Monitor Audio Bronze 2
Contents
Together with the Paradigm Monitor SE Atom is this Monitor Audio Bronze 2 the cheapest in the test. However, where the Paradigm does show and hear that we are going down a class, we have less that feeling with the Bronze 2. He looks very neat. When it comes to finishing, we really can’t notice anything. Neatly… and handsome from Monitor Audio.
So it’s a boarding party of the British. A ‘simple’ 2-way bookshelf. A 16,5cm C-CAM mid/low unit and a 2,5cm C-CAM tweeter. (Gold dome… but not real gold of course). According to Monitor Audio, the range is 42 Hz – 30 kHz. But that’s bullshit. We don’t measure any deeper than our competitors. Maybe the Bronze 2 42 Hz at -9dB or something… but certainly not at -3dB or -6dB. Anyway… the range is just within the bandwidth for a monitor in this class.
Sound
Immediately we hear that the balance is better than with the Paradigm Monitor SE Atom. Really much more openness and a considerably tighter lowland. The whole thing is just better to follow. And certainly better than we can expect from a speaker of 199 euros each. Monitor Audio does that really neatly!
Is it as good as the Elac? No! Or the Bowers, KEF, Dynaudio? No. We’re hearing a little more unrest in the middle area. Something of ‘hardness’. It’s just a little too up front for our taste. But honestly, it does transcend its class. And plays the Paradigm by anyway in our view. In short: a good choice in the entry segment.
Measurements Monitor Audio Bronze 2
The Monitor Audio Bronze 2 scores well in the measurements. The ‘hardness’ or restlessness we see back around 1200 Hz. That’s where we see the distortion increase. The 3rd harmonic goes along and that’s a dangerous one (it’s fierce). Distortion’s a little over 1% there. Other than that, it just looks neat. The response is not completely neutral, but that’s hardly any speaker. Pulse is neat in midfield.
Conclusion
Monitor Audio puts with the Bronze 2 a neat speaker for a very neat amount. The speaker is reasonably neutral and plays tight and rich in detail for a speaker in this price range. The middle is a bit prominent. That’s what the measurements show.