Monitor Audio Bronze 2
FOR Balanced sound; insight and dynamics; bass weight and scale; build and finish AGAINST They need a little space to breathe
If these latest Bronze 2s give you a strong sense of déjà vu; that’s exactly what Monitor Audio intended. Seeing no reason to mess with a successful formula, it has chosen the door marked ‘evolution’ and introduced a whole raft of engineering changes, making these arguably the most complete Bronze standmounters yet.
Introduced back in 2000, the original Bronze series was the entry point into Monitor Audio’s range. Five generations on, it remains at the core of the company’s product output, with the ‘2’ in particular a cornerstone of the brand. Internal changes
While the model’s appearance has hardly changed from the last generation, pretty much everything else has. The big news is that both drive units are new. They still use Monitor Audio’s trademark C-CAM (ceramic-coated aluminium magnesium) diaphragms, but beyond that much has been revised.
The 16.5cm mid/bass now has a dished cone, without the traditional dust-cap-covered hole in the centre, which not only helps rigidity but also gives a greater radiating area and better control at the top end of the driver’s frequency range. The surround has been redesigned to make the most of this change.
The traditional gold dome tweeter looks unchanged, but there’s a new venting system that leaks air into a rear chamber. This prevents air being compressed behind the dome, reducing distortion and improving dynamics. Monitor Audio has long been known for turning out classy boxes with neat edges and smart cosmetics, and with the Bronze 2s, the company has excelled again. There’s a quality of finish that few rivals can match.
These Bronzes are front-ported, which should make them less sensitive to placement. We find them a little lumpy when placed right up against a wall and achieves the best sonic balance around 30cm out into the room.
It’s worth playing around with the toe-in angle to firm up the stereo imaging, but even so, these speakers aren’t especially demanding. Talent in depth
Once up and running, these Monitor Audios are hugely talented performers – but not showy ones, so it takes a little while to appreciate just how good they are. They sail through Debussy’s Clair De
Lune with delicacy when required and handle dynamics deftly.
There’s plenty of insight, from the way the trailing edges of the piano notes fade gracefully into silence to the Bronze 2s’ ability to track subtle pace changes. It’s a spellbinding performance, beyond what we normally hear at this level. A move to Hans Zimmer’s Inception OST allows these standmounters to show off their assured bass. Low frequencies are articulate and delivered with plenty of control. This confident low-end performance gives tracks such as Mombasa real authority.
We’re impressed by the Bronze 2’s ability to stay composed, even at high volumes, and by the scale of their presentation. For the most part there are no rough edges here and plenty of refinement. This doesn’t mean they won’t react adversely to aggressive recordings or forward-sounding partnering equipment. There’s enough transparency to show what’s going on further up the system chain, so it pays not to cut corners with the rest of your set-up. We give Of Monsters And Men’s King
And Lionheart a listen and are swept along by the energy of the music. There’s plenty of attack, a fine sense of drive and a good amount of rhythmic precision.
Previous generations of Bronze 2s were class leaders. This one is too.
“They sail through Debussy’s Clair De
Lune deftly and with delicacy. It’s a spellbinding performance, beyond what we normally hear at this level”