In this review, we will be comparing SONIK 9 and Silver 500 7G, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from DALI and Monitor Audio.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of DALI SONIK 9 and Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
DALI SONIK 9 Key Specs
- 3-way Design
- 0.6875 x 1.75" Planar Tweeter
- 1.125" Midrange
- 3 x 7.0" Wood fiber Woofer
- 34-30k Hz Frequency Response
- 90 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 6ohms
- Power Range:50-300watts
- Weight:24.65kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 1126.0" x 12-9/16" x 14-13/16"( 1126.0 x 320.0 x 377.0mm )
Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G Key Specs
- 3-way Design
- 1" gold dome C-CAM with Uniform Dispersion (UD) Waveguide II Tweeter
- 3" Midrange
- 2 x 8" C-CAM RST II Woofer
- 3" Midrange
- 27-35k Hz Frequency Response
- 90.5 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 8ohms
- Power Range:80-250watts
- Weight:22.53kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 1085.0" x 12-11/16" x 15-7/16"( 1085.0 x 323.0 x 393.0mm )
In the following sections, we will get into more detail in order to better understand how the DALI SONIK 9 and Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G compare and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one of these loudspeakers is the better choice for you.
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Drivers
Both SONIK 9 and Silver 500 7G are 3-way speakers.
| Driver |
DALI SONIK 9 |
Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
0.6875 x 1.75-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 1.125-inch |
1 x 3-inch |
|
Woofer
|
3 x 7.0-inch
|
2 x 8-inch
|
SONIK 9 features a 0.6875 x 1.75" Planar Tweeter , a 1.125" Midrange and 3 x 7.0" Wood fiber Woofer . On the other hand, the Silver 500 7G features a 1" gold dome C-CAM with Uniform Dispersion (UD) Waveguide II Tweeter , a 3" Midrange and 2 x 8" C-CAM RST II Woofer .
Frequency Response
SONIK 9 has a frequency range of 34-30k Hz whereas Silver 500 7G has a frequency range of 27-35k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 27Hz, the Silver 500 7G can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the SONIK 9's min frequency of 34Hz.
Below graphs depict how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average values of the Min and Max Frequencies of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
High Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G
None of these speakers achieves full range experience which is commonly agreed as 20Hz-20kHz. In order to achieve lower lows / deeper bass, we recommend you pair these with a subwoofer. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
SONIK 9 is a 6 ohms speaker compared to the Silver 500 7G which has a nominal impedance of 8 ohms.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. SONIK 9 sensitivity is rated at 90 dB and the Silver 500 7G's is rated at 90.5 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G a more sensitive speaker compared to DALI SONIK 9, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Floor-standing Speakers
Power Range
Power
range is the range of input power in watts RMS that a loudspeaker is designed to handle. While using
an amplifier within this range ensures the nominal performance , inputting a power that is higher than the
max wattage can result in a damaged speaker.
SONIK 9 can handle a max power of 300 watts RMS from the amp the whereas Silver 500 7G has a max power handling value of 250 watts RMS, 50 watts less than the SONIK 9.
Keep in mind that a higher max power handling value doesn't necessarily make that a louder speaker
compared to a lower max handling speaker. Loudness or the sound level is also impacted by parameters
such as Impedance, sensitivity and system efficiencies.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Silver 500 7G features Binding post posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. SONIK 9 has a Binding post which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both SONIK 9 and Silver 500 7G have rear firing ports. Rear ported speakers generally need more room between the backside of the speaker and the wall compared to sealed and front/bottom ported speakers. Placing the speakers too close to the walls may cause the bass to sound boomy.
If you are limited in space and can't get the speakers away from the backwall, check our Speakers with Front Firing Ports page.
Physical Specs
Size of a speaker can sometimes become an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare DALI SONIK 9's and Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G's external dimensions. DALI SONIK 9 has external dimensions of 1126.0 x 320.0 x 377.0mm ( 44-5/16inch x 12-9/16inch x 14-13/16inch ) whereas Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G has external dimensions of 1085.0 x 323.0 x 393.0mm ( 42-11/16 x 12-11/16 x 15-7/16inch) .
DALI SONIK 9 is 3mm narrower and 16mm less deeper than Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G but it is also 41mm taller.
Base Surface Area Comparison
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited.
The base surface area of the DALI SONIK 9 is approximately 1206.4cm2 / 187.0inch2 and base area of the Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G is approximately 1269.4cm2 / 196.8inch2. The SONIK 9 requires 5% less surface area than the Silver 500 7G which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.