In this review, we will be comparing BRX and Bronze 1, two Passive Bookshelf speakers from GoldenEar and Monitor Audio. Let's have a brief look at the main features of GoldenEar BRX and Monitor Audio Bronze 1 first before getting into our more detailed comparison.
In the following sections, we will get into details in order to better understand how GoldenEar BRX and Monitor Audio Bronze 1 compares 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 BRX and Bronze 1 are 2-way speakers. BRX features a " Folded Ribbon Tweeter and 1 x 6" Polypropylene Woofer . On the other hand, Bronze 1 features a 1" Dome Tweeter and 1 x 5.5" C-CAM Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2700Hz.
Frequency Response
BRX has a frequency range of 40-35k Hz whereas Bronze 1 has a frequency range of 55-30k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 40Hz, the BRX can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Bronze 1's min frequency of 55Hz.
Below graphs depict how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average values of the Min and Max Frequencies of other speakers under Bookshelf class in our database.
Low Frequency
Bookshelf Speakers
High Frequency
Bookshelf Speakers
Impedance and Sensitivity
BRX and Bronze 1 has the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. BRX sensitivity is rated at 90 dB and Bronze 1's is at 88 dB. This 2 dB difference makes GoldenEar BRX a more sensitive speaker compared to Monitor Audio Bronze 1, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Bookshelf 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.
BRX can handle a max power of 250 watts RMS from the amp the whereas Bronze 1 has a max power handling value of 70 watts RMS, 180 watts less than the BRX.
Keep in mind that higher max power handling value doesn't necesssarily make that a louder speaker compared to a lower max handling speaker. Loudness or the sound level is also impacted by parameters such as Impededance, sensitivity and system efficiencies.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
BRX features Post type posts and Bronze 1 has a Post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
GoldenEar BRX's 5-way post terminals
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both BRX and Bronze 1 have rear firing ports. Rear ported speakers generlly need more room between the backside of the speaker and the wall compared to sealed and front/bottom ported speakers. Placing too close to the walls may cause the bass to sound boomy.
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 GoldenEar BRX's and Monitor Audio Bronze 1's external dimensions. GoldenEar BRX has external dimensions of 308.0 x 207.0 x 313.0mm ( 12-1/8 x 8-1/8 x 12-5/16inch) whereas Monitor Audio Bronze 1 has external dimensions of 260.0 x 165.0 x 205.0mm ( 10.2 x 6.4 x 8.0inch) .
GoldenEar BRX is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 42mm wider, 48mm taller and 108mm deeper than Monitor Audio Bronze 1.
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 GoldenEar BRX is approximately 647.9cm2 / 100.4inch2 and base area of the Monitor Audio Bronze 1 is approximately 338.3cm2 / 52.4inch2. The BRX requires 92% more surface area than the Bronze 1 which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.
