Monitor Audio Gold 200 Speakers Review

Taken from the company’s high-end series of speakers, Paul Rigby tackles these relatively compact floor-standing designs
If you would like to read my review on my Blog then click: theaudiophileman.com/gold-200...
To read in-depth, reviews, news and features on my site, click on theaudiophileman.com/
The Audiophile Man is now on Patreon! And the page arrives with *exclusive content*! I wanted to thank you for any support you might be able to offer. More details in the video above. My new Patreon page is here: / audiophileman
You can find more detail on the 'whys' of Patreon on my site here: theaudiophileman.com/audiophi...
You can also find me via this lot:
Facebook Group: / theaudiophileman
Facebook Pages: / audiophileman
Twitter: / paulrigby50
LinkedIn: / audiophileman
Instagram: / audiophile_man
Tumblr: www.tumblr.com/blog/theaudiophileman
THE VINYL WALL
Wondered what the vinyl is sitting on the shelves behind me? Here's a list in full. I've included links in case you'd like to purchase too. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I try to find the pressings I show here but, if I cannot find those, I'll try to source something close. Thank you.
Cocteau Twins - The Pink Opaque
UK - amzn.to/3aQTgOn
USA - amzn.to/3e0NFH3
Sigur Ros - Hoppipolla
UK - amzn.to/2UOxyVy
USA - amzn.to/3aRyRsn
A to Austr - A to Austr
UK - amzn.to/2xUx5YQ
USA - amzn.to/2RkiFYT
Focus - Mother Focus
UK - amzn.to/2XjzTcG
USA - amzn.to/2XiwNWw
Nat King Cole - The Touch of Your Lips
UK - amzn.to/2JOZpyq
USA - amzn.to/2Rko1Dm
CREDITS
Old Bossa by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution
creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Artist: www.twinmusicom.org/
REFERENCE
Origin Live Sovereign turntable
Origin Live Enterprise 12″ arm
Van Den Hul Crimson XGW Stradivarius Cartridge
Funk Firm Little Super Deck
Icon PS3 phono amplifier
Aesthetix Calypso pre-amp
Icon Audio MB845 Mk.II monoblock amplifiers
Quad ESL-57 speakers with One Thing upgrade
Tellurium Q Statement cables
Blue Horizon Professional Rack System
Harmonic Resolution Systems Noise Reduction Components
CAD GC1 Ground Controls
Gutwire Consummate Grounding Cable
All vinyl was cleaned using an Audio Desk’s Ultrasonic Pro Vinyl Cleaner

[@amandhillon73]

I bought a pair of Gold 200 a couple of weeks ago and I'm very impressed by their bass performance even though it was the tweeter which was my primary reason for purchasing them. Also important to me is the very high grade gloss finish on the "ebony" colour which is available.

[@T7thK]

I own a pair of Silver 300's and I'm hard pressed to let go of them. They just do almost everything right, and for the price I paid, unbeatable, it seems. I would probably have to spend over double of what I paid for the Silver 300's to get any appreciable upgrade. Well done Monitor Audio!

[@hdtvkeith1604]

See my reply above, you would be hard pressed to se a dramatic improvement going to the Gold.

[@markjeroendurr2626]

Nice review as always, plus good to see Mother Focus behind you....great album and with one of the best guitar players of all time, Jan Akkerman.

[@hdtvkeith1604]

I recently auditions the Gold 300 and Silver 500 7G and at the low end there were less differences. The high end with the different tweeters is where you hear the largest differences. The Gold highs were smooth, but compared to the Silver 500 the Gold felt laid back up top, probably becasue the Silver 500 was a bit brighter. Bother were excellent speakers. I am going back in 2 weeks to compare the Gold 300, Gold 200 and Siler 500 7G next to each other.

[@hdtvkeith1604]

So I spent another 90 minutes comparing the Gold 300 and Silver 500. Very much confirmed from my first audition. I concentrated on a few tracks. The Golds dug deeper, likely due to the heavier cabinet and porting vs the Silver. Could also have been a little due to the placement, but the Silver bas sounded a tad more articulate and tight while a little lighter (less full) than the Golds. The highs were a tad brighter, m and less smooth on the Silvers over the Golds. The Golds in direct A/B with Silvers were definitely laid back on the highs and upper mids. The Gold 200 just was not impressive compared to the Silver 300 especially when you then bring in the Gold 300. The Gold 200 bass while fuller just could not keep up with the Silver. With the price differences aside the Golds were quickly eliminated as the comprises for the price had me either thinking go Silver or suck up the price and do Gold 300. In the end I left more perplexed that before. On some Hans Zimmer tracks from Live in Prague some synthesizer got lost on the Golds while more pronounced on the Silvers, but the Golds were smoother. On Nils Lofgren acoustic the Golds really were amazing as the guitar plucks/strings were so silky smooth and details where the Silver came across a tad harsher. Again without a direct A/B you would not know. If you remove the Golds and go back to my first visit when he Focal 826 was in play the Monitor Silver 500 by a mile as the Focal lacked in bottom end and depth and the Silver 500 easily kept up with the Focal highs. At the US price points the Silver 500 is a tad higher than its competition (Focal, Klipsch, etc.) and is on Revel F206 territory. If text book linearity is what you are after then Silver 500 and F206 are the way to go where the F206 will likely be a little laid back and more neutral than the Silver 500. I honestly wish the sale person never let me hear the Golds as it just confused me too much as I would have taken the Silver 500 (and still may). I would take the Silver 500 any day all day over Klipsch and the Focal.

[@MaxPower-zp7wy]

Do you mean harsher when you say "Brighter" or more fatiguing ?

[@gavinc74]

I've got the silver 500 6g and find them a little bright now and then. There's a pair of gold 300 5g for sale near me and I'm thinking they would maybe be a good replacement to remove the brightness but retain the other characteristics of the silver 500.

[@stefaandecroo6774]

Thank you very much for this very nice preview. You rock ... (if i may say so)

[@TheAudiophileMan]

Well, that's very nice of you Stefaan :)

[@stefaandecroo6774]

All pleasure is mine Paul. Thank you again for all the content you post. Always excited to discover a new review. Love it ! Take care, be safe, always.

[@user-el2zj3pw5r]

Later on today setting up ma gold 100 with rel tzero mk3 Cant wait!

[@ricochet243]

Cracking video, Paul, as per. Could you please review the Buchardt S400, I’d love to know what you think of them. I’m really tempted to buy but for my budget they’re about as far as I can go. I know they do delivery and you can also send them back but I’m most interested to see what you think.

[@TheAudiophileMan]

I'll pencil them onto my list, Ricochet.

[@savanpanchal451]

Ricochet I tried them for 20 days. Amazing speakers for bookshelf if space is an issue for you and you cant use floorstanders. However, you will not get full sound of floorstanding but it comes close if space is an issue for you. Buy it, they allow 45 home trial, and can return them if you are not happy.

[@Temmple]

Very torn between the Gold 200 and the Silver 300. Tough decision

[@rodneyarnoldi]

Hi Paul, I'm thinking of replacing my Quad 57's with either the Monitor Audio Platinum PL300-11 or the Gold 5G-300's. Any suggestions please. Thanks.

[@peterallison290]

I've got a beautiful piano black pair of GR20s, the precursors to the gold 200s, I believe. I've looked after them from new, and they still perform beautifully. Do you think the newer speakers have moved on significantly enough to be worth investing in the newer product?

[@markcarrington8565]

I have the same speakers and I love them. I love them so much, I decided to treat them to an upgrade by replacing the crossovers and adding an additional set of binding posts to tri-wire them. If they were good before, they are exceptional now, at a cost for the upgrades, including the additional cables of just under £1,000. That sounds like a lot, however, it’s a bargain compared with buying the new Gold 200. The issue is that the resale value of the GR20 would likely be less than £500, so the nett cost of going up to the 200 would be about double the amount I spent. Having said that, I would definitely have listened to the 200s if the funds had allowed. Monitor Audio has produced some fantastic designs over the years and whilst the GR20s are classics, the 200 seems to be gaining a similar reputation. One final tip, the GR20s love an amplifier with real grunt. I started using them with a Musical Fidelity X-150, a classy little amp with no shortage of power. However, when I swapped to the A308, which can push out 45amps of current, things got really interesting. I don’t play the music any louder but the sheer grip over the bass drivers lifted the sound quality to a whole new level.

[@vaughntonkin539]

The Old Bossa tune is also on turntable lab

[@user-zb6el4ks2b]

great review , i have the monitor gold 100 5g powered by roksan attessa streaming amp and svs 3000 micro sub , i know they are discontinuing or refreshing the golds and at the moment there are some cracking buys in the uk , i have only just bought the 100 s (£970 ) and am love with there sound which i replaced my kef ls50 meta with , these are far superior in my mis size living room , the 200 golds are £1999 at the moment so thats a 1000 saving maybe should have looked at them first as they have a mid range driver as well , the piano ebony wood looks amazing , reminds me of my quads which i loved 21L floor standers , i still use tha award winning for dont remember how many years 11L as my rear speakers , and changed my quad center now for klipsch refrence which uses that tractrix horn , i have the birds eye maple which is gorgeous ......... was looking at the Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3 , but saw these and new they wou be good match for my amp as same company as roksan ....... what next ? thinking of eversolo dmp-a8 streamer , nothing wrong with the bluesound in the attessa , sounds much better than the seperate bluesound node i had before the attessa as better dac ....

[@HiRezViews]

Rating please - Thanks again Paul !

[@savanpanchal451]

Love your reviews and the fact that you compare them to others. I currently have 3050i that I am using in living room for home theater set up with avr. I am trying to build a seperate 2 channel music room - I am using NAD M10 int amp and right now testing Wharfdale Evo 4.4. I do like warm neutral sounds vs BW or Kef. Would there be any upgrade or benefit of buying Monitor Audio Silver 300 over Wharfdale Evo 4.4? Looking stay around $2000 price point.

[@TheAudiophileMan]

Not really Savan, it's more of a sideways move. Both are nice but the benefits would be questionable. I would save and go for the next level up.

[@savanpanchal451]

@@TheAudiophileMan Awesome. Thanks!!! Saved me hassle of packing my Wharfdale sending it back and ordering Monitor Audio

[@HiRezViews]

Paul do the Gold warrant the price premium over Silver for home theater/vocal clarity purposes ?

[@TheAudiophileMan]

From memory - it's been a while - yes.

[@BranislavSavic]

Hi Paul, I have a Monitor Audio 100 (4G, ribbon tweeter) connected to an Arcam A38 amp. It lacks the punch and dynamics and weight in the sound, especially with hard rock and heavy metal music. Smooth/audiophile music sounds to my ear perfectly. Would a Roksan amp be a better choice of amplifier instead of an Arcam?

[@TheAudiophileMan]

I'd say that the Roksan would give you a more cultured presentation, put it that way.

[@BranislavSavic]

@@TheAudiophileMan Thanks Paul.

[@iggymasu]

Hi very nice review. I current have a pair of Silver 200s and a Center C150. As I listen more to stereo and less movies, I am thinking of going up to the Gold 200s but I want to hang on to the C150. Can I make it blend?

[@TheAudiophileMan]

With your current centre speaker? That should be ok, I reckon.

[@iggymasu]

The Audiophile Man thanks, how about tonal imbalance or timbre mismatch? Is that something I need to worry about?

[@TheAudiophileMan]

@@iggymasu Ideally, keeping within the same speaker family would be best but I guess you have a reason to ponder otherwise? Budget reasons maybe? If so and you need to cut corners then a centre speaker would probably be the best corner to cut. I think you can get away with that one.

[@iggymasu]

The Audiophile Man yes actually I have the Silver 200 AV 12 now & as my listening preferences have gravitated towards music, I am leaning towards the Gold 200s...but budget wise I can’t really justify changing the surrounds & I understand that doesn’t really matter as much as the center, hence my question. I am after all still staying within the same brand & in terms of impedance & dynamic range - they are on par. It’s just that the bass drivers are slighty bigger for the Golds & the tweeter is an MPD vs a 1” C-Cam gold dome tweeter. Will this make much of a tonal difference?

[@TheAudiophileMan]

You should be ok with that choice.

[@gabrielsofronea9287]

Hi Paul, In the video you're comparing the gold 200 to the silver 300 and the silver are the ones that fall within my budget. What other speakers should I consider before I go ahead and buy. Thanks!

[@TheAudiophileMan]

Look at Spendor and also Martin Logan in that price point, if possible.

[@gabrielsofronea9287]

@@TheAudiophileMan Thanks for that, what do you think about Monitor Audio silver 300 + audiolab 6000, this is what I've been recommended by sevenoaks. Thanks! Ps. Really appreciate your advice

[@TheAudiophileMan]

Check out my review - it may provide some guidance: theaudiophileman.com/monitor-audio-silver-300-speakers-review/

[@gabrielsofronea9287]

@@TheAudiophileMan Ah, I've been looking for this on line and couldn't find it. Thanks, greatly appreciated

[@Ceko]

GABRIEL SOFRONEA have you gotten the Silver 300’s yet? What do you think of them?

[@HarpreetKaur-hc4el]

I have marantz pm8006 amplifier. Can my marantz make gold 200 5g sings well?

[@elthamlad468]

Given that the Monitor Audio Platinum 100 MK II and Gold 200 MK V are very similarly priced, I would love to see a comparison. It would be very interesting to see how a premium stand mount speaker compares to a slightly less premium 3-way floor-standing model. The same could be said for the Gold 100 MK V stand mount and the Silver 300, which are also almost identically priced.

[@TheAudiophileMan]

Here's a review of mine to be going on with Tony: theaudiophileman.com/monitor-audio-silver-300-speakers-review/

[@elthamlad468]

@@TheAudiophileMan thank you. I have the Silver 300 presently. Thing is I know my amp is very capable and I am looking to upgrade. If I do upgrade though it has to be a worthwhile jump for the extra outlay. Its so hard atm with Covid as demos not a thing. Do we hold up buying or take a leap of faith? That's why I find KZbin reviews such as yours so interesting but I'd love to see more direct comparisons. Keep up the good work. 👍

[@Squats200]

@@elthamlad468 dont upgrade! You have amazing speakers in the 300's. Been there myself!

[@elthamlad468]

@@Squats200 I upgraded to PL100 MK II. I agree the Silver 300 really are remarkable speakers. Since I made that original post I have purchased Q Acoustic Concept 500's and Platinum PL100 MK II's. I currently have all three pairs of speakers and I have to say that I love the clarity of PL100's. However, that said, the 300's have a certain character, that despite not having the top-end sweetness and clarity of the AMT tweeter, make for compelling listening. As an 'all-round' speaker you cannot beat the 300's.

[@Another_Audiophile]

Will be nice to include photos of the units in your room rather standard promotional photos by the makers.

[@TheAudiophileMan]

Funny you mention it now, Corto. I'm not a full time KZbinr, despite appearances. I have other commitments that demand part of my time. Set up, filming and editing of 'live' sets takes a lot of extra time. Time I don't have. Nevertheless, I've always known I'd have to find a way and realised that the videos were lacking. Hence, I've been rejigging my schedule to find more time, I'm buying new equipment to help and my first transition tweak has just appeared in the new Q Acoustic 3050i review, you'll find posted on the channel. This is just the start. Other tweaks will occur over the coming weeks. Every channel goes through an evolution and mine has only been up or 9 months. I'm getting there :) Thanks for the comment.

[@iosifderecichei3743]

Hello, between the older PL200 and the Gold 300 5G, which one would you recommend? Thanks a lot.

[@TheAudiophileMan]

Been a long time since I heard the 200s so take my thoughts with a pinch of salt here but...I prefer the Golds, just. Bass is better structured on the Golds I recall.

[@iosifderecichei3743]

@@TheAudiophileMan Thanks a lot. Just subscribed.

[@iosifderecichei3743]

@@TheAudiophileMan Hello again, I am seriously considering the Gold 300. The only thing that holds me back is that very small mid range. While auditioning, did you have the feeling that something is missing in that aria, especially with deep male voices? Thank you very much.

[@Canadian_Eh_I]

@@iosifderecichei3743 did you buy them?

[@iosifderecichei3743]

@@Canadian_Eh_I Hi, no, I did not. I bought a pair of Wharfedale Opus 2-2, which I paired with a pair of vintage Technics SB 7070, for the front (hope no audiophile will read this). I drive them with a Luxman L-580 for stereo. I use Classe SSP 800 for my DVD concerts. The whole thing sounds quite amazing.

[@MaxPower-zp7wy]

I can not make up my mind whether to go for Silver 300 or save for Silver 500. I am guessing the Silver 500 will definately go lower and give best of both high and low aswell as mids. Is Gold 200 even a step up from Silver 500 ? Obviously they are supposed to go higher in the higher frequencies but not as low in the base as the silver 500. I'm researching and pondering an upgrade to my small Yamaha NX-N500 speakers. They go down into the 30's and their strong point is they go into the higher frequencies with clarity hitting upto 40KHz. They have been a quite impressive little network speaker. But i want to get into true Hi Fidelity separates.

[@SDmountainbiker]

I am in a quandary as to which speaker I will get for my new home theater system. Have narrowed it down to the Monitor Audio Gold 200 or Silver 500 7g. Price is not really a consideration. Room size is 12×15ft with open end back wall. Driving with Anthem MCA 325 Gen 2 power amp. Comments would be appreciated.

[@christopherrichardson5352]

If you are looking at the Silver 500 G7 then you may as well put the Gold 300 G5 on your radar as well. They will have similar bottom end reach. The biggest difference will be cost and the tweeter technology used in each design. I currently have a pair of Silver 10 in my system. They are the fifth generation of Silver speakers which I bought 8 years ago. I too am thinking of speaker upgrades. One serious contender on my list is the Gold 300 5G. Good luck on your quest. 🙂

[@snakebitten6967]

I have the MA Gold 300’s. Have you listened to them?

[@TheAudiophileMan]

I've reviewed the Gold 200...and the Silver 300. But not the Gold 300 :) I've heard good things from colleagues, though.

[@snakebitten6967]

@@TheAudiophileMan thx for your reply. Not many, if any, in-depth reviews of the Gold 300’s for some reason. I enjoy mine but it’s always good to hear an in-depth review of other audiophiles, good or bad, on the equipment we have. I’ve been refining my ears as I’ve gotten older and really enjoy clarity over just loud bass and these are the best speakers I’ve heard so far. But I do not have as much experience with high-end brands because....money lol. I drive them with an Anthem MRX 1120 along with a pair of Velodyne DD10’s to enhance the bass of the MA Golds. I want to try an integrated amp in the near future. You guys hear so many different brands so I do value your thoughts in comparing one to another. Keep up the good work👍

[@jansulek1379]

@@snakebitten6967 Currently I have MA Gold 300 they have only 50-60hrs only so I expect improvement yet. How many hours they need to really "sing" ?

[@scaf_007vs3]

Very informative video.. on a side note, I wonder why manufacturers even bother with a watt rating when recommending amplification. I guess I understand when you're looking to spend more on speakers n less on amplification.. but whats important is that THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS TOO MUCH AMPLIFICATION.. IE WATTS! If you are using separates, the "power" level is directly related to the position on the volume knob. If its too loud its too loud. Simple as that. Amps that deliver quality current will never be the reason a loudspeaker fails unless the user demonstrates complete naivety and or has zero respect for their own electronics. It doesn't take an expert to know when your loudspeakers are being over driven. Then again, I truly believe the current state of the world is severely lacking common sense. If you don't know, ask.. there are many among us who honestly want to share wisdom... what a conundrum!!!

[@Question.Authority]

2900 pounds for a pair? In germany they are 4200 euros for a pair. How can that be?

[@user-el2zj3pw5r]

Taxes plus your local dealer maybe gready

[@taxi615]

These are power hungry towers

[@xite45]

lol dont make reviews when u have a badly micronphone with huge background noise.... xD not professional and not a real audiophile man

[@TheAudiophileMan]

Hmm, during tweaking I seem to have accidentally boosted the gain. There's two other vids in the pipe like this but I'll correct that issue afterwards.

[@Cooliewhistles]

@@TheAudiophileMan review sounded great don’t give attention to the trolls

[@RennieAsh]

I mean I could ask you not to make comments if you're going to have spelling or grammatical errors... xD not a real commenter man !