In this review, we will be comparing Silver 300 8G and Silver 500 8G, two Passive Floor-standing speakers by Monitor Audio
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Monitor Audio Silver 300 8G and Monitor Audio Silver 500 8G first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
Monitor Audio Silver 300 8G Key Specs
- 3-way Design
- 1" gold dome C-CAM Tweeter
- 3" Midrange
- 2 x 6" C-CAM RST III Woofer
- 30-35k Hz Frequency Response
- 88 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 8ohms
- Power Range:50-200watts
- Weight:19.30kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 40-3/16" x 11-5/8" x 16-1/8" ( 1020.0 x 295.0 x 410.0mm )
Monitor Audio Silver 500 8G Key Specs
- 3-way Design
- 1" gold dome C-CAM Tweeter
- 3" Midrange
- 2 x 8" C-CAM RST III Woofer
- 3" Midrange
- 28-35k Hz Frequency Response
- 90 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 8ohms
- Power Range:60-250watts
- Weight:24.30kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 44-1/8" x 13-3/8" x 17" ( 1120.0 x 340.0 x 432.0mm )
Silver 300 8G and Silver 500 8G are members of Monitor Audio's Silver 8G series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
Monitor Audio Silver 8G Series
History
What size room are the Monitor Audio Silver 300 8G and Monitor Audio Silver 500 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 8G |
Monitor Audio Silver 500 8G |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Average |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Average |
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.)
In the following sections, we will get into more detail in order to better understand how the Monitor Audio Silver 300 8G and Monitor Audio Silver 500 8G 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 Silver 300 8G and Silver 500 8G are 3-way speakers.
| Driver |
Monitor Audio Silver 300 8G |
Monitor Audio Silver 500 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 8-inch
|
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. On the other hand, the Silver 500 8G features a 1" gold dome C-CAM Tweeter , a 3" Midrange and 2 x 8" C-CAM RST III Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 640Hz and 2800Hz.
Frequency Response
Silver 300 8G has a frequency range of 30-35k Hz whereas Silver 500 8G has a frequency range of 28-35k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 28Hz, the Silver 500 8G can go slightly deeper then the Silver 300 8G's min frequency of 30Hz.
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
Monitor Audio Silver 300 8G
Monitor Audio Silver 500 8G
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
Silver 300 8G and Silver 500 8G have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Silver 300 8G sensitivity is rated at 88 dB and the Silver 500 8G's is at 90 dB. This 2 dB difference makes the Monitor Audio Silver 500 8G a more sensitive speaker compared to Monitor Audio Silver 300 8G, 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.
Silver 300 8G can handle a max power of 250 watts RMS from the amp the whereas Silver 300 8G has a max power handling value of 200 watts RMS , 50 watts less than the Silver 500 8G.
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
Silver 300 8G features Binding post type posts and Silver 500 8G has a Binding post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both Silver 300 8G and Silver 500 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
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 Silver 300 8G's and Monitor Audio Silver 500 8G's external dimensions. 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) whereas Monitor Audio Silver 500 8G has external dimensions of 1120.0 x 340.0 x 432.0mm ( 44-1/8 x 13-3/8 x 17inch) .
Monitor Audio Silver 500 8G is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 45mm wider, 100mm taller and 22mm deeper than Monitor Audio Silver 300 8G.
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 8G is approximately 1209.5cm2 / 187.5inch2 and base area of the Monitor Audio Silver 500 8G is approximately 1468.8cm2 / 227.7inch2. The Silver 300 8G requires 18% less surface area than the Silver 500 8G which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.