LIVING ROOM READY TOWERS! MONITOR AUDIO SILVER 500 7G REVIEW
MONITOR AUDIO SILVER 500 7G REVIEW BY ANDREW ROBINSON - originally published Jan 15, 2022
LIVING ROOM FRIENDLY TOWER SPEAKERS! MONITOR AUDIO SILVER 500 7G REVIEW
There is no shortage of tower speakers competing for your attention. So what does a speaker like Monitor Audio’s new Silver Series 500 7G tower need to do to make YOUR listening room, it’s forever home? Let’s find out.
MONITOR AUDIO SILVER SERIES
Monitor Audio’s Silver Series of loudspeakers has been, arguably, the brand’s bread and butter since its introduction some years ago. The Silver Series sits in the middle, representing a clear step-up over their entry-level speakers but at a more approachable price point compared to their Gold and Platinum offerings. The 500 7G is the largest tower speaker in the Silver Series. It is a true three-way design that features a one inch gold dome tweeter, a three inch midrange driver and two, eight inch bass drivers. When combined with the speaker’s two rear-facing ports, the 500’s three-way design is good for a reported frequency response of 27Hz to 35kHz. Sensitivity is reported at 90.5dB with a nominal impedance of 8 Ohms, though the speaker can dip to 4 Ohms, so for best results be sure to pair these towers with an amp or receiver capable of driving a 4 Ohm speaker.
MODERN CLASSIC STYLING
The 500s in their Ash finish are absolutely stunning. I adore the white oak -I mean Ash –finish, as it is both modern and classic at the same time. You can get these in a variety of other finish options, but for my money, Ash is where it’s at. Also, the shape of the 500’s magnetic grilles conjured up memories of another great speaker from back in the day, the Soliloquy 5.3 towers, which I had, loved and wish were still around, so kudos to Monitor Audio for absolutely NAILING the visual style of this tower speaker –well, until you get to the feet. The feet do provide for some added stability, but to me, they look like an afterthought and in our brief testing, didn’t seem to impact the sound of the speaker itself –good or bad –so I removed them and put ‘em back in the box.
MONITOR AUDIO SILVER 500 SETUP
Setting up the 500 isn’t too difficult to integrate into a living space. Because the 500 is a rear ported speaker it does need some room to breathe with respect to distance from your front wall. Too close to your front wall and bass may become overpowering, potentially even boomy. Too far away and the speaker may start to sound lean, or overly forward…maybe even bright. Thankfully, you don’t need to upend your living room to make the 500s sound good. We found that pulling them out from the wall about a foot or so easily achieved best results. As for toe-in, Monitor Audio does recommend some toe-in, though feel free to experiment to taste.
TESTING THE SILVER SERIES TOWERS
As far as power goes, the Monitor speakers aren’t incredibly difficult to drive, making them good matches for a wide range of amplifiers, integrated amplifiers and even AV receivers –just make sure that whatever you choose can drive a 4 Ohm load if need be for best results. We powered the 500s using the Audiolab 6000A Play, Audiolab Omnia, McIntosh 7200, Pioneer Elite 305 and our Onkyo RZ50, all of which did a GREAT job. The McIntosh and 6000A Play unsurprisingly provided the best results, though I will admit, the RZ50 did the bulk of the heavy lifting throughout this review and proved to be an enjoyable match, with or without DIRAC applied.
MONITOR AUDIO SILVER 500 7G SPEAKERS BY ANDREW ROBINSON
MONITOR AUDIO SILVER SERIES SOUND
So how do the new Monitor Audio Silver Series sound? Well, if you’re already a fan of the Monitor Audio brand, or are an existing customer like we are, the 500s aren’t likely going to come across as THAT different. Monitor Audio is known for its livelier dynamic sound with good bass impact coupled with a mildly more pronounced top end, and the new 500s are no different. So, new speaker, new sound? No. But a refinement of an already pretty great design, yes.
500 7G BASS
Bass-wise, I initially thought the 500s were perhaps JUST a little light. Don’t get me wrong, the 500s possess terrific snap at the point of attack, but I wondered if they weren’t a little lacking in the weight department –especially for a tower speaker with dual 8 inch woofers. But a few nights ago we were watching the series Yellowjackets on Showtime and one of the scenes featured a low, rolling bass line that completely up-ended my criticisms of the 500’s bass prowess for these baby’s had bass -loads of it. Not only did the speaker dig deep, I’m talking way down into the basement, it did so without strain or distortion. While the 500’s cabinet isn’t without some minor resonances, especially around the woofers, the bass during this segment remained deep and taut without any overt cabinet coloration. So it would appear when it comes to its bass reproduction, the 500’s is source material dependent, and when given a true, low-bass note –one perhaps intended for a sub –the Monitor Audio will tackle it!
monitor audio silver midrange
However – because this speaker favors agility over brute force throughout its frequency range, including in the bass, the 500 7G on the whole is going have a more immediate presence than one that is outright neutral, and this is true of the midrange as well, where there is a slight, but still noticeable rise in energy as you near the tweeter. In this regard the 500s are not wholly unlike Klipsch, Focal or Sonus Faber. The midrange is very clear and intelligible, but not one that I would classify as wholly neutral. If anything it is a touch cool, or dare I say lean. The best way to describe it, at least for me, is the difference in timbre between say a Steinway Concert Grand and a Yamaha. Both are excellent instruments, I know I’d be happy with either in my home, but the same or similar in overall tone? No. The 500 is more in line with the livelier, more dynamic Yamaha compared to the richer, darker Steinway.
But it should be noted that no matter what we played through the 500s, they never became objectionable or worse, bad, if anything they proved to be supremely listenable for long periods of time, but because of their more dynamic nature, they never completely faded away into the background, meaning more often than not, even at low volumes, they would do something to capture my attention even during casual or non-critical listening sessions. If you are at all a fan of jazz or contemporary piano tracks, the 500s should definitely be on your short list!
GOLD DOME TWEETER
Which brings us to the tweeter. The gold dome tweeter here is largely the same as the one found in our Monitor Audio Bronze Series speakers –albeit with a new waveguide. The top end of the 500’s performance is what I’ve come to expect from Monitor Audio, energetic, extended and detailed without treading into outright aggressive territory. Brass instruments really shine through the 500, retaining all of their inherent sheen thanks to the speaker’s tweeter. The tweeter’s sound is a little more directional -at least to me–resulting in a very focused sound. At high volumes the tweeter is rather unflappable, possessing little to no grain, though its dispersion does appear to narrow as volume increases.
MONITOR AUDIO SOUNDSTAGE
Next up: soundstage. For a tower speaker that aurally disappears as well as the 500 does, it’s not the best tower I’ve heard with respect to overall soundstage dispersion. Don’t get me wrong, the 500 has good soundstage width and depth, but its center fill, or center image, isn’t what I would call laser focused. It’s a rather large or broad center and if you sit or move off-axis, it will travel. Toe-in helps in this regard, but locked in three dimensional space, not so much. Now, obviously if you use the 500s as part of a home theater setup, one with a dedicated center speaker like the C250 7G, the center image or presence sures up, but on their own, with respect to center focus, the 500 is good, but not best in class.
MONITOR AUDIO DYNAMIC PERFORMANCE
Dynamically the 500s are no slouch. This is a lively, fun, and impactful speaker as you might expect given its design and use of large, aluminum woofers not to mention its mildly more sensitive nature. Like I said earlier, this is not an overly difficult speaker to drive, and as such, what power you feed it is put to good use, resulting in a more live and engaging presence.
SILVER SERIES DRAWBACKS
As far as drawbacks I don’t have many for the speakers’ tone is going to be a matter of personal taste. I suppose if you want to ensure you’re experiencing the deepest bass, all of the time, a sub may be necessary. If you’re a stickler for a truly transparent or three dimensional center image, one that is absolutely laser-etched, then perhaps the 500 7G isn’t going to be THE choice for you, but aside from all of that, this is an incredibly enjoyable and well-rounded speaker, good for both music and movies.
COMPARABLE SPEAKERS (FOCAL AND PSB)
As for comparisons, I would honestly consider the 500s alongside costlier options like the Focal Aria and Aria K2 or even the PSB Synchrony T600. While I preferred the K2’s sound to that of the 500, I would opt for the Monitor Audio towers OVER the Focal because visually the 500s are just more my vibe, and I’m not opposed to saving money. So while I will admit the Focal are better, they’re not twice as good. As for the PSB, I would buy the Monitor Audio over the T600 any day of the week.
KLIPSCH VS MONITOR AUDIO
As for less expensive options, like the Klipsch 8000F, Focal Chora 826, or maybe even the Magnat Transpuls. The Silver Series and the Klipsch 8000F have a lot in common –even if the 8000Fs lack a dedicated midrange driver. Both are dynamic, live-sounding speakers with a tone that pairs well with a lot of different genres of music and movies. The 500s are finished to a higher standard and are smaller in terms of footprint which may be a difference maker. I prefer the look of the 500s and if money wasn’t an option (they are more expensive) I buy them over the 8000F on looks alone. That said, I could be equally happy with each based solely on sound quality.
500 7G VS CHORA 826
As for the Chora 826, this is more of an apples to apples comparison. The Chora is better with respect to soundstage definition and focus, but aside from that, these two speakers are very, very comparable. I prefer the fit and finish of the Silver Series’ Ash finish but in terms of overall sound quality, this would likely come down to a coin toss.
With respect to the Transpuls, the Monitor Audio speaker is simply built better and to a higher degree of finish. That said, I personally prefer the sound of the Transpuls overall. It is more neutral while still being engaging. Plus, for one third the price the Transpuls is simply a greater value without giving up much sonically to the costlier 500.
MONITOR AUDIO BRONZE 500 TOWER SPEAKERS
MONITOR AUDIO SILVER VS BRONZE
But you’re probably curious if the Silver Series is a worthwhile upgrade to Monitor’s own Bronze Series. While we do not have the Bronze 500 towers, I can say when comparing the bookshelf speakers to each other –that’s right, we’re not done with the Silver Series yet –there isn’t a night and day difference between the series –at least not sonically. The Silver Series monsters the Bronze with respect to build quality and materials, I mean it’s not even close. Yes, the Bronze Series is nice for the money, but it looks downright cheap next to the new Silver Series. So if you’re looking for a classy, high-end looking speaker with sound quality to match, I would consider the Silver Series over the Bronze, even if a large portion of your money is going towards looks rather than outright sound improvements.
SILVER 500 7G SPEAKERS - FINAL THOUGHTS
I started this review by asking, what does a speaker need to do to be welcomed into your home? Sound quality is important, no question, and in that respect the new Silver Series from Monitor Audio is no slouch, more than holding its own against costlier competition. But beyond sound quality, the 500s, in their Ash finish, may get my vote (and my money) because they’re among the classiest looking tower speakers we’ve had in our home to date. While they may not be THE BEST speakers I’ve heard, or even own, visually they fit my vibe in a way few speakers over the years have managed. I know my conclusion may cause some of you to roll your eyes and shake your head in audiophile disgust, but at the end of the day, a speaker –or product –that you don’t mind having out on display is one that is more likely to be enjoyed, and when looking at the Silver Series from that angle, the 500 7G are knock-outs!
