In this review, we will be comparing Confidence 60 and Silver 500 7G, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Dynaudio and Monitor Audio.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Dynaudio Confidence 60 and Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Dynaudio Confidence 60 | Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G |
|---|
| Brand | Dynaudio
Denmark · founded 1977 | Monitor Audio
United Kingdom · founded 1972 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1.1" Soft-Dome | 1" gold dome C-CAM with Uniform Dispersion (UD) Waveguide II |
|---|
| Midrange | 2 x 6" | 3" |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 9" MSP | 2 x 8" C-CAM RST II |
|---|
| Frequency response | 29-22k Hz | 27-35k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 87 dB | 90.5 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 4 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | — | 80-250 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 66.20kg / 145.6lbs | 22.53kg / 49.6lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 64-5/16" x 10-11/16" x 18-7/16"
1634.0 x 271.0 x 469.0mm | 42-11/16" x 12-11/16" x 15-7/16"
1085.0 x 323.0 x 393.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the Dynaudio Confidence 60 and Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G speakers good for?
The size of the room in which you are planning to use these loudspeakers is an important decision
factor. Here we have compared their suitability to various sizes of environments considering their size
and max power parameters:
| Listening Environment* |
Dynaudio Confidence 60 |
Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G |
| Near-field |
Are you nuts? |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Average |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Good |
Average |
(* Approximate Room sizes: Small < 100sq. ft / 9 m2,
Mid-size: 100-220 sq. ft / 9-20 m2, Large 220-400 sq. ft / 20-36 m2, Very Large: >
400 sq. ft / 36 m2.
Average Floor Height: 9" / 2.7m. Typical room sizes differ from country to country, and the actual
listening experience changes depending on floor height, room shape, surface materials, listening
position, speaker locations, etc.)
The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.
Drivers
Both Confidence 60 and Silver 500 7G are 3-way speakers.
Dynaudio Confidence 60Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
Dynaudio Confidence 60 |
Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
2 x 6-inch |
1 x 3-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 9-inch
|
2 x 8-inch
|
Confidence 60 features a 1.1" Esotar 3 Soft-Dome Tweeter, a 6" Midrange and 2 x 9" MSP Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 200/2580 Hz. 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
Confidence 60 has a frequency range of 29-22k 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 slightly deeper then the Confidence 60's min frequency of 29Hz.
The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
Neither pair reaches down to 20Hz, the usual definition of full-range, which is normal for speakers of this size. If you want the bottom octave for movies or bass-heavy music, add a subwoofer to whichever you choose. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
Confidence 60 is a 4 ohms speaker compared to the Silver 500 7G which has a nominal impedance of 8 ohms. Lower impedance speakers, especially the ones that are rated at 4 ohms may put more pressure on the amplifier unit especially when played at high volume levels, so make sure the amp you pair with the Confidence 60 can provide this impedance level.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Confidence 60 sensitivity is rated at 87 dB and the Silver 500 7G's is rated at 90.5 dB. This 4 dB difference makes the Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G a more sensitive speaker compared to Dynaudio Confidence 60, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Floor-standing Speakers
Which plays louder on your amplifier?
Starting with a popular amplifier - change it to the one you own, or any you are
considering, and watch both numbers move.
Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Silver 500 7G features Binding post posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. Confidence 60 has a Binding post which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Confidence 60 has a down firing port whereas Silver 500 7G has a rear firing ports.
Physical Specs
The size of a speaker can sometimes be an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare Dynaudio Confidence 60's and Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G's external dimensions. Dynaudio Confidence 60 has external dimensions of 1634.0 x 271.0 x 469.0mm (64-5/16 x 10-11/16 x 18-7/16inch) 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).
Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G is 549mm shorter and 76mm less deeper than Dynaudio Confidence 60 but it is also 52mm wider.
Size, drawn to scale
Both speakers and both views share one scale, so everything here is directly comparable. Hover a box for its dimensions.
One scale for both, standing on the same surface and pushed back to the same wall, so the deeper one visibly sticks out further.
Near-identical footprints. Dynaudio Confidence 60 is 76mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. Dynaudio Confidence 60 is 549mm 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 Dynaudio Confidence 60 is approximately 1271.0cm2 / 197.0inch2 and base area of the Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G is approximately 1269.4cm2 / 196.8inch2. The Confidence 60 requires 0% more surface area than the Silver 500 7G which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.
Weight Comparison The weight of a loudspeaker can become an important factor if you need to move and reposition the unit often. Weight of a speaker can also "sometimes" be an indicator of the rigidity of the enclosure and the quality of the internal components used. The Dynaudio Confidence 60 weighs 66.20kg / 145.6lbs and the Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G weighs 22.53kg / 49.6lbs. This makes the Confidence 60 194% heavier than the Silver 500 7G.
Here is a comparison of how Confidence 60 and Silver 500 7G's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Floor-standing class.
Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers
Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G
What's in the Box of Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G?
Here are the items that come with the Silver 500 7G:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Grille
- 4 Outrigger feet
- 4 Rubber feet (pre-installed on outrigger feet)
- 4 Spikes
- 4 Bolts
- 4 Machine screws
- 2 Foam port plugs
- 2 Hex-keys
- Owners Manual
- Important Safety Instructions
 Max Input Power |
600 watts
vs
250 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Woofer Size |
9 inches
vs
8 inches
|
Larger woofer |
 Sensitivity |
91 dB
vs
87 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
4 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
|
Low Frequency Response |
27 Hz
vs
29 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
35k Hz
vs
22k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Bi-Amping and Bi-Wiring |
Yes
vs
No
|
Allows bi-amping and bi-wiring connections |
 Height |
1085mm
vs
1634mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
1269cm2
vs
1271cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
3200USD
vs
50000USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
Dynaudio Confidence 60 |
Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G |
| Brand |
Dynaudio |
Monitor Audio |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Sensitivity |
87 dB |
90.5 dB |
| Impedance |
4 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
29-22k Hz |
27-35k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
9" |
8" |
| Woofer Composition |
MSP |
C-CAM RST II |
| Woofer Surround Material |
n/a |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1.1" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
Soft-Dome |
gold dome C-CAM with Uniform Dispersion (UD) Waveguide II |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
6" |
3" |
| Crossover Frequency |
200/2580 Hz |
n/a |
| Firing Direction |
down |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1634.0mm (64.3") |
1085.0mm (42.7") |
| Width |
271.0mm (10.7") |
323.0mm (12.7") |
| Depth |
469.0mm (18.5") |
393.0mm (15.5") |
| Weight |
66.20kg (145.6lbs) |
22.53kg (49.6lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
n/a |
MDF/Wood veneer |
| Available Colors |
n/a |
Oak |
| Grille |
Yes |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
No |
Yes |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
|
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
|
5 Years |
These sit in different price classes - Dynaudio Confidence 60 costs roughly 15.6x what Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G does. Expect it to lead on paper; the question is whether the gap is audible enough in your room to be worth it.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | evenly matched | Much the same reach (29Hz vs 27Hz). |
| Amplifier needs | B | Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G is more sensitive (91dB vs 87dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Amplifier match | B | Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G is the easier load at 8 ohms; the other is 4 ohms and wants an amplifier rated for it. |
| Headroom | A | Dynaudio Confidence 60 takes more power (600W vs 250W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size | depends | Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G is easier to place; Dynaudio Confidence 60 is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Expandability | B | Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G: bi-amping. Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G sits in a wider range (8 models), so a matched surround system is easier later. |
| Price | B | Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G is cheaper - $3,200 against $50,000, about 94% less; arguably a different class. |
A Dynaudio Confidence 60 B Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, your system or how you will use them. Only specs published for both speakers are judged; anything missing on either side is left out rather than guessed.
Which should you choose?
Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G is the easier recommendation: it leads on most of the measured areas and costs less. Take Dynaudio Confidence 60 if its size, looks or fit in your room suit you better. Match it to your room: we rate Dynaudio Confidence 60 the better fit for a very large room; elsewhere the two are rated the same. In a large or open-plan room, Dynaudio Confidence 60 has the cabinet volume to fill it more easily; in a small room, near a wall or at desk distance, Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G is the easier speaker to get right.
And remember what a spec sheet cannot show: how each looks in your room and whether the finish suits it, what dealer support and warranty are like where you live, and how they actually sound to you. If you can hear them first - ideally with your own music - that will tell you more than any number above.