In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers by Monitor Audio. Monitor Audio Silver 100 7G is a Bookshelf speaker whereas the Silver 500 7G is a Floor-standing speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Monitor Audio Silver 100 7G and Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Monitor Audio Silver 100 7G | Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G |
|---|
| Brand | Monitor Audio
United Kingdom · founded 1972 | Monitor Audio
United Kingdom · founded 1972 |
|---|
| Design | 2-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" Hard-Dome | 1" gold dome C-CAM with Uniform Dispersion (UD) Waveguide II |
|---|
| Midrange | — | 3" |
|---|
| Woofer | 8" C-CAM RST II | 2 x 8" C-CAM RST II |
|---|
| Frequency response | 35-35k Hz | 27-35k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 87.5 dB | 90.5 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 40-120 watts | 80-250 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 9.43kg / 20.7lbs | 22.53kg / 49.6lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 14-13/16" x 9-1/8" x 13-1/16"
377.0 x 232.0 x 332.0mm | 42-11/16" x 12-11/16" x 15-7/16"
1085.0 x 323.0 x 393.0mm |
|---|
Silver 100 7G and Silver 500 7G are members of Monitor Audio's Silver series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
Monitor Audio Silver Series
History
What size room are the Monitor Audio Silver 100 7G 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* |
Monitor Audio Silver 100 7G |
Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G |
| Near-field |
Poor |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Average |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Average |
| Large Room |
Average |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Poor |
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.
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Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Silver 100 7G is a 2-way design whereas the Silver 500 7G is a 3-way speaker. 3-way designs utilize a midrange driver in addition to the tweeter and woofer on 2-way designs. Designing a crossover for a 3-way speaker is a complicated process and generally increases the overall cost of the speaker.
Monitor Audio Silver 100 7GMonitor 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 |
Monitor Audio Silver 100 7G |
Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
1 x 3-inch |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 8-inch
|
2 x 8-inch
|
Silver 100 7G features a 1" Hard-Dome Tweeter and 1 x 8" C-CAM RST II 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
Silver 100 7G has a frequency range of 35-35k 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 Silver 100 7G's min frequency of 35Hz.
The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Bookshelf class in our database.
Low Frequency
Bookshelf 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
Silver 100 7G and Silver 500 7G have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Silver 100 7G sensitivity is rated at 87.5 dB and the Silver 500 7G's is at 90.5 dB. This 3 dB difference makes the Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G a more sensitive speaker compared to Monitor Audio Silver 100 7G, 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. Staying
within that range gives nominal performance; driving the speaker beyond its maximum wattage can damage it.
Silver 500 7G can handle a max power of 250 watts RMS, whereas Silver 100 7G has a max power handling value of 120 watts RMS, 130 watts less than the Silver 500 7G.
Note that higher power handling does not make a speaker louder: that depends mainly on
sensitivity and impedance. The calculator below shows how loud each of these actually plays
on a real amplifier.
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 100 7G
Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Both Silver 100 7G and Silver 500 7G features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.
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 Monitor Audio Silver 100 7G's and Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G's external dimensions. Monitor Audio Silver 100 7G has external dimensions of 377.0 x 232.0 x 332.0mm (14-13/16 x 9-1/8 x 13-1/16inch) 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 clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 91mm wider, 708mm taller and 61mm deeper than Monitor Audio Silver 100 7G.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Monitor Audio Silver 100 7G and Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G in scale.
Comparison image of Monitor Audio Silver 100 7G and Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G 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 Silver 100 7G is approximately 770.2cm2 / 119.4inch2 and base area of the Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G is approximately 1269.4cm2 / 196.8inch2. The Silver 100 7G requires 39% less surface area than the Silver 500 7G which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.
What's in the Box of Monitor Audio Silver 100 7G?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of Silver 100 7G:
- 2 Bookshelf loudspeakers
- 2 Grilles
- 4 Jumpers (pre-installed)
- 8 Rubber feet
- 2 Foam port plugs
- Hex-key
- Owners Manual
- Important Safety Instructions
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