In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers by Monitor Audio. Monitor Audio Silver 300 8G is a Floor-standing speaker whereas the Silver Centre 8G is a Center Channel speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Monitor Audio Silver 300 8G and Monitor Audio Silver Centre 8G first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Monitor Audio Silver 300 8G | Monitor Audio Silver Centre 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 | 1" gold dome C-CAM |
|---|
| Midrange | 3" | 3" |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 6" C-CAM RST III | 2 x 6" C-CAM RST III |
|---|
| Frequency response | 30-35k Hz | 66-35k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 88 dB | 89 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 50-200 watts | 50-200 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 19.30kg / 42.5lbs | 11.70kg / 25.7lbs |
|---|
| 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 | 8-1/16" x 20-1/8" x 10-11/16"
205.0 x 511.0 x 272.0mm |
|---|
Silver 300 8G and Silver Centre 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 Centre 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 Centre 8G |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Poor |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Average |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Good |
| Large Room |
Good |
Average |
| Very Large Room |
Average |
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.)
The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.
Drivers
Both Silver 300 8G and Silver Centre 8G are 3-way speakers.
Monitor Audio Silver 300 8GMonitor Audio Silver Centre 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 8G |
Monitor Audio Silver Centre 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 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 Centre 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 620Hz and 3000Hz.
Frequency Response
Silver 300 8G has a frequency range of 30-35k Hz whereas Silver Centre 8G has a frequency range of 66-35k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 30Hz, the Silver 300 8G can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Silver Centre 8G's min frequency of 66Hz.
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 8G and Silver Centre 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 Centre 8G's is at 89 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the Monitor Audio Silver Centre 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. Staying
within that range gives nominal performance; driving the speaker beyond its maximum wattage can damage it.
Silver 300 8G and Silver Centre 8G have the same power range of 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 8G
Monitor Audio Silver Centre 8G
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Both Silver 300 8G and Silver Centre 8G 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 300 8G's and Monitor Audio Silver Centre 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 Centre 8G has external dimensions of 205.0 x 511.0 x 272.0mm (8-1/16 x 20-1/8 x 10-11/16inch).
Monitor Audio Silver Centre 8G is 815mm shorter and 138mm less deeper than Monitor Audio Silver 300 8G but it is also 216mm wider.
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 Centre 8G needs about 15% more floor or shelf area. Monitor Audio Silver 300 8G is 138mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. Monitor Audio Silver 300 8G is 815mm 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 8G is approximately 1209.5cm2 / 187.5inch2 and base area of the Monitor Audio Silver Centre 8G is approximately 1389.9cm2 / 215.4inch2. The Silver 300 8G requires 13% less surface area than the Silver Centre 8G which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.