Monitor Audio Silver Series Speakers Preview

Not content to rest on their laurels, Monitor Audio released their latest Silver series in time for CEDIA 2013. Boasting a comprehensive lineup, the new Silver series includes two bookshelf and three floorstanding models, as well as complimentary center and surround speakers and a powered subwoofer.  Pricing starts at $875/pair for the Silver 1, and runs all the way up to $2,500/pair for the range topping Silver 10.

So what do you get for your hard earned cash? Every speaker from the Silver 1 through the Silver 10 includes a well braced 20mm cabinet (a bit over 0.75” for those opposed to metric), which the W12 subwoofer ups to 25mm. All models also include Monitor Audio’s latest C-CAM gold dome tweeters and C-CAM dimpled, ultra-rigid cone drivers. In addition, a plethora of finish options are available, including real black oak, walnut, natural oak, and rosewood veneers, and for a bit extra you can also spring for a high gloss black or white finish as well. Last but not least, magnetic grills are included so as not to mar the look of the speaker with grill inserts.  

Silver 10: $1,250-$1,400 each
A rather imposing speaker at 42-3/16H x 11-7/16”W x 14-3/16”D (including plinth and feet), the range topping Silver 10 is a three way design featuring a 1” tweeter, 4” midrange, and dual 8” woofers in a vented cabinet. With a frequency response rated from 30Hz-35kHz, it seemingly should be capable of full range music reproduction; however, it should be noted that no tolerances are provided for the specification, reducing its usefulness. Also worth noting, the Silver 10 is a 4 ohm nominal speaker, suggesting you’ll want to pair it with a halfway respectable A/V receiver or outboard amplifier. Fortunately, the above average rated sensitivity of 90dB with 1W at 1m (this equates to 93dB with 2.83V at 1m because of the 4 ohm impedance), would imply that you shouldn’t require anything terribly exotic in terms of amplification.

Silver 8: $1,000-$1,100 each
A smaller and less costly version of the Silver 10, the Silver 8 substitutes a pair of 6.5” woofers for the big 8” woofers seen in the flagship. This is reflected in the frequency response which is only rated down to 32Hz. Impedance remains at 4 ohms nominal, and the sensitivity also holds at 90dB with 1W at 1m.

Silver 6: $750-$825 each
The smallest floorstanding speaker in the Silver lineup, the Silver 6 is a 2.5 way design featuring a pair of 6” woofers with crossover points of 2.7kHz and 700Hz. As expected, low end capability is sacrificed, with a rated response down to 35Hz. One other change to note: the Silver 6 is an 8 ohm speaker, though as with its larger siblings, sensitivity remains at at 90dB with 1W at 1m (which now equates to 90dB with 2.83V at 1m as well).

Silver 2: $1,050-$1,150 pair
The larger of the two bookshelf models offered in the Silver line, the Silver 2 is a bit of an oddity. A two way design, it boasts a rather large 8” driver which crosses over to the tweeter at 2kHz. The use of such a large driver as a mid/woofer can lead to some issues including audible cone breakup resonances as well as significant driver beaming (a narrowing of dispersion). Conversely, the large 8” woofer does lead to a rated low end extension of 40Hz, which is quite good for a bookshelf speaker. Like the Silver 6, impedance is rated at 8 ohms, though the sensitivity dips to 88dB with 1W at 1m.

Silver 1: $875-$975 pair
The runt of the litter, the Silver 1 is also a two way bookshelf speaker featuring a 6” mid/woofer crossed to the golden C-CAM tweeter at a fairly high 3kHz. Due to the use of such a high crossover point, the Silver 1 could also have issues with beaming and audible cone breakup like its big brother. Of course, the smaller driver also comes with the requisite loss of extension, now rated at 45Hz; however, this is still quite good considering the speaker is a smidge over a foot tall. Unfortunately, the small size and deep extension also means another drop in sensitivity, this time down to 87dB with 1W at 1m.

The Monitor Audio Silver 1 in natural oak.

Silver Centre: $725-800 each
The dedicated center channel of the bunch, the Silver Center is a two way design featuring a pair of 6” woofers. On the surface, there may be some concern about running an MTM driver topology mounted horizontally for center channel duties.  Running a pair of mid/woofers separated by a tweeter up to 2.6kHz does have potential to cause acoustical interference and consequently poor off axis performance if the listeners are sitting at the extreme sides of the room. However, we've found horizontally mounted MTM designs like this center channel can do very well for as far up to 25-30 degrees off-axis.  The second woofer does allow for a boosted sensitivity of 90dB with 1W at 1m, though low end performance of the Silver Centre appears to mirror that of the Silver 1, with a rating of 45Hz.

Silver FX: $875-$950 pair
A switchable dipole/bipole design, the Silver FX boasts a single 6” woofer and a pair of tweeters, one mounted on each flank of the speaker. Frequency response is rated at 60Hz-35kHz (again, no tolerances here) which should be adequate for the typical 80Hz crossover to a subwoofer. Like the Silver 1, the Silver FX has a rated sensitivity of 87dB with 1W at 1M and an 8 ohm nominal impedance.

Silver W12 Subwoofer: $1,650-$1,850 each
Last but not least, the Silver W12 is a compact sealed subwoofer measuring 14-9/16”H x 13-3/8”W x 16-1/8”D (including grille, amp, and feet) boasting a 12” C-CAM woofer mated to a 500W Class D amplifier. The W12 is a bit more advanced than your average subwoofer, featuring DSP processing to optimize response, and a room correction system known as APC (Automatic Position Correction). Low end response is rated down to 20Hz (noted as being in a typical IEC room), which is respectable considering the form factor, though we wouldn’t expect Bassaholic Extreme levels of output either.  You may just have to put a pair of these in your room for more output.  Of course we always recommend dual subs anyways for smoother bass response across all of the listening seats.

Summary
Overall, there’s a lot to like about Monitor Audio’s new Silver line. They’re undoubtedly attractive, well-built speakers that would look good in any living room. While there are a few design specifics that we might question, generally the Silver series mostly seems to get things right. We certainly wouldn’t scoff at a review pair of Silver 10’s (if anybody is listening).

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.