Monitor Audio Gold 100
Contents
British Monitor Audio is already on the fifth generation of its Gold series. We had to take a closer look ourselves. But, yes: this is the G5. This Gold 100 also has an AMT at the top and a woofer at the bottom. At the back is a bass reflex port. In short: a fairly traditional design. But, as we know by now, you can either execute this well or not so well. Depending on the chosen AMT, woofer and of course: crossover.
The cabinet feels solid and at 9 Kg is not light either. KEF and ATC are still a bit more heavy with 10 and 12 Kg, but let’s not turn this into a competition…. What matters is how the cabinet counteracts resonances. That can be heard (and measured).
The sound
With the Elac we ware looking for some ‘experience’. Well: the Monitor Audio’s give you that! A whole lot of it! It’s a very rhythmic speaker and the imaging can hardly be more forward playing than these Monitor Audio’s; you can’t possibly ignore them. The placement of instruments in the soundstage is good, it’s easy to pinpoint where players sit.
Again, the match with the Nilai is better than with the Pass Labs, the sound sounds open and the dryness of the Nilai tames the exuberance of the Monitor Audio’s a bit. Where the KEF is polite, the ELAC mostly control, the Monitor Audio is the party guy. If a speaker can be extroverted, Monitor Audio is extroverted.
The sub bass sounds like a souped-up moped. It’s a little “too much. At first the bass is exciting, but after a while it starts to bore you a bit. A little more control is desired.
Specifications Monitor Audio Gold 100
| Type | 2-way, bass reflex |
| Units | MPD HF unit, 6.5-inch RDT long throw midwoofer |
| Range | 40 – 50000 Hz |
| Power handling | 60 – 120 watts |
| Sensitivity | 86 dB |
| Impedance | 4 Ohm |
| Crossover | 2500 Hz |
| Dimensions / Weight | 19.5 x 36 x 33cm (W_H_D), 9.1 Kg |
| Price | 2135 per pair exc stand |
Measurements Monitor Audio Gold 100 (G5)
Monitor Audio – like KEF – has tuned in some warmth. If we look at the response measurement with a window of 30ms, we see at the bass is a bit higher than the mid/high. That is taste and a signature. A very mild “Bowers Bump” we see between 5 and 9 kHz. It is 2dB, so quite mild.
When we look at distortion, we are a little less pleased. Between 400 – 1500 Hz there is a big bump. It exceeds 1%, which we consider to be the upper limit for a midrange speaker. And after that comes another hump between 1500 and 2500 and then 2500 – 4000 Hz. That’s something they must have seen in the factory.
Impedance is not very easy with a dip of 2.5-Ohm in the mid-treble (around 3 kHz we estimate). Be careful with tubes or other amplifier with not too much “balls” and stability.
Old KEF R3, by Erin
https://erinsaudiocorner.com/loudspeakers/kef_r3
-> Shadow Flare Position Impact on Frequency Response
and…
[ While using the speakers full-range is OK, I found that when I added a subwoofer (SVS SB-2000 Pro and SB-3000, separately), the entire sound became immensely more enveloping. Somehow, it even seems to increase the overall sense of “space” these speakers provide with the right recording. For that reason, I do suggest a subwoofer with these speakers. ]
Makes sense!
KEF R3 meta measurements
You forgot: KEF R3 meta – decay – straight – 3ms.png
I think they still have not solved the problem of the woofer integration with the excellent coaxial, as it happened with the previous model, the R3.
I will listen again to the part of the test referring to them.
Thank you very much (to ALL) for your work.
– Greetings from Tarragona (SPAIN) –
Welcome!