. Generally speaking, the bookshelf speakers at this price is hard to reach as low as 40Hz. When I see this feature, I am looking forward to testing its performance with my ears.

However, as a member of the 6G series, the Monitor Audio Bronze 100 speaker mid-bass unit should also have a high-tech design. Monitor Audio’s Bronze 100 mid-woofer unit uses the “DCM” concentric circle technology. This technology can significantly increase the diaphragm surface area to be matched with a larger-sized voice coil. Also, it will have a better heat dissipation effect and show excellent low-frequency transient response and more sensitive dynamic effects.

Monitor Audio Bronze 100, equipped with a 25mm C-CAM tweeter, with the exclusive “Uniform Dispersion (UD)” waveguide structure, can strengthen the diffusion of high-frequency sound waves so that the sound waves spread more evenly in the space. That features make audiophiles have a more relaxed listening position when listening to music.

These technologies can be seen from the efforts made by Monitor Audio when designing the Monitor Audio Bronze 100. However, in addition to the design mentioned above, the internal wiring of the Bronze 100 uses oxygen-free copper silver-plated wire, which can make audio, whether transmitted through the crossover or transmitted to the speaker unit, it can be carried out with higher efficiency and lower loss. Also, the speaker binding post of the Bronze 100 is also made of high-quality gold-plated Bi-Wire terminals. The monitor audio does not overlook even such details. It is conceivable that this pair of speakers has an extraordinary performance.

Sound Performance

To test the potential of this pair of Monitor Audio Bronze 100 Bookshelf Speakers, I used three different ways to connect. First, I connect 100 to Cambridge audio CXA61 integrated amplifier, then drive through Marantz SR7013 surround amplifier, and finally use Audiolab 6000A integrated amplifier for listening.

When the Bronze 100 turned on, and there was the illusion that I was not listening to the bookshelf speakers. That kind of open space, fleshy shape, and complete and solid mid-frequency performance has indeed far surpassed this price range of most of the bookshelf speakers.

When Monitor Audio Bronze 100 Loudspeaker is paired with Marantz SR7013 surround amplifier, and I listen to chamber music, such as “Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5“. I can hear the instruments scattered in different corners. The details of the violin are visible. The bright but delicate and sweet music is very charming. When I listen carefully, the force when the piano keys are pressed is very clear, which is reflected in the difference in the impact of the keys. The texture is very natural and authentic. With a slight sweetness and luster, it is also fascinating.

Then I noticed that the sense of layering and the amount of detail exhibited by this pair of speakers is also quite rich. When listening to the more complex quartet, the rich performance of each voice instrument can be heard. Whether it’s the violin and wood pipe, the brass, cello, and viola, or the bass drum and timpani, they all have a very embossed and complete shape. More importantly, even if the music stage has a sense of hierarchy, this pair of speakers still behaved calmly, which is very impressive.

Since the chamber music performance of Bronze 100 is so excellent, other types of music can also be well presented. So I listened to jazz, folk, rock, electronic, pop, and other types of music. I found that because of its vast low-frequency woofer, it can indeed show excellent diving power and have a good impact feeling. When listening to jazz and rock tracks, I can’t help but sway with the rhythm. When playing rock music, electronic music, and other types of music, you can hear the special effects produced by the electronic instruments flying in the sound field, bringing a very detailed harmonic effect.

When Bronze 100 is paired with Marantz SR7013 surround amplifier, it can show vibrant details in vocals. No matter the gentle and graceful, rough and wild voice, it has a complete performance, and the delicate details of the singer’s breath can be heard. As soon as you connect to the Marantz SR7013, you can hear the sweet sound of the vacuum tube, and the texture of the human voice becomes softer, which sounds very charming.

Conclusion

According to Monitor Audio, this pair of Bronze 100 can be regarded as an upgraded version of Bronze 50. In addition to the larger cabinet, the performance is also improved in all aspects. However, after listening to these two pairs of speakers, I found that the difference between them is far from the word “upgrade.” The performance of the Monitor Audio Bronze 100 desktop speaker is very outstanding.

When I listened, I sometimes thought that its sound could even match the small floor-standing speakers. In addition to the full and solid low frequency, the wide sound field and rich layering it presents are also excellent.

In terms of sound quality, I very recommended the Bronze 100’s value-for-money sound quality performance. If you consider its high-quality appearance carefully crafted by the Monitor Audio, it is the perfect choice with modern people’s aesthetics. From the point of view, it is a good choice worth starting. This pair of Monitor Audio Bronze 100 also shows excellent and comprehensive performance, so it is also very suitable for home theater speakers.

Besides, it can also be equipped with Bronze AMS Dolby Atmos theatre speakers on the top. Create a more comprehensive home theatre effect.

---

Monitor Audio Bronze 100 Specs

• System Format: 2-Way
• Frequency Response (-6 dB): 52 – 25,000 Hz (Free field) / 37 – 30,000 Hz (In room)
• Sensitivity (2.83v @ 1m): 87 dB
• Nominal Impedance: 8 ohms
• Minimum Impedance: 4.5 ohms
• Maximum SPL: 110 dBA (pair)
• Power Handling (RMS): 100 W
• Recommended Amplifier Requirements: 30 — 100 W
• Bass Alignment: Bass reflex – HiVe II port system
• Crossover Frequency: 2,200 Hz
• Drive Unit Complement: 1 x 8″ C-CAM bass/mid-range driver / 1 x 25 mm C-CAM Gold Dome tweeter with UD Waveguide
• External Dimensions (Including Grille and Terminals (H x W x D)): 376 x 231 x 325 mm (1413/16 x 91/8 x 1213/16″)
• Weight (each): 7.8 kg (17 lb 3 oz)