Monitor Audio Silver 200
These impressively made floorstanders have been the torch bearers for Monitor Audio’s Silver Series for more than two years now and, as the sixth generation of that line, they’re doing a fine job. Granted, it’s not quite the same generational distance as between Danny Dyer and King Edward III, for instance, but it’s still an impressively lengthy lineage.
The benefits of their slender form have been maximised by Monitor Audio’s engineers, who’ve worked to tune the speakers so they sound best around 50cm from a back wall, but with only minor variances in tonal balance when they are placed closer to the wall, or a decent way out into the room.
Two Hive II reflex ports are positioned at the back of the cabinet, and slim magnetic-held grilles bring a neat, elegant look its front. The Hive II ports use a straight-rifled design to accelerate airflow and reduce turbulence – effectively moving air out more swiftly for a fast, powerful bass response.
Behind the grille sits Monitor Audio’s iconic gold-dome tweeter. It’s fine-tuned for clear, smooth and distortion-free high frequencies.
The Silver 200s are a 2.5-way driver design, with a pair of 13cm C-CAM (ceramic-coated aluminium/magnesium) drivers sitting directly below the tweeter. The upper one functions across midrange and bass, the lower focuses on bass frequencies.
Plenty of choice
Six finishes are available: black oak, walnut, rosenut, natural oak, high-gloss black or, as here, satin white.
The percussive intro of LCD Soundsystem’s Dance Yrself Clean immediately shows off just how fast these speakers are. The tune snaps in perfect time, with all the cleanliness implied in the title. Synthesizer stabs arrive precisely on each bar’s first beat and each component of the sparse arrangement is handled with great organisational ability.
It’s also a good opportunity to trial the supposed versatility in positioning. The 200s are perhaps at their fastest when brought into the room – they lose just a hint of detail and precision when placed much nearer a rear wall, though a slight increase of low-end weight brings a more natural rendering of rhythm and timing.
A balanced presentation
Don’t think Monitor Audio has forgone any sense of refinement in pursuit of excitement. This is still a very mature performance, highlighted by a penchant for instrumental organisation as well as a smoothly levelled balance and dynamic sensibility.
There’s impressive clarity throughout here too; nowhere do these speakers sound flabby, coarse or thin.
We turn our reference amplifier up high, and at no point does anything other than a potential noise complaint urge us to turn it down.
Monitor Audio has taken care not to let the Silver 200s become preoccupied with analytical detail. Having tested many pairs of speakers that favour resolution at the expense of musicality, we think it a wise move.
Playing Clint Mansell’s score for Darren Aronofsky’s The Fountain, the strings of the Kronos Quartet have a texture that resonates in the bodies of their instruments and reveals the acoustic of the room around them. That said, the likes of Dali’s Oberon 5 manage to resolve even more, delivering an extra dose of nuanced dynamics.
If it’s insight you’re after, the Silver 200s certainly aren’t lacking. They deserve praise for how forgiving they are when fed lower-resolution files and coarse bedroom recordings, treating them as pieces of music rather than exposing their shortcomings.
These Monitor Audios remain polished performers, but the arrival of the Dalis below them and the Wharfedales at a slightly higher price show that more is available at this level.