Monitor Audio's STUDIO 89 is the R3 Meta's CLOSEST RIVAL

[@MichaelLopresto]

Gloss black. Let's hope that Monitor Audio adds some of their stunning real-wood veneers to the finishes.

[@gamerfinn3634]

Thank you for prompting me to display Roon on my TV. It took me a few tries to get it sorted, but it will a handy feature for guests when we are all in the kitchen rocking out to some random thing Roon found. Gloss black..

[@5dgisd518]

are you planning on doing a side by side review for Kef R3 Meta vs. Monitor Audio Silver 100? Thanks! Great channel!

[@dobieprime]

yes id like to see that also.

[@bwest6275]

Owning gloss black speakers is such a flex. If you see someone with a pair in immaculate gloss, you know that person cares.

[@revilo5144]

Gloss black is beautiful

[@Sir_Corgerus]

when wiped down twice a day

[@leonardozaine]

i mean if you live in a clean room then they're great

[@MaZEEZaM]

Matte black is probably most practical to minimise light reflection if watching movies in a dimly lit room.

[@hblog]

Dirty

[@ThomasKahalepuna]

Darko you sir are very appreciated. My favorite reviewer and the ONE I go to when I’m trying to decide on purchases

[@C1gar1]

Thank you for your great input and review of the 89s!

[@60zeller]

Reviews are great at bringing attention to a particular item (speaker) nothing surpasses Auditioning yourself.

[@leegodwin2071]

Oh my goodness, Gloss Black. Thank you John 🫶

[@syanhc]

I own the Monitor Audio Gold 100s and I use the Cambridge CXA-81 and CXN V2. It is a really lovely spell-binding combination. I can vouch for the Monitor Audio build quality. I also owned the Bronze series too. They are truly awesome. I’m using a SVS Micro 3000 with mine. The Golds also use a AMT tweeter.

[@amandhillon73]

I’ve been thinking of buying an SVS Micro 3000 to accompany my Monitor Audio Gold 200.

[@syanhc]

@@amandhillon73 well, I can say that the app is really easy to use and I found the speakers and sub blend seamlessly.

[@ramin3080]

I have same setup with Bronze 500 and thinking to change my speakers to Q Acoustic 5050. Any sugestion?

[@syanhc]

@@ramin3080 I've never heard the Q Acoustics 5050. Sorry

[@azhajskxj1458]

Studio 89 or gold 100 5G ，which one is better？I am curious about them

[@laurentfontanel893]

Gloss black my man! you're the best. Love what you do and how you do it.

[@SteveD-m6z]

I always watch to the end for the bloopers. Gloss Black

[@michaelstaruszkiewicz8798]

Excellent review as always, John. Being a Nomad all my life (i.e. a career submariner), I have adopted stand mount speakers to feed my hunger for music! My intimate system revolves around Linn KAN Mk.1 & KEF subwoofer, my Rock & Fusion Jazz system is a multi-channel affair with JBL S38II Studio's, with KEF Q in my Atmos HT. It's nice to see that Monitor Audio is still "Bringing It," especially when compared to two of my favorite aspirational & "affordable" stand mount speakers, the BRX & R3 Meta! As much as I LOVE the compact KEF's, the SVS 3000 Micro suits my budget better in light of $$ spent on those speakers.

[@KITFLETCH1]

Gloss black! Excellent. And I love the look of them.

[@kaavik47]

Wow, I must have gloss blacked out. It's amazing how many speaker nuances there are when you are in the comparison business.

[@Another_Audiophile]

Nice entertaining video. Kind of the top gear for audio.

[@techmed-rainer]

Gloss Black - usually unpractical. 13:40. Nice video, John. Thank you very much!

[@NicolaDiNisio]

Gloss black were my first ever speaker, Indiana Line Diva 262. And the associated sub, Basso 942.

[@johnpischedda6951]

Thanks John that Ficus looks healthy ! Love that turntable, Gloss Black .

[@mafcarvalho]

Gloss black gets funky with my fingerprints 😂 Thanks for the video. I would probably choose the Kef if I could afford such speakers and the system to take advantage of them. My listening space is smaller and more crowded, so I will need to invest some time and money on acoustic treatment. Living in an apartment doesn't help...

[@adsph]

Gloss black. Well done John. Interesting loudspeaker.

[@IainWilliamson-kk5hs]

Gloss black. Thanks for another wonderful video.

[@beansandbeards.8404]

Goodness. Gloss black is gorgeous.

[@Voidoid77]

Gloss Black. They'd look so much more aesthetically pleasing if they were in satin black. Looking forward to having a demo of them once they arrive in Japan. Cheers for yet another sparkling review.

[@thestr8jacket1]

That's an excellent playlist

[@johnnyboy114]

Gloss black! But more importantly, PLEASE tell us you’re going to at least say a few words, hopefully a full review of that stunning Thorens turntable. Not only am I sure it will sound pretty damn good, it really looks gorgeous. Need to give it its time in the limelight 🤗

[@thisispw]

Gloss Black. Always a pain. Great review as always. Looking forward to your ultra opinions.

[@MichaelWilliams-cn2ll]

Gloss Black- excellent as always.

[@marchuvfulz]

Feel the same way about gloss black. Nice vid.

[@blinkingmanchannel]

NICE REVIEW THIS TIME! I’m not sure why, but your lead in and music was just right. And tell ROON that you convinced me to have another look at Roon and Tidal. Your sound track within the video was hitting different today, through my existing sound system. (Well, it’s not a system. It makes noise. :-) I may be willing to get Roon or tidal or something, to pipe through my Wiim amp - just to get your play list! I love all the artists you mentioned. P.S. GLOSS BLACK baby!!!

[@johnnixon2504]

Gloss black. If you think it is bad on speakers, try it on the exterior of a car without any sort of protective coating.

[@Llenzinator]

Gloss Black. Thanks for a very insightful review!

[@davidprice-oh2ji]

Gloss black, and I agree a finger print jungle 😊

[@BiggerThanFrogs]

I agree with you about "gloss black" speakers. When I bought my pair I could've bought white, which looked great, but they wouldn't have looked great in the room we had then. However, in the room we have now, they'd be perfect! 😑 Anyway, they still sound great to me, so I'll put up with fingerprints. Great video, love your music-first approach to audio. 👍

[@mjejce]

Hopefully one day you’ll do a video on your Thorens turntable and let us know how you hook it up from across the room!

[@iainsolly2575]

Gloss Black! Good review, the monitors look very nice shame they dont have bigger drivers like the Q accoustics 5050. Would have been good to compare those D'Appolitto speakers with the monitors!

[@matthewhunt1449]

My monitor audio Gold 100 5G are “gloss black” and I was dreading it but the finish is surprisingly resilient to marks, great review.

[@wfifa199]

Gloss black. Talking of which, i have gloss black speakers and use a Monitor Audio Polish to clean them, along with a micro fibre cloth

[@courtneyswaby3178]

Coincidentally yesterday I heard about 10 of my favourite tracks on this MA pair and was very impressed even though it was in a large open space and according to the host they just came out the box, my thoughts were that this speaker would easily satisfy a lot of audiophiles especially in an average living room and without subs, awesome pair,

[@stormyjon4493]

Gloss Black!! Great vid

[@cakootstra6206]

Love gloss black

[@PhilipBingham]

Gloss black... Can still be seen even in the bloopers 😜

[@syanhc]

How would they sound horizontally? Or is that not a possibility. With studio monitors, we often place them horizontally. I’m sure it would improve soundstage.

[@RennieAsh]

It would decrease dispersion in the horizontal plane while increasing it in the vertical. So I'm not so sure about that. I feel that horizontal orientation is because people can't fit the tweeter height and woofer at their mixing desk.

[@mikek9623]

Glossy blackness.... Very informative review. I love the R3 Meta but I do typically listen to music at lower/mid volumes. Intrigued by the 89's.

[@Karhallarn]

Gloss Black! I know why my KEF R3 are walnut... Very nice review again!

[@petekutheis3822]

gloss black is same as my piano finish on my Rythmik subs. Love it but then again my subs are located sides of the chair so I dont need to look at them always. And I love taking photos with things reflecting in the finish---just as I do with "McBlack" glassed gear.

[@stevenbrooke7558]

i still think it looks beautiful. Black and copper just go well together.

[@Natan9000]

Yes

[@china1984able]

Like JPS used to be

[@Hush99]

Appreciate a reviewer listening to some hip-hop. I'm a big Dilla fan so it's nice to hear how a pair of speakers renders his music.

[@bkd9909]

Gloss black. Thank you

[@philb4031]

Hello - love your work, are you going to review the Kef R1? would be interesting to see how they differ from the R3. thanks

[@AnotherAnonymousMan]

IMO Gloss Black is to audio what Magnolia is to interior design: a relic of an olderr design era that sadly, some haven't yet moved on from. Great review, as always.

[@michaelrossmaessler200]

Black and white are timeless.

[@johnphillips1913]

Gloss Black!😊

[@shiranRSA]

Greetings … thanks for the great video. I would like to use my studios in my bedroom, however space is of a premium and although I do have the stands I would like to mount them on shelves a bit higher up. My concern is the bass ports on the rear and any boomy sounds that may occur as they would be close to the wall than I would like. I would really appreciate any advice or input. Thank you

[@pogdog31]

Either of these good to pair with the Naim Uniti Atom?

[@MotoMatini]

Audiophiles, what's up? I have had 4 different pairs of white speakers in white Ikea furniture and now I have a beautifully crafted B&W 707 S3 in, a yes, gloss black colour. Against popular holdings I see value in having NAD M10 V2 with a pair of gloss black speakers 😉 I like the video John, very 2024 🙂

[@Bygdedyre]

gloss black😶‍🌫 would consider with some other optional finishes.

[@michaelrossmaessler200]

Gloss Black. Monitor vs. Golden Ear vs. Kef,choice is maddening 🤯It's as bad as choosing wine 😁I would happily audition any/all of of these 🙂

[@BobbyBass-x6i]

Gloss black looks good out of the box. After that it’s not practical for me. I love my black satin Arendals. Rock on!

[@donb722]

Gloss black & outros! P.S. - is there a review coming of that awesome looking Thorens TT?

[@simonsayshomeassistant]

Your content is gold John!

[@andym7229]

Gloss BLACK! - but how could you ignore a side-by-side comparison with the DAR-KO award winning Monitor Audio Silver 100 7G LE?

[@arrowzen7433]

My guess is he does not have those anymore.

[@azhajskxj1458]

That's true.But this one is much more expensive than silver 100

[@amandhillon73]

Gloss black. I have the Monitor Audio Gold 200 in gloss ebony which is adorable in my view.

[@macoygunida]

Anxiously waiting for your review on the H400

[@Snowbird-v8l]

Great review. Any comparisons to the MA Silver 50s or the Silver 100s?

[@cameronolscamp5261]

Looking at upgrading to these from my Kef Q750s. Worth the upgrade?

[@Min9TheMercyless]

Gloss black. Excellent review, but why is this only available in gloss black,seems shortsighted to me.

[@mrkitewine7700]

Lovely review, thanks. I have often wondered what has the biggest impact on hifi/music sounding good at low volumes, amplifier or speaker? I have assumed the amplifier has a big part to play in it but it is interesting that the MA “wakes up” at lower volumes than the Kef.

[@larsv6144]

Love the aluminium comment ;-)

[@williamcanada6195]

As usual, nice review and funny outtakes ! Still wishing for a Triangle Capella review should they afford you the opportunity !! Bill from Northeast France !?

[@jamesattenborough2597]

Gloss black ❤

[@kingsleygs]

Gloss back is fine and all, but you can’t beat that green the Silver 100 7G 50th anniversary limited came in!

[@dougcampbell2814]

Gloss black, baby! 🎵

[@mikedowdell-dl2ul]

For $699 you can buy the discontinued studio monitor which when current sold for $1599. The drivers are silver rather than gold but are still call c cam 3 layer design. The amt is for MAs platnum series's, same quality binding post in the rear, flat paint in 3 colors. The only improvement might be the cross over. I tried a pair and they are very open sounding. To sum it up. Save yourself $1,800 and purchase the discontinued model. Just add a subwoofer.

[@mabehall7667]

I think you said you streamed to the WiiM and then used additional software to send info to the tv. Could you do a video on how to do this? I sure would like to display the music info like I can while using Denon’s HEOS.

[@johndoe-nh9sh]

Forest Drive West! Nice one, fantastic artist.

[@scottrippon5039]

I do love a Bombay martini or two myself. 🍸🍸👍

[@wruddock6781]

Darko- love the GLOSS BALCK. despite the fingerprints 😂

[@andrewmanning5763]

Gloss of the black. I had a pair of gloss black Quad 12L's and they were a bugger to keep clean. Dust magnets.

[@jamesoliphant881]

Would these be a worthy upgrade from Silver 100 7G’s?

[@vote4ulvio]

What about compared to the JBL 4329?

[@requash1611]

Gloss black is back 😊

[@dk4559]

Gloss black, thanks for video 🖤

[@Maver1ck911]

11:00 mark 👀 That Brendon Moeller EP is insane for bass testing. "Can't Run Away" with subs will piss off your neighbors 😂

[@DarkoAudio]

Ain't that the truth! 🫨

[@jeffginn7092]

Black Gloss! Black beauty!

[@szjoin992]

I dig the gloss black all the way 😂

[@shemsureshot]

Gloss black or gloss anything is a miss for me when it comes to speakers due to easily being marked or damaged some way. A nice solid or matte colour for me, or wood effect.

[@thosk4114]

gloss black looks good but I agree- pain to maintain

[@Lovelacewatkins139]

I'm tempted gloss black

[@andrew-o5i]

i wounder how they sound compared to the monitor audio gold 100 , i have these with the roksan attessa streaming amp ..

[@Nicholas-db5sl]

Gloss Black Lifestyle Product. I’m sure this speaker will appeal to a wide range of people, perhaps even applied to a Home Cinema set-up. Good looking speakers you have to admit.

[@a.unrath2954]

Gloss black 😊

[@fakeklg]

Gloss Black < Matte Black < wood < Matte white.

[@ThomasPaulsen]

I would have appreciated a sound sample comparison between the two speakers. I understand you can't judge the actual recording but a comparison would be very helpful for your audience.

[@scottm499]

Gloss Black. Thanks John. Did you say the structure has aluminium in it? Asking for all my friends in the US. ;)

[@swllz]

I like black gloss finish, not the PRICE. MA is pricing itself out of market. Original MA studio was priced at $150 per pair.

[@s8dub]

I like it black and glossy

[@teknolojigundemi]

Hi, i bought a second hand kc62 for bass i miss with ls50 speakers. I had rel t9 years ago for home cinema . I couldnt integrate subwoofer with mains this time. I use bluesound node’s sub out with lfe and rca input/output manual options. Bass not defined, bloat everything. I change phase, filter 40 hz-90hz My room even bigger this time. Should i use that stupid hi level connection of kc62? Or do i have a defective product, injectin noise.

[@johnbutler9333]

GLOSS BLACK!! So,,what is your favorite Beatles song?

[@michaelsegel8758]

Gloss Black works and lets you know you need to dust your apartment. That said... You never really give a negative review and try to find the positives. Also love your music picks. Would love to see you review some Onix products. The Alpha XI1 DAC seems to be a Mojo2 killer. Also would love to see your take on using your phone as a hot spot and then use a portable DAP so you don't need to do a wire connection and velcro. Thinking Onix XM5 (Onix is UK but built in partnership w Shanling) Cheaper than a Mojo/Poly combo.

[@DarkoAudio]

"You never really give a negative review". This comment is 100% not true -- and usually the result of the commenter not following my work closely enough. Here are seven products that I have criticised - sometimes heavily - in the past couple of years: 1. Sony Xperia 1 V 2. Campfire Orbit 3. Audiolab 6000A Play 4. Cambridge Audio DACMagic 200M 5. Q Acoustic Q Active 200 6. Sonos ARC 7. Sony NW-A306 Walkman

[@michaelsegel8758]

@@DarkoAudio I have followed your work. Albeit not all of it... however, even in your being critical, you're polite. Its not like CheapAudioMan bashing a cheap speaker due to fumes from the adhesives then a month later praising it for being cheap, just that you need to let it air out in the garage for a couple of weeks. Now about that Onix Alpha XI1 ...

[@Bass4LifeBro]

Gloss Black - I had the Goldenear BRX but now have the Studio 89’s and they have much better bass in my listening area while the BRX seemed to barely have any.

[@laurentfontanel893]

You def need to make a Gloss Black t-shirt.

[@Krell666]

Big fan of gloss black!