In this review, we will be comparing Silver 300 7G and Silver 300 8G, two Passive Floor-standing speakers by Monitor Audio.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Monitor Audio Silver 300 7G and Monitor Audio Silver 300 8G first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Monitor Audio Silver 300 7G | Monitor Audio Silver 300 8G |
|---|
| Brand | Monitor Audio United Kingdom · founded 1972 | Monitor Audio United Kingdom · founded 1972 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" gold dome C-CAM with Uniform Dispersion (UD) Waveguide II | 1" gold dome C-CAM |
|---|
| Midrange | 3" | 3" |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 6" C-CAM RST II | 2 x 6" C-CAM RST III |
|---|
| Frequency response | 31-35k Hz | 30-35k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 87.5 dB | 88 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 80-200 watts | 50-200 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 19.32kg / 42.5lbs | 19.30kg / 42.5lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 40-3/4" x 10-7/8" x 15-1/4" 1036.0 x 277.0 x 388.0mm | 40-3/16" x 11-5/8" x 16-1/8" 1020.0 x 295.0 x 410.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the Monitor Audio Silver 300 7G and Monitor Audio Silver 300 8G 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 300 7G |
Monitor Audio Silver 300 8G |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Average |
| Large Room |
Good |
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.
Drivers
Both Silver 300 7G and Silver 300 8G are 3-way speakers.
Monitor Audio Silver 300 7GMonitor Audio Silver 300 8G
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 300 7G |
Monitor Audio Silver 300 8G |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 3-inch |
1 x 3-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 6-inch
|
2 x 6-inch
|
Silver 300 7G features a 1" gold dome C-CAM with Uniform Dispersion (UD) Waveguide II Tweeter, a 3" Midrange and 2 x 6" C-CAM RST II Woofer. On the other hand, the Silver 300 8G features a 1" gold dome C-CAM Tweeter, a 3" Midrange and 2 x 6" C-CAM RST III Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 610Hz and 3300Hz.
Frequency Response
Silver 300 7G has a frequency range of 31-35k Hz whereas Silver 300 8G has a frequency range of 30-35k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 30Hz, the Silver 300 8G can go slightly deeper then the Silver 300 7G's min frequency of 31Hz.
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
Silver 300 7G and Silver 300 8G have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Silver 300 7G sensitivity is rated at 87.5 dB and the Silver 300 8G's is at 88 dB.
Sensitivity
Floor-standing 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.
Both handle the same maximum of 200 watts RMS, though Silver 300 7G is rated 80-200 watts and Silver 300 8G 50-200 watts.
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 300 7G
Monitor Audio Silver 300 8G
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Both Silver 300 7G and Silver 300 8G features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both Silver 300 7G and Silver 300 8G 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
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 300 7G's and Monitor Audio Silver 300 8G's external dimensions. Monitor Audio Silver 300 7G has external dimensions of 1036.0 x 277.0 x 388.0mm (40-3/4 x 10-7/8 x 15-1/4inch) whereas Monitor Audio Silver 300 8G has external dimensions of 1020.0 x 295.0 x 410.0mm (40-3/16 x 11-5/8 x 16-1/8inch).
Monitor Audio Silver 300 7G is 18mm narrower and 22mm less deeper than Monitor Audio Silver 300 8G but it is also 16mm taller.
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.
Monitor Audio Silver 300 8G needs about 13% more floor or shelf area. Monitor Audio Silver 300 8G is 22mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. Monitor Audio Silver 300 7G is 16mm 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 Monitor Audio Silver 300 7G is approximately 1074.8cm2 / 166.6inch2 and base area of the Monitor Audio Silver 300 8G is approximately 1209.5cm2 / 187.5inch2. The Silver 300 7G requires 11% less surface area than the Silver 300 8G which gives it a small advantage 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 Monitor Audio Silver 300 7G weighs 19.32kg / 42.5lbs and the Monitor Audio Silver 300 8G weighs 19.30kg / 42.5lbs. This makes the Silver 300 7G 0% heavier than the Silver 300 8G.
Here is a comparison of how Silver 300 7G and Silver 300 8G's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Floor-standing class.
Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers
Monitor Audio Silver 300 7G
Monitor Audio Silver 300 8G
What's in the Box of Monitor Audio Silver 300 7G?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of Silver 300 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
Base Surface Area |
1074cm2
vs
1209cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
Price per pair* |
2600USD
vs
3000USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
Low Frequency Response |
30 Hz
vs
31 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
Height |
1020mm
vs
1036mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
| General |
Monitor Audio Silver 300 7G |
Monitor Audio Silver 300 8G |
| Brand |
Monitor Audio |
Monitor Audio |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
80-200 watts |
50-200 watts |
| Sensitivity |
87.5 dB |
88 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Impedance |
n/a |
3.9 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
31-35k Hz |
30-35k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
6" |
6" |
| Woofer Composition |
C-CAM RST II |
C-CAM RST III |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
n/a |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
gold dome C-CAM with Uniform Dispersion (UD) Waveguide II |
gold dome C-CAM |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
3" |
3" |
| Crossover Frequency |
n/a |
610Hz and 3300Hz |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1036.0mm (40.8") |
1020.0mm (40.2") |
| Width |
277.0mm (10.9") |
295.0mm (11.6") |
| Depth |
388.0mm (15.3") |
410.0mm (16.1") |
| Weight |
19.32kg (42.5lbs) |
19.30kg (42.5lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
MDF/Wood veneer |
MDF/High gloss, veneer or satin paint |
| Available Colors |
Oak |
High Gloss Black, European Walnut, Satin White |
| Grille |
Yes |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
Yes |
Yes |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
A generation apart: Monitor Audio Silver 300 8G is the newer design, against a 2021 model. Newer is not automatically better, but the older one is more likely to be discounted or near run-out.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | evenly matched | Much the same reach (31Hz vs 30Hz). |
| Amplifier needs | evenly matched | Similar sensitivity (88dB vs 88dB) - both want much the same power. |
| Headroom | evenly matched | Similar power handling (200W vs 200W). |
| Size | depends | Similar cabinet size - neither is easier to fit. |
| Expandability | depends | Monitor Audio Silver 300 7G: bi-amping; Monitor Audio Silver 300 8G: bi-amping. |
| Price | A | Monitor Audio Silver 300 7G is cheaper - $2,600 against $3,000, about 13% less. |
A Monitor Audio Silver 300 7G B Monitor Audio Silver 300 8G
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?
Neither runs away with it - they trade advantages. Let the "depends" rows and your own room settle it. Match it to your room: we rate Monitor Audio Silver 300 7G the better fit for a mid-size room, and Monitor Audio Silver 300 8G for a very large room.
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.