Set-up en installatie
Contents
We place the Monitor Audio Silver 300 at about 30 cm(!) from the back wall and rotate them slightly so that we can just see the inside of the speakers. The speakers are 1m80 apart and the listening position is about two meters away. The small distance from the rear wall is no problem despite the two bass ports at the back. Even more so, in our space we get a little more foundation.
We use our Bryston B60R to power the Silver 300. With the Bryston we obtain a control with sufficient power to guarantee a pure reproduction. With a sensitivity of 90db they are relatively easy to control but still we notice that good amplification is necessary. With the Rega Brio and the Arcam SA10 it doesn’t work out so well because we miss control and punch in the view. The Arcam SA20 and Atoll IN200 go very well.
First Impression
Our playlist is reviewed a number of times and we initially see few world-shattering things. We hear a balanced sound with sufficient speed and detail. The stereo image is spacious and the music comes nicely to the listener. We’re going to sit down and see if we can describe a number of elements a bit more clearly. The speakers have already been played so we don’t have to worry about that this time.
Listening session
With floorstanders you often have to slide and turn a lot and you also have to get some cooperation from the listening room. Because soon the bass can dominate or the stereo image is lost. The Silver 300 is a relatively easy speaker that sounds good everywhere. However, it is worth looking for the best ratio between turning in, distance from the rear wall and the distance between the two speakers. At first we had the problem that one speaker dominated, but after some adjustments we got a nice stereo image. High time for some music.
It’s hard to believe that Prince hasn’t been with us for almost two years. We get the album “Diamonds and Pearls” from under the dust and are curious how this classic will sound on the Silver 300. On this album you’ll find famous songs like “Cream”, “Diamonds and Pearls”, “Money don’t Matter” and “Gett Off”. Especially this last song has a heavy bass line that can sometimes dominate. But the Silver 300 presents this song in a very balanced way without emphasizing anything. Vocals remain intelligible and the song comes through surprisingly fast.
Balance sheet
Hope Sandoval of Mazzy Star made the beautiful album “Until the hunter” in 2016 with The Warm Inventions. This album is full of dreamy folk gems starring Sandoval’s conjuring voice. The Monitor Audio Silver 300 lets the emotion in the songs come through sufficiently and voices never become sharp. The tweeter lets through enough detail but makes sure you don’t get a headache after half an hour of listening. The stereo image is wonderfully coherent now and nice and wide. The loudspeakers do not ‘disappear’ completely, but that is rarely the case with floorstanders. During the song “Day Disguise” the puzzle pieces start to fall into place. We’re starting to unravel the speaker’s signature bit by bit. Fast, light and balanced are terms that keep recurring.
“New Energy” by Four Tet is a very varied electronic album with lots of small details and layered soundscapes. The complex songs effortlessly enter our space and all the elements are nicely distinguishable from each other. With increasing the volume, also increases the fun factor. The tight bass comes through even better and the electronic beats pop but very quickly through the woofers. Occasionally we miss a bit of body in the view but that is also partly due to our space. The Silver 500 can probably bring comfort here.