In this review, we will be comparing Bronze 500 and R500, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Monitor Audio and Polk Audio.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Monitor Audio Bronze 500 and Polk R500 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
Monitor Audio Bronze 500 Key Specs
- 2-way Design
- 1" gold dome C-CAM with uniform dispersion (UD) waveguide Tweeter
- 2 x 8" C-CAM Woofer
- 32-30k Hz Frequency Response
- 90 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 8ohms
- Power Range:60-200watts
- Weight:18.05kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 977.0" x 11-9/16" x 14-3/8"( 977.0 x 294.0 x 366.0mm )
Polk R500 Key Specs
- 2-way Design
- 1" Pinnacle Ring Radiator Tweeter
- 2 x 5.25" Polypropylene Turbine Cone Woofer
- 49-38k Hz Frequency Response
- 87 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 8ohms
- Power Range:25-200watts
- Weight:17.70kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 1044.5" x 10.1" x 13.7"( 1044.5 x 255.4 x 348.8mm )
What size room are the Monitor Audio Bronze 500 and Polk R500 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* |
Monitor Audio Bronze 500 |
Polk R500 |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Good |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Poor |
Poor |
(* 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.)
In the following sections, we will get into more detail in order to better understand how the Monitor Audio Bronze 500 and Polk R500 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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through my links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Drivers
Both Bronze 500 and R500 are 2-way speakers.
| Driver |
Monitor Audio Bronze 500 |
Polk R500 |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 8-inch
|
2 x 5.25-inch
|
Bronze 500 features a 1" gold dome C-CAM with uniform dispersion (UD) waveguide Tweeter and 2 x 8" C-CAM Woofer . On the other hand, the R500 features a 1" Pinnacle Ring Radiator Tweeter and 2 x 5.25" Polypropylene Turbine Cone Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2500Hz.
Frequency Response
Bronze 500 has a frequency range of 32-30k Hz whereas R500 has a frequency range of 49-38k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 32Hz, the Bronze 500 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the R500's min frequency of 49Hz.
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
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
Bronze 500 and R500 have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Bronze 500 sensitivity is rated at 90 dB and the R500's is at 87 dB. This 3 dB difference makes the Monitor Audio Bronze 500 a more sensitive speaker compared to Polk R500, 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.
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
Bronze 500 features Binding post posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. R500 has a Post which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Polk R500's Post terminals
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 Monitor Audio Bronze 500's and Polk R500's external dimensions. Monitor Audio Bronze 500 has external dimensions of 977.0 x 294.0 x 366.0mm ( 38-7/16 x 11-9/16 x 14-3/8inch) whereas Polk R500 has external dimensions of 1044.5 x 255.4 x 348.8mm ( 41.1 x 10.1 x 13.7inch) .
Polk R500 is 38.6mm narrower and 17.2mm less deeper than Monitor Audio Bronze 500 but it is also 67.5mm taller.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Monitor Audio Bronze 500 and Polk R500 in scale.
Comparison image of Monitor Audio Bronze 500 and Polk R500 Size and External Dimensions
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 Monitor Audio Bronze 500 is approximately 1076.0cm2 / 166.8inch2 and base area of the Polk R500 is approximately 890.8cm2 / 138.1inch2. The Bronze 500 requires 21% more surface area than the R500 which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.