Monitor Audio - Monitor 100 bookshelf Review

The British manufacturer Monitor Audio released the new "Monitor" line of speakers; made of two bookshelfs Monitor 50 and 100, two floorstanders Monitor 200 abd 300, a center speaker Monitor C150 and a subwoofer Monitor MRW-10, they promise to be a great addition in the entry level setups.
Available in three colors: white, black and walnut and with the distinctive (Klipsch like) orange drivers and grey front baffle they have a retro design and a good WAF.
Borrowing technologies from the Bronze series the overall sound is more relaxed compared with the more expensive Bronze series, with the midrange pushed forward and more warmth in the upper frequencies where the tweeter is more discrete.
They image nicely with a fair soundstage (a bigger room will help them better) natural vocals (no coloration here and this is something for the prince range) and deep articulated bass that i occasionally found a little bit to much on some tracks in the smaller room (and they were 1m from the back wall).
Overall they sound great on Jazz, Acosutical, Vocals, Blues, Country....and not that good with rock or tracks with lots of instruments when the soundstage became blurry and the separation a little muddy.
In a crowded market with a lot of rivals in this price range Monitor 100 managed to obtain a great performance-price value and will work great with music or movies on almost any amplifiers or receivers (being easy to drive @ 88dB sensitivity and a impedance of 8 Ohm) in small to medium size rooms; in bigger rooms the base became shallow and one would need the help of a subwoofer for heavy lifting tasks.
Thanks for watching and see you next time!

[@hi-fihaven2257]

Great review, great work on the video!

[@audioreviewchannel3365]

Hi-Fi Haven Thanks for the feedback!

[@JukeboxAlley]

Are these pretty decent on the low end? I mean deeper bass notes, are they present and deep or are they really tight and punchy, how would you compare these to the kef ls50, im just worried they may be bright and bass not deep enough, but i love the looks alot and want to try a pair.

[@Qdimitris]

Very helpful review. Thanks a lot. I am planing to buy a new BT-Amplifier. My budget is up to 400 Euro. Any suggestions? Thanks again.

[@iosifmuresan4288]

I have Technics mini sistem bi amp with hi end low conections. Will IT sound better or worst ?

[@vuxnguyen]

is this vinyl wrap or venere?

[@erkyperky1387]

Thanks for the review. Can you please tell me why you don't advise to bi-wire these speakers ?

[@audioreviewchannel3365]

Erkan Nevzat thank for watching. Don't advice to bi wire any speaker in general because you are not obtaining any extra performance from this. Now, bi amping it's something completely different and the way to go if you have a extra amp.

[@iosifmuresan4288]

I have Technics mini sistem bi amp with hi end low conections. How will sound ? Better ? Ora worst ?

[@regoc2050]

Do you recommend these speakers for the first time audio setup build? I can get them new for about 180 Euros new.

[@audioreviewchannel3365]

Definitely recommend it for this price! Go for it!

[@lflyr6287]

AudioReviewChannel : how would you compare them to Monitor Audio BX2 ? I have those and I saw on video where somebody has disassembled the Monitor Audio 100-s and to my detailed knowledge about mine BX2-s set, which I have also disassembled 2 years ago, the Monitor Audio 100-s have exactly the same tweeter, the same breathing port and the same mid-low unit in size and construction of the magnet and basket including the coil (just different colored membrane, instead of white it's now orange). The only difference is that the breathing port is set to the back of the box which makes them slightly smaller and could impact their performance in either negative or positive way. I don't know, but I do like them and I am wondering do you have any experience in comparing them with either Monitor Audio BX 2 or B&W 685 S2 ?

[@audioreviewchannel3365]

Didn't listen to BX2 but I do like them more than B&W having a more neutral sound. Bower has the mids to recessed for my tastes.

[@lflyr6287]

@@audioreviewchannel3365 I agree exactly....4 years ago I was choosing between the Monitor Audio BX 2 and B&W 685 S2....and my thoughts are exactly the same as yours, the mids are too subtle in the B&W-s and due to universal flat balanced sound I then went for BX2-s.

[@semihseckin5614]

how do I tweet it

[@adnernegofuentealba9794]

Geniales

[@jordijarper4441]

Sound?

[@BasvanHeelRoseboom]

Thanks for the detailed review! Did you had the chance to have listened the monitor audio monitor 200 & 300? What are your opinions on them? I plan to purchase these. What is the finish on the speaker? Is it wood-veneer ore plastic/pvc veneer? Thanx a lot!

[@BasvanHeelRoseboom]

btw. i plan to have no subwoofer. I think i',m better of with the 300. Your setup is great, a video would be great. quality vids is great! Greetz Bas

[@audioreviewchannel3365]

Thanks for watching! I've listened to the entire series except for the center speaker. The 200 is also very good and has a surprising deep and punching bass paird with a solid amp; also the size is very compact and looks great. I would recommend it to rooms up to 15-22 m2. For bigger rooms, or no subwoofer added, go for 300 that have more in every aspect compared to the 200. Can't tell about the veneer but considering the price I think pvc. Anyway I saw them all (white, black and walnut) and they are very nice. The walnut is the only one that has real wooden look.

[@BasvanHeelRoseboom]

AudioReviewChannel thnx. I'll better go towards the 300 and no sub! Thanks a lot!

[@audioreviewchannel3365]

Bas van Heel Roseboom Good choice!

[@audioreviewchannel3365]

Just checked now and it is pvc veneer

[@theradioattheendoftheworld4251]

I own some of these and they are great until about 12 months old then the speaker cones start cracking.

[@revivehificanada]

Really? What happened?.I am considering them and would like to know. Thanks

[@theradioattheendoftheworld4251]

@@revivehificanada hey man, they started developing cracks in them that just got worse and worse. I have never seen anything like this happen to another speaker. The vendor denied liability and I ended up paying for new cones and then 12 months later the same thing happened again. This time they accepted liability but claimed that I had over driven them but I don't think so. I would avoid to be honest.

[@hedwund1]

A SOUND DEMO? It will sound as good as the speaker(s) on your PC or phone.

[@BasvanHeelRoseboom]

monitor audio is a serious speaker manaufacturer. Entry level speaker doesnt matter here. they stil sound very good

[@cristim9779]

A sound demo would have been very nice.

[@audioreviewchannel3365]

cristi m. The sound demo will soon follow

[@alonsochavez4129]

the tweeter magnet is very tiny. Made in China.