Monitor Audio Silver RS ◆ £1,900 (approx) ◆ 01268 by Home Cinema Choice

Monitor Audio Silver RS ◆ £1,900 (approx) ◆ 01268 740580 ◆ www.monitoraudio.com

Silver service from Monitor Audio Precious metals collide as our very own audiophile Alvin Gold reviews the Silver

ne of Britain’s best-known specialist loudspeaker brands, Monitor Audio was among the

ﬁrst to introduce some key technologies,

RS series from Monitor Audio

most famously the metal dome tweeter

RATINGS Highs: A great all-rounder; suitable for music and film soundtracks Lows: FX surrounds are weak compared to the other speakers

– the distant ancestor of the very model used in this system. The Silver RS range is strictly

SPECIFICATIONS ITEM RS6 Drive units

Enclosure type Frequency response Sensitivity Power handling Dimensions Weight RS LCR Drive units Enclosure type Frequency response Sensitivity Power handling Dimensions Weight RS FX Drive units Enclosure type Frequency response Sensitivity Power handling Dimensions Weight RSW12 Drive units Enclosure type Frequency response Power Dimensions Weight

DETAILS

★★★

Rears

mainstream in its appeal. The technology

Bass

★★★½

is contemporary, if not cutting-edge.

OVERALL

★★★★

The ﬁnishes are wood effect vinyl wrap, albeit of good quality. The styling of the

1 x 150mm C-CAM bass, 1 x 150mm C-CAM bass/midband, 1 x 25mm Gold Dome C-CAM tweeter Bass reflex, front & rear vented 38Hz – 30kHz 91dB/m @ 2.83V 120W 850(h) x 185(w) x 250(d) mm 18kg 2 x 150mm C-CAM bass/midrange, 1 x 25mm Gold Dome C-CAM tweeter Bass reflex, rear vented 45Hz – 30kHz 91dB/m @ 2.83V 120W 185(h) x 500(w) x 200(d) mm 8.5kg 2 x 150mm C-CAM bass/midrange, 1 x 25mm Gold Dome C-CAM tweeter Sealed (IB) 60Hz – 30kHz 89dB/m @ 2.83V 100W 290(h) x 285(w) x 130(d) mm 4kg 300mm pulp cone Bass reflex, rear vented 21Hz – 120Hz (variable) 500W 340(h) x 340(w) x 370(d) mm 25.5kg

68 HOME CINEMA CHOICE

HCC131.monitor 68

★★★★

Fronts/centre

driver surrounds is on the brash side;

All loudspeakers – or speaker systems

leaving the front bafﬂe covers in place

– have a degree of technical merit (or

helps, but there is a small but signiﬁcant

otherwise). But loudspeakers can be judged

loss of transparency and clarity when the

by other than standards of absolute literal

tweeters are obscured.

accuracy. Loudspeakers have character.

The speaker that sets the tone for this

Perhaps this shouldn’t be, but in reality every

system is the RS6, the main left/right,

part of the audio chain has its own foibles,

which is the smaller of two ﬂoor-standing

and so do the engineers entrusted with the

models in the range. It is a two-way

task of recording the source material in the

design, which means it has a tweeter, a

ﬁrst place. So literal, absolute neutrality,

mid-range unit that also covers the bass,

is not always what is required.

and a similar driver which is limited to the

And so it is here. This is one of those

bass only. This is a simple and popular way

cases where likeability comes ahead of

of increasing the cone’s radiating area

technical proﬁciency. Not that there is much

devoted to the lowest frequencies – where

wrong with the package technically. In most

larger generally means better – while

respects the Silver RS6 package is very

using a smaller, lighter and more

capable, but there are some identiﬁable

responsive engine for the mid-range,

colourations and ‘boxy’ type effects, and

where these qualities are needed most.

the treble can sound a little sharp at times.

Other models in this system include the

The tonal balances, overall, are fairly

RS-LCR, a D’Appolito design with two mid/

neutral, with a mild rising response trend

bass units ﬂanking the tweeter. The rear

into the treble. The basic RS6 ﬂoor-stander

effects speaker is a wall-hugger with a

gives the system a ﬁrmly grounded bass,

single bass driver and two tweeters, which

however, and the subwoofer is a star,

can be switched between bipole and

thanks mainly to its very solid construction

dipole radiation patters.

and sealed (unvented) construction, which

Last but not least, the subwoofer is an

means a very tight and tuneful bass, and

extremely heavy sealed-enclosure design,

the very muscular motor system. There

equipped with a 30cm driver and a 500W

have been no short cuts here, and with the

ampliﬁer Class D ampliﬁer.

ability to tune the bass to suit personal

J U LY 2 0 0 6

19/5/06 7:17:38 am

Speaker System

‘This is a high value system capable of painting soundtracks on a large scale’

raw edge-of-the-seat battle scenes, with

cinema speaker than in a multichannel

explicit image steering, and the way the

music playing role, where it fails to

muscular stuff combined with the excellent

integrate fully with the other speakers,

(and well-recorded) musical score. Similarly,

and can sound more coloured, presumably

the slo-mo titles sequence from Apocalypse

because the tweeter is well off the listening

Now reproduced with tremendous stomach-

axis. But it is possible to specify the system

churning stature and drive, and essentially

with RS1 direct radiating rear speakers,

free of the rather boxy, resonant quality of

which is like a reduced size RS6 physically,

some competing systems.

and almost certainly sonically too.

tastes, the overall low frequency balance

volume levels without strain or obvious

can be adjusted to match your system and

change in sonic character, and this remains

room with greater transparency than usual

the case even with relatively low power

positively to the touchy-feely musical

Conclusion

at this price level.

ampliﬁers, thanks to the higher-than-

numbers in Moulin Rouge, while

Overall, and despite some minor

average sensitivity, and the superior current

Pleasantville, which relies on natural

imperfections, this is a high value system

Bold and vital

pulling-power associated with the 6 Ohm

speech placement and intelligibility, is

capable of painting soundtracks on

What sets this package apart from some of

nominal impedance. This might cause some

helped here by the RS LCR centre

a large scale, even in large rooms,

its main competitors, however, is its sheer

under-endowed ampliﬁers to run a little hot

speaker’s bold tonality and good

and with relatively modestly power

listenability. There is a boldness and vitality

or even trigger the output protection

integration with the RS6.

ampliﬁcation in charge. Physical

about the sound that suggests some very

circuits, though this didn’t happen on test.

The surround RS FX switchable directivity

presentation is on the loud side too,

Auditioned with The Thin Red Line, the

helps the system adapt to the size and shape

but the plain dark detachable covers

design process. It can also be driven to high

results were often exciting, particularly in the

of the listening room, but it is a better home

will come to the rescue here ■

Remove the two brass jumpers if you’re bi-wiring

The rears can be switched between bipolar and dipolar conﬁguration

A 500W amp drives the subwoofer’s 300m cone

The distinctive gold dome tweeter is an MA trademark

well-informed listening went into the

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HCC131.monitor 69

This is a system that can also respond

HOME CINEMA CHOICE 69

19/5/06 7:17:39 am