Space is a key consideration that many hifi fans face when upgrading, as for most of us we’ll never have the floor area needed to host the ultimate system of our dreams. Take loudspeakers for example, who amongst us does not love a floorstander that doubles as the imposing centrepiece of a room, as well as being the voice of a killer system?
However the reality is that often there is no room for such beasts with other furniture, leaving little or no floor space to spare. This can lead to compromises for our loudspeakers such as optimal positioning and sufficient room around their cabinets to let them acoustically breathe, limiting the choice to smaller designs.
One solution is to consider standmount speakers, which are smaller and less sensitive to positioning, but the tradeoff can be limited bass extension. The holy grail is therefore finding a speaker that’s resistant to positioning sensitivity while delivering a sound that doesn’t neglect lower frequencies.
The Silver 100 7G is available in a range of finishes including real wood veneers with black oak, natural walnut, satin white, ash and high gloss on offer
Enter Rayleigh based Monitor Audio, which offers the £799 Silver 100 7G standmout speaker as part of its Silver 7G range, which includes bookshelf, standmount, floorstander and centre channel speakers, for stereo and home cinema fans alike.
Sibling rivalry
The 100 model’s dimensions of 375 x 230 x 332mm (HWD) compare to its £699 Silver 50 7G siblings at 282 x 165 x 272mm, and this extra size allows the 100s to bridge the gap to its bigger floorstander brothers.
Now in its 7th generation (hence the 7G moniker), the 100 shares specs seen across the Silver 7G range, including 25mm UD (Uniform Dispersion) Waveguide II tweeters and 203mm mid-bass drivers, boasting DCM (Damped Concentric Mode) technology that claims to reduce resonance via its RST II (Rigid SurfaceTechnology) dimple pattern mid/bass cone. All of these MA features combine for reduced distortion in a bid for a smoother sound at louder volumes.
1″ (25mm) C-CAM gold dome tweeter with Uniform Dispersion is recessed within MA’s Waveguide II with protective fixed mesh grille
Both drive units are formed from MA’s tried and tested C-CAM (Ceramic Coated Aluminium Magnesium) material that has been serving its speakers for over three decades.
And these materials aren’t just for brochure candy, as the Silver 100 7G claims floorstander troubling credentials with a frequency range extending from 35Hz, handing over to the tweeter at 2.3kHz and continuing up to to 35kHz.
Few bass drivers stand out as much as the Silver 100 7G’s 8″ inverted dome with Rigid Surface Technology, exemplified by its radiating dimple pattern
Sensitivity is a fairly average 87.5dB but as this is into 8 ohms, this speaker can be driven by a wide range of amplifiers. At this price point they’re also in a very competitive part of the market, meaning they’ve got a lot of contenders nipping at their performance heels.
Removing these speakers from their packaging makes clear these are substantial boxes in their veneered flesh, tipping the scales at just over 9kg each, giving the impression of a well built product. Hence you’ll need a strong shelf or decent stands to support them properly.
At 332mm deep, the speaker’s cabinet has plenty of depth for a room filling sound
Our test samples came in natural walnut finish, which is nicely understated and complements most surroundings, rather than overwhelming them.
Bucking the current trend, solid bi-wire multiway loudspeaker posts are on offer too, opening the door to bi-wiring/amping should either be your preference.
Multi-way gold plated speaker binding posts cater for single cable runs or bi-wiring
Performance
Setting them up on stands sans their supplied bungs, my preferred listening position is with them 50cm from a rear wall with a slight toe in towards the listening position.
Connected to my system (including Arcam A85 amplifier, Project Debut Carbon turntable, Rega Fono Mk2 phono stage and iFi ZEN Blue 340 DAC) they were treated a few days run in to ensure they’re ready to sing.
Rear fluted bass port is there for extra low end grunt, note the fittings above and below it for wall mounting
Teeing up Daft Punk/Pharrell Williams/Nile Rodgers’ collaboration Get Lucky, on vinyl has my worries of a detailed sound without enough low end riches quickly dispelled. Thankfully the treble quality is as expected (this being a MA speaker), but what’s perhaps more attention grabbing is the bassline which sounds as rich as it does agile. And it’s how the upper and lower frequencies work in harmony that sets this speaker apart. Rodgers’ delicious guitar licks for example are delivered with expected dynamism, yet it’s how they are supplemented with a rhythmic bass that’s as plentiful as it is controlled which makes the music really gel via the Silver 100 7G.
While they clearly rock with pop (if that’s not an oxymoron), streaming a 2011 recording of Verdi’s Requiem featuring Theodossiou, Ganassi, Meli, Zanellato and the Orchestra e Coro del teatro Regio di Parma via Tidal and the music has levels of softness and delicacy which are enchanting in equal measures, highlighting how these speakers can adapt to the musical situation. However, this is a mere prelude as the opening of Dias Irae, has the SIlver 100s delivering a masterclass in controlled power and clarity, with voices uniting with brass, strings and percussion for a truly involving performance.
Given the price of these speakers, the levels of scale and imaging are nothing short of stunning, which add drama to the music in spades, so much so it’s hard to believe that a soundstage of this scale can be forthcoming from cabinets of their size.
Foam bungs are supplied should you need to place them close to a rear wall to prevent any boom
Get into position
Impressive as these results are, it’s interesting to see how much impact a less than optimal positioning affects this speaker’s performance, given the real world situations they’ll be used in as discussed earlier. Placed on shelves a good couple of meters apart with just 10cm of space behind them and closer to my room’s side boundaries, the supplied bungs offer welcome levels of low end tuning to help manage boom.
Donald Fagen’s hifi fan favourite The Nightfly serves to show how forgiving these speakers are. I.G.Y.’s slick jazzy tones and prominent bassline doesn’t get bogged down by the wall proximity, sounding nicely energised and tight in its delivery. Likewise, the imaging doesn’t fall apart either as it would with some speakers with so much space between them, offering decent levels of instrument placement, which is no mean feat given the compromises I’ve added to the mix. And this baseline level of performance continues across a number of positioning combinations, showing how versatile these speakers are.
Magnetically attached front grilles with Monitor Audio’s trademark curve
In summary
Petite floorstander performance at a standmount price is the catchphrase that comes to mind in summing up the Silver 100 7G’s attributes.
They’re a well made classy sounding speaker that can be appreciated by music fans craving big sounds from modest boxes, without having to go the whole floorstander hog.
As a model aimed at mid-priced systems, what really marks them out is how versatile and unfussy they are in terms of positioning for most homes and listening environments, and on this basis, I can’t recommend them strongly enough.
