Big, Detailed & Clean. Monitor Audio Silver 100 Review

[@jeremyb9277]

I have the MA bronze and was looking for upgrading my amplifier to an Cambridge Audio CXA81, so I am glad you confirms that these pair well with this amp!

[@0102studio]

The bronze review is on the books too, great speaker!

[@Gpray75]

You crack me up. I love your reviews. Keep it up!

[@0102studio]

Thank you!

[@miguelcontreras3953]

Good review. Agree with you, they sound big for their size. I own a pair of Silver 7s not the G and love them. Mine are paired with a Peachtree Nova 150, a REL TZero MkIII. before it was paired to vintage 11:57 DH-500 and a NAD C165BEE.

[@0102studio]

Sweet set up! How’s the Rel?

[@miguelcontreras3953]

@@0102studio Love the REL TZero is like the Audiophiliac said, a subwoofer for people who don't like subwoofers plus is small enough to fit in any room. I'm hearing things I never hard before, and doesn't add too much boominess for my musical tastes like, Mles, Sonny Rollins, Chick Corea, Pat Metheny etc. If you want more boom, the next model will do.

[@wilsonlee5590]

I have a pair of Monitor Audio Silver 100 7G speakers and I paired them with a Cambridge Audio CXA81 amplifier. I also checked with a CA technician, who confirmed that the CXA81 can be configured for bi-wiring using the Speaker A+B mode. This means that the amplifier's left and right speaker terminals can be used independently to connect the speakers' LF and HF. They also highlight that it is difficult to say what the benefits would be between using one set of speaker terminals, or two. In my personal experience, the Silver 100 7G speakers do not sound as bright, smooth, or forward as the Dali Oberon 3 when paired with the CXA81 amplifier, feel a bit muddy with MA Silver 100 7G. The Oberon 3 has a more musical mid-range that is well-suited for presenting string instruments and vocal voices. Some people may feel the bass is too weak, so they can add a small subwoofer to improve the bass response. Overall, I would recommend the Oberon 3 speakers over the Silver 100 7G speakers when paired with the CXA81 amplifier.

[@0102studio]

Very cool! I’ll see if I can get a pair in for review!

[@wilsonlee5590]

​@@0102studio Personally, I prefer to focus on the midrange and neutra when setting the frequency balance on my speakers. I find that this helps to create a more balanced sound, with clear vocals and instruments. Of course, everyone's hearing is different, so what sounds good to me may not sound good to you. Experiment with different settings until you find what you like best. My taste is prefer natural instead of tone coloring

[@0102studio]

Makes sense. I’m less of a neutral flat sound guy myself.

[@EvoCarl]

Kind of worrying when looking at the Oberon price range, could grab some Opticon MK2 for close to the MA price which I am jugging with at the moment.

[@scottlowell493]

I find it easier to describe speaker shortcomings...like: Too rolled off and polite on top Sibilant Boomy bass Bright and harsh Shouty etc. I have not gotten to hear the silver in person, only the older bronze. These seem to be quite a notch up. They make a great case for larger bookshelf speakers.

[@0102studio]

They’re wonderful speakers!

[@rsg7221]

How do these compare to the Focal Theva No.1

[@katie_0258]

Nice review and all that stuff. I was wondering how they sound at low volume, like night time volume. A lot of us do listen when we are not supposed to disturb others. I mean around 60-70db range. :)

[@0102studio]

You know, I didn’t do a lot of that tbh. The space I was in was on the larger side at the time. Maybe I’ll have a chance to run them back again.

[@katie_0258]

@@0102studio Ok, thanks for replying :)

[@alanmodimages]

At last a DJ who understands the sound signature required for the music we play. Thank you for this! I was considering the Triangle BRO 3 and the Elac Debut DBR62. Mostly for bass response and front port. Considered the Wharfedale EVO 4.1's at a certain point as well. Did you have any placement challenges with the Monitor's? Unfortunately, like your DJ setup, these speakers will have to reside less than a foot from the wall.

[@0102studio]

Thanks for watching! And you’re most welcome. I was chatting with some reps for Monitor Audio and the silver series was apparently engineered with a close proximity to the wall in mind. So by all means do as I did and shove them up against a wall!

[@alanmodimages]

@@0102studio Excellent. Thanks!

[@0102studio]

There’s also (believe it or not) Cinema speakers. They’re built to be placed against a wall and can handle high SPL levels. I have a review in edit about just that at the moment!

[@MadLadsAnonymous]

@@0102studioMeaning these can also work as cinema speakers? I did see a Center by MA. How are the MA Silver 100s at lower volume?

[@0102studio]

@@MadLadsAnonymous I should have clarified, check out ny Aperion Theatrus review. I used the fronts on my dj shelf

[@EvoCarl]

For a fun track with very surprising bass try ‘Better than Gold - Justin Hawks’ Song starts funny they BOOM 😀 Sounds awesome on these.

[@0102studio]

I’ll check it out!

[@GR8Tmate]

Keep at it bruh 👍🏻

[@CinemaDemocratica]

I've had generally bad luck with liking speakers whose mid-bass driver is any bigger than 5.5". I know that sounds like a sweeping generalization, but so far it's held up. What's the word on these getting sloppy when the bottom-end content starts to get complicated?

[@0102studio]

You know, I used to be the opposite of you, where I didn’t like small driver speakers. So maybe I’m not the best to answer, but the sloppy bottom end I think was previous generations of this. The driver on this is taut and detailed. I didn’t find it to sloppy in any way.

[@0102studio]

Curiously, have you tried out any 3-way speakers?

[@CinemaDemocratica]

@@0102studio My first-ever audiophile purchase was a three-way design by KEF called the C-80 (c.1985). But I have gravitated toward two-way designs as I've gotten older because the crossover is so much simpler and thus puts so much less strain on the signal reproduction -- but I'm open to anything! I live in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and I'm planning to sneak over to Bangkok for 24 hours in early September to do some serious comparison shopping. Right now my six finalists are these, the Acoustic Energy AE 309, the Amphion Argon 3s, the Opera Prima 2015 Bookshelf, the AirPulse A300 Pro (by Edifier), and the KEF R3 Meta. There's obviously huge variability in both the design philosophy and the price of these six, so more explanation is probably merited, but the short version is that these seem to be the best choices based on review buzz, specific adjectives used, and use-case. Listening habits are low to extremely low volume, almost exclusively "hotel penthouse bar jazz" (piano trios and quartets in the style of Bill Evans and Sonny Clark and Oscar Peterson). Room is poured concrete, 315cm across the front, 600cm deep, with floor-to-ceiling curtains at both ends, one of which conceals a glass-door wall, and the other of which conceals a pass-through to the kitchen. Two sources, one a Hiby R4 DAP, and the other my PC. Amps available are a NAIM XS2, an Exposure 3010, and an SMSL AO-300.

[@jeroenvanwesemael8556]

Hi, great review, thanks!!! Q: how do the warfdales compare to the 300 series? Which one do you like better? And do you own a pair of 300's now?

[@0102studio]

Hey! Thanks for watching! I almost pulled the trigger on a pair of 300s and I just might down the road. I have wuite a few speakers to listen to in the meantime! From my memory I thought the 300s sounded larger in scale which is to be expected from a floorstander.

[@jeroenvanwesemael8556]

@0102studio cheers! I own them and absolutely love them. I use them with a subwoofer and a rather hefty integrated amp. Atoll in200 with 2(!) Big toroid power supplys, one for each side, so the build up is completely dual mono in 1 box. They really come alive with good power. I have a streamer with dirac live in it which allows me to integrate the sub and get the bass nice and tight. Next to that the impuls is also managed, wich makes them shine even more. Would love to hear your thoughts on the gold 200's, they are so beautifull, but think the gains a small and may not be worth the 2 times price tag...

[@0102studio]

@@jeroenvanwesemael8556 ah yes, the Golds are definitely on the list! I have been told be a reliable source that they are quite spectacular…

[@nicolanocera3550]

Great analysis on M.A. Silver 100. Just one question: your opinion on the choice between the Silver 100 7g and the Gold 100 5g? ...

[@0102studio]

Ohhh… I haven’t heard the gold just yet!

[@clawbass888]

Heard both. My choice is silvers. Gold has amazing crystal clear highs due to another tweeter, and they are more refined, but for me silvers are more lively enjoyable and fun. Depends on music that you listen of course.

[@nicolanocera3550]

@@clawbass888 Thank you very much👍

[@akent46]

How do they compare to Klipsch Rp660m ii

[@0102studio]

I haven’t heard the Klipsch as of yet.

[@oluhamilton2121]

I will stick with ae500, thank you, even though the Monitors are prettier.

[@0102studio]

Hopefully I can get some if those in for a Review!