A Review of The Monitor Audio Bronze 100 Bookshelf Speakers

[@generationbehindhifi]

Please consider purchasing from the below links if you would like to support the channel. Your support is much appreciated! Thank you! Monitor Audio Bronze 100 in walnut (these are the ones I have): amzn.to/3utNvox Monitor Audio Bronze 100 in urban grey: amzn.to/3QUgIAi Monitor Audio Bronze 100 in black: amzn.to/3MWGra3 Dayton Audio DATs V3: amzn.to/3ZlG8L0 Speaker Switcher: amzn.to/3FEcGXs Brass nuts for the MA Bronze 100 can be found here: Brass nuts: amzn.to/3IFLOIS Brass nuts vendor 2: amzn.to/3BYrwq9 Brass lock washers: amzn.to/43iaRcK

[@Kamakazi1122]

Great video as usual, would love to see you do the silver 100 next

[@Porchewaitombi]

You made me fall in love with those speakers I want to build my home theater system with Bronze series Center speaker. A pair of Bronze 100 bookshelf speakers. A pair of Bronze 500 for back A pair of Bronze elevation for upfairing speakers. Maratz sr 8015 or Yamaha RX a8a I don't mind they used one if they still in a good conditions hope to hear from you soon

[@danallan4860]

Great review! I’ve owned the Bronze 100 for over 3 years since their introduction. After the first few months I noted that they had fairly significant frequency gaps, bass-midrange-treble, it was off. I have owned numerous speakers over the years, and a direct comparisons made it even easier to decipher. I have even been on the fence on to keep or not to keep them. The bass is what I call sluggish, and it can sometimes hit a real low note and surprise me, but other times vanish. I definitely felt a little gypped having a mortar size bass driver that seemed neutered. The handoff between the lower and midrange notes to me sounds a bit disjointed. So what do I like to keep the Bronze 100 for 3 plus years? I like the unique big squat look, with that unmasked driver looking me straight on, the build quality is pretty stout, the speakers play pretty clean and loud, and the treble is perfect for my ears. They also project a nice and very wide soundstage as you have mentioned.

[@RennieAsh]

Bass could possibly due to room modes and nulls.

[@martinrichards6683]

If you like to equalise, like you should, I suspect you'll get more out of the MAs than the KEFs in the low end.

[@MsMarco6]

Great speaker. I'm actually using one of theses as a centre speaker by laying it on it's side. I got a fantastic discount on a single speaker (as it's hard to source a 2nd one) and it's really completed my setup. My boyfriend thought it was a mad idea but it works brilliantly & how else r u gonna get a centre of this quality for £40. So yeah a top notch speaker, sounds great for any application and is hard to beat for the money.

[@generationbehindhifi]

Wow! You got a deal on that one speaker! Smart move!

[@Bradimus1]

These are my home theater mains. I think they're a great value. I don't like the matching center as much. The bronze 100s went for deeper bass rather than sheer output. That's not a long throw driver and probably if it was, it would have more trouble covering any mids well.

[@klauspeterpeter8278]

Hi......it is okey...bronze 100 for front speaker..r and bronze 100 for surround back...or it is better bronze 50 for surround back... And maybe bronze 500 for front and bronze 100 for surround back...thanks

[@nooblyone]

I've currently got the Bronze 50, tomorrow I'll have the Bronze 100. Is it a good upgrade. Got them for £225 nearly new so thought why not

[@claudio9494]

Great review, please continue your good work. I’m considering buying the bronze 100 or the q350. I have a 30wpc into 8ohms amplifier in a medium to large open floor room. Which would you recommend for someone who listens to a lot of bass heavy music?

[@generationbehindhifi]

Thanks, Claudio! I appreciate the kind words. If you like bass heavy music, then the MA Bronze 100 is probably the speaker you will like better. Only you can decide which one is best to you since I don't know what you prefer out of a speaker. I would recommend buying from a place like Amazon that allows free in home trials and returns. This will give you the opportunity to test out both speakers, then you can decide which one is better for you and return the pair you don't care for. Hope this helps!

[@claudio9494]

@@generationbehindhifi I wish I had the option to test but in Brazil things are not like that. I think I’m going with the ma 100 just because it is cheaper. But your reviews really helped me!

[@generationbehindhifi]

​@@claudio9494 I think you will be happy with them. They offer a lot of value and the build quality is exceptional for this price point.

[@vladrapchan5330]

Fala Cláudio! Eu tenho um par de Q300s e gosto bastante delas! Estou tb pensando em fazer um upgrade e ainda não sei se pego as Q350s, R200 ou essas MA Bronze 100s. Posso te afirmar que o palco sonoro das kef é realmente incrível. Elas desaparecem na sala, mesmo eu estando apenas 2 metros delas. Me diga aí o que vc achou do que vc decidiu comprar! Hehe Abs!

[@claudio9494]

@@vladrapchan5330 eu pensei nas R200 tbm mas vendo alguns reviews eu descartei elas. Eu sei que quando eu comprar eu vou ver esse vídeo pra comparar com o que ele fala. Mas isso vai demorar então não fique esperando kkkk valeu

[@MrGeorgeMunroe]

Great video review. I really like the Monitor Audio line and I recently picked up the Silver 300 7G’s as my main speakers. I tried the Silver 100’s and my experience was similar to the bronze demoed here. Having previously owned the Aria 926 which I found a bit fatiguing, and then moving to the other extreme with the Wharfedale Linton’s, which I found a bit too rolled off, the Monitor Audio’s feel like the sweet spot between the two (for me). The right amount of treble and a solid bass performance. A nice richness to the sound.

[@generationbehindhifi]

Thank you! I appreciate the feedback on the Silver 100's. I was always curious about those.

[@johnbancroft5242]

I did a lot of research for my home theatre, as im on a limited budget, basically to me the Silver 100,s are almost, Bronze 100's in a better suit. So I bought 2 pairs of bronze 100's at £250 a pair. for my side and rear surrounds, Got the Bronze 500 at £500, and snagged a Gold C350 for £500 on Ebay. It's mainly a home theatre system, And the Gold C350 centre, and Bronze 500, front stage have 200w ratings and 90db sensitivity. Early days yet, but I have been very happy with the immersion, and the clarity. PS, I have a couple of SVS PB1000, and I have actually jumped a few times, during explosive scenes lol.

[@NeilBlanchard]

Slight correction - these speakers are rated at 8 ohms nominal impedance; which is distinct from their DC resistance. The sound comparisons are difficult to judge - your room, mic, recording medium, as well as KZbin sound compression - and our equipment, all make differences harder to hear let alone judge.

[@generationbehindhifi]

Hi Neil. So far the majority of my viewers keep asking me to include the sound comparisons so I will, but your feedback is noted. Thanks. I have been shopping for a new external microphone for my Sony AX-53 4k Camera so hopefully this will help improve things during these sound comparisons.

[@NeilBlanchard]

@@generationbehindhifi Understood.

[@RennieAsh]

Sound comparison can be ok with good recording gear and room etc. For speaker placement best is to record each pair separately on stands or however they are meant to be placed, then the other pair. For listening comparison in person, speakers should at least be placed AB-AB so distance between is the same, and on stands for bookshelf, ideally with some gap between otherwise baffle and tv cabinets increase the effective baffle area.

[@semihguzelel9966]

This or kef q350?

[@JR-ho5qm]

I think Monitor Audio did a good job at distributing the money through out the design of the speaker. They put some money into areas that other companies overlook. It also looks tuff with that 8” woofer. Unfortunately like you mentioned it’s a missed opportunity not having this speaker be a bass monster. Still it’s great seeing a company do things differently than everyone else and this speaker has a fair bit of that. 👍🏻

[@generationbehindhifi]

I completely agree. They did a very nice job allocating money where it counts. However, I was really surprised that the bass output wasn't that much better than my KEF Q350s. Maybe the next version of the MA Bronze 100 will be better at bass?

[@george0t]

Maybe the Silver 100 are better in this regard?

[@generationbehindhifi]

@@george0t That's a good question. I haven't had the pleasure of listening to a pair yet.

[@poopinmahpants]

I haven't tried them in a big room, my living room is small and these put close to a wall go down to 29 hz, the way I set them up made the frequency response pretty linear in the bass region, I think the bass can sound fantastic in certain spaces

[@woodplay13]

Hi gentelmans, I'm planing to buy my first Hi fi system and I'm in doubt between kef q 350 and these bronze 100. Also I dont know which amp to buy. Cambridge or rottel in 500 to 700 $ range even i can stretch to 1000, thanks a lot for this review ❤

[@RennieAsh]

10:30 efficiency, lower distortion, more power handling; can go louder. Clean looks also comes into it as well as "you get a bigger woofer"

[@24Alien]

Just curious to know...if these were *burnt in* for long enough. I heard it took 2-3 weeks for these, aye which bass came up. Also, work Rotel, I heard the tweeters sounded forward.

[@generationbehindhifi]

Sorry! I must have missed this. Speakers are "burned in" between 15 and 20 days and are played for between 8 and 10 hours per day. After the burn in is complete that's when I start to measure the TS parameters of the drivers and do my listening impressions. Hope this helps.

[@giannislarch]

Hey! Very nice review..thank you! I just have a comment: it would be nice if we could have more music play (demo) & at the end, a more suitable (and much cheaper) amplifier than the Mc!!!

[@generationbehindhifi]

Hello. Thank you for the feedback. I do connect the speakers to both a "high end" amplifier (McIntosh) and a more reasonably priced Rotel amplifier (RMB-1575). I'm afraid if I add more demo music then the videos will be way too long. I do have more samples of how they sound on my instagram account. Hope this helps!

[@giannislarch]

@@generationbehindhifi Of course ,thanks .Great !

[@akent46]

Have you RT60 tested that room?

[@bennyp8212]

How would you compare those to the focal chora series?

[@generationbehindhifi]

I have never heard a pair of Chora series speakers so can't comment specially on them. However I did own a pair of Focal Aria 906 and I like the MA 100's better. IMO the Aria 906 was too bright for my liking.

[@naydenboyanov6808]

Anyone have tried upgraded crossovers from Rush Speakers? Are they any better? Thanks

[@BoRerunn]

I can't believe they have a plastic basket

[@JR-ho5qm]

It’s not necessarily a bad thing, it is much better than a stamped steel basket which is most common at this price point.

[@generationbehindhifi]

It is unusual but plastic composite baskets are much better at controlling resonances than a stamp steel basket.

[@Bradimus1]

They've been used in auto/marine speakers for a long time. For mids and tweets with lower power handling it may be the best material.

[@jC-kc4si]

Im guessing a high quality glass infused nylon should work well, think the outer casings high quality electric drills are covered in.

[@Bradimus1]

The only real downsides to the plastic are that they probably won't be strong enough for large motors like on decent subwoofers, and they do nothing to help dissipate heat. So probably you'll never see it for pro audio applications.

[@tobymummert3035]

I'm going to say that these types of comparisons with a big wide very alive sounding room such as yours are kind of worthless. The reason I say this is because there is so much sound bouncing around your room that it's really hard to tell when you're switching the speakers with my eyes shut or open. If anything at all, the b Bronze 100's did have a slight bit more authority overall. And that is with playing this part of the video for about five times and listening to it.

[@generationbehindhifi]

No worries. I appreciate the feedback. Cutting out the sound comparison section will save me time so its not burden on me. :)

[@Antibackgroundnoise]

You make good videos, so I don't take any pleasure in saying this... your room doesn't sound so clever. Have you ever thought of a little treatment. Nothing too much. After all, it's the living room.

[@generationbehindhifi]

Thanks! Yeah, I'm well aware of my room and its in desperate need of some treatment.

[@Antibackgroundnoise]

​@generationbehindhifi, that's good that you're aware of it. My advice is to experiment by doing a little at the time. It's quite easy to overdo it and end up with a stifled soundstage.

[@RennieAsh]

@@generationbehindhifi if anything it'll help your vocal recording too (though you can use cardioid mics to help with that too) Definitely there is too much reflection/reverb at the moment imo . You'll be surprised at how nice cheap speakers can sound too