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After the visit of the Q Acoustics 3050i we get another couple of floorstanders ‘euhm’ on the floor. This time a set from Monitor Audio, also from the United Kingdom. Monitor Audio has been making speakers for over 40 years. We’ve been talking about their maverick, the Monitor Audio Studio, for a while now. This time we have listened extensively to the Monitor Audio Silver 300. A delicious, affordable three-way speaker.
In every price range Monitor Audio tries to provide the best possible product. However, there are a lot of series, making it sometimes difficult to see the trees through the forest. The Silver 300 is between the Bronze and Gold series. The top series is called Platinum. Also a very precious precious metal of course. In the Silver range we find 2 monitors, three floorstanders, a center speaker, a subwoofer and some kind of surround thing we don’t find a good name for.
The list above indicates that Monitor Audio is serious about surround sound. But also in the stereo world they have a solid credibility and prestige. Monitor Audio chooses to keep improving their existing ranges and that seems to be paying off. This is now the sixth generation of Silver speakers. We are curious to see if this upgrade is another step forward.
Several of their series have already won beautiful international awards and at Alpha Audio they have never disappointed us. The Silver range keeps everything affordable and offers great value for money. That’s why we think it’s an interesting series to take a closer look. The Monitor Audio Silver 300 is the middle of the three floorstanders and seems to us the most suitable for small to medium sized rooms. Let’s check it out!
Exterior and interior
By producing almost all materials themselves, Monitor Audio is able to integrate many top-of-the-range components into their affordable ranges. A tried and tested recipe that we can of course find at several loudspeaker manufacturers. This trickle-down strategy is a godsend for price-conscious enthusiasts. In recent years, affordable loudspeakers have therefore reached an ‘unheard of’ high level.
Detailing, transparency and refinement are terms we wouldn’t have used for ‘budget speakers’ until a few years ago. But we are amazed at the quality we have discovered in recent years in the price category up to 2000 euro. These are very interesting times for young audio enthusiasts and so manufacturers actually have everything in their hands to attract more new people. One does this better than the other… Monitor Audio tries to convince their customers to choose for them with modern looks and ‘real life’ speakers. We think they’re on the right track.
Slim and graceful
The Silver 300 is a three-way floorstander in a very elegant sound box. Our shiny black version looks great but also satin white and four types of veneer are among the possibilities. The slim design fits into any interior and doesn’t come across as bombastic. By the way, you can put them quite close to the back wall, which again promotes integration into the living space.
The tweeter and the driver form one whole at the outside and together they sit behind a grid that we think looks a bit like that mask from the movie “Scream”. We love it but we can imagine it’s not for everyone. The tweeter is a metal golddome tweeter that has been refined over decades to guarantee a pure high. The aluminium driver, with the now famous C-CAM technology, should once again provide a clean sound. Two 15cm aluminium woofers complete the configuration of this slim floor stand and provide the lowest regions with sufficient foundation.
At the back we find 2 pairs of solid speaker connections which make bi-wiring or bi-amping possible. The bass port, with the well-known Hive model, can be found on almost all Monitor Audio loudspeakers. The fact that both the tweeter, driver and bass port are developed in house ensures that you get your hands on a unique product and that in turn creates a ‘pride of ownership’. You get a loudspeaker that you can be proud of and that is completely made with proprietary technologies.
