Monitor Audio Silver 100 Review

Britain is the birthplace of the world-famous audio brand. When it comes to British sound, it is naturally easy to associate with several major brands such as KEF, Cambridge Audio, Monitor Audio, etc.. Monitor audio was founded in 1972 and is world-famous for its golden dome tweeter. With its outstanding performance, Monitor Audio firmly occupies a place at the top of the pyramid of the British audiophile industry. In 2017, Monitor audio upgraded its entire Silver series and launched the sixth-generation Silver series. The series includes: Silver 50, Monitor Audio Silver 100, Silver 200, Silver 500, Silver 300, Silver FX, Silver W-12, Silver C150, Silver C350, etc., taking into account HiFi music and home theater usage scenarios.

Design

Monitor Audio Silver 100 Bookshelf Speaker is the largest bookshelf speaker product in the sixth-generation Silver series. It is a two-way ported design speaker. The sixth-generation Silver 100 bookshelf speaker inherits the top platinum second-generation technology and has a completely redesigned the1-inch (25mm) gold dome C-CAM tweeter. Together with Monitor Audio’s iconic 8-inch RST mid-woofer speaker unit, the overall sensitivity is 88dB, which is not a hard-to-drive speaker. The minimal power for the amplifier to drive the speaker is only 40W. Therefore, users can easily experience an excellent listening experience within the frequency response range of 40Hz-35KHz.

Monitor Audio Silver 100 has a powerful 8-inch C-CAM bass/mid driver rigidly fixed into a relatively compact two-way cabinet. The so-called C-CAM is the signature technology of Monitor Audio. Its full name is Ceramic-Coated Aluminium/Magnesium, which is a ceramic-coated aluminum-magnesium alloy diaphragm. The original manufacturer stated that the diaphragm material is very rigid, and the unit distortion rate is very low. They use the same material diaphragm on the treble and woofer so that the tone of the high and midrange is almost the same. In terms of treble, the surface of the C-CAM tweeter diaphragm has a unique gold coating. This technology has been introduced in Monitor Audio speakers since 1986, which can provide good damping characteristics of the tweeter.

The binding posts behind the Monitor Silver 100 bookshelf speakers are designed according to the frequency division of the corresponding speaker units. The upper pair is for tweeter binding posts, and the lower one is for mid-woofer. The advantage of the crossover binding post is that the source signal can be transmitted to the tweeter and woofer simultaneously so that the delay of the treble and mid-bass is relatively low. If the user’s power amplifier does not support two-wire crossover, the Silver 100 bookshelf speaker comes with a connection jumper by default.

The bass port behind the speaker has a smart line design. These lines are not only for decoration. They are combined with the speaker’s physical parameters and the cabinet design. This unique design is called HiVe II port Technology. Its function is to match the air’s vibration frequency in the bass port with the vibration frequency of the low-frequency speaker unit to enhance the low-frequency extension. It can also reduce the noise of the airflow, thereby exerting greater sound efficiency.

Besides, it should be noted that the Monitor Audio Silver 100 bookshelf speaker is not a square design, but slightly irregular. The irregular cabinet can reduce the cabinet resonance of the cabinet and reduce the standing wave inside the cabinet.

There is no screw on the front and sides of the speaker, making it simple and clear.

Besides, as young people become the mainstream of consumption, Monitor Audio is gradually approaching the aesthetics of young people in its design. The new generation Silver 100 bookshelf speakers have as many as six color combinations sufficient to meet the individual needs of young consumers.

Sound Performance

Audiophiles who are familiar with Monitor Audio speakers should know that Silver 100 is an upgraded version of the previous Silver 2 bookshelf speakers. While inheriting the characteristics of the old generation of metal speaker units, it has also been improved. Therefore, the size of the Silver 100 bookshelf speakers is slightly flatter than the previous generation. But Silver 100 maintains Monitor Audio’s consistent neutral and warm, high-resolution sound advantages.

The first track in this test was “Morning Has Broken” sung by Jheena Lodwick. Monitor Audio’s new-generation golden dome tweeter is transparent and clear at high frequencies. For listening to female voices, the resolution is just right. With the transparent and clear female vocal voice, the listener can quickly be taken into the inner world of Jheena Lodwick.

Listening to “La Campanella” played by Valentina Lisitsa, the density and texture of the sound of the keys are not bad, the reverberation is accurate and fast, and the high frequency is rich with space and detail.

Listening to “Pachelbel Canon in D major” by The Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra in Germany directed by Munchinger, you can feel that this combination is perfect for small chamber music performances. Monitor Audio’s iconic metal tweeter gives the violin behind it full and rich in texture, and the excellent overtones give the music a great sense of space. Due to the optimization of the sound of the mid-low frequency speaker unit and the tweeter, even if many violins are playing together, the music is still distinct, and the sound positioning is very prominent.

The RST (Rigid Surface Technology) technology used in the Silver 100’s mid-woofer speaker unit enables the paper cone to maintain the original quality and strengthen the rigidity of the paper cone, making it fast and clean. That can be felt when the last song of the audition is the climax selection of Stravinsky’s famous piece “The Firebird” performed by the Minnesota State Orchestra conducted by the renowned Japanese conductor Eiji Oue. The opening drum sound gives the impression that the low frequency is refreshing and agile. Afterward, accompanied by musical instruments such as piccolo and violin, the beautiful high frequencies seem to make the room a lot bigger.

Suggestion

Unlike other British brands, the Monitor Audio Silver 100 bookshelf speakers sound faster and clean and are suitable for a softer power amplifier. In addition, the excellent explosive power and transient state of the new generation of Monitor audio Silver 100 bookshelf speakers are matched with other speakers in this series to be used as back surround speakers for home theaters. If you choose this controllable, explosive speaker as the back surround of your home theater, you should also get good sound effects.

Conclusion

Monitor Audio Silver 100 bookshelf speakers inherit the top platinum second-generation technology. They also take into account the application scenarios of high-fidelity audio and home theater, expanding the scope of the consumer market. The excellent sound quality of the Silver 100 bookshelf speakers will surely meet the needs of audiophiles.

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Key Features

• Cast-polymer driver chassis design for improved rigidity and damping characteristics
• Unique RST Cone profile for best diaphragm rigidity and lowest distortion
• Pureflow silver-plated OFC copper internal cabling means the highest-quality transfer through the signal chain
• High-quality crossovers with premium grade, bespoke polypropylene film capacitors, air-core and low-loss laminated steel-core inductors for maximum signal transfer
• HiVe II port technology ensures linear transient response and tighter bass, due to smoother airflow

Monitor Audio Silver 100 Specifications

• System Format: 2-way
• Frequency Response (-6 dB): 40 Hz – 35 kHz
• Sensitivity ([email protected]): 88 dB
• Nominal Impedance: 8 ohms
• Minimum Impedance: 4.5 ohms @ 167 Hz
• Maximum SPLL: 112 dBA (pair)
• Power Handling (RMS): 120 W
• Recommended Amplifier Requirements: 40 – 120 W
• Bass Alignment: Bass reflex. HiVe II port system
• Crossover Frequency: 2.8 kHz
• Drive Unit Complement: 1 x 8″ C-CAM RST bass/mid driver, 1 x 1″ (25 mm) C-CAM Gold Dome tweeter
• Cabinet Dimensions (Excluding Grille and Terminals): 375 x 230 x 300 mm (143/4 x 91/16 x 1113/16″)
• External Dimensions (Including Grille and Terminals (H x W x D)): 375 x 230 x 329 mm (143/4 x 91/16 x 1215/16″)
• Weight (each): 9.3 kg (20 lb 8 oz)