In this review, we will be comparing Silver 500 7G and VELA FS 409, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Monitor Audio and ELAC.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G and ELAC VELA FS 409 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G | ELAC VELA FS 409 |
|---|
| Brand | Monitor Audio
United Kingdom · founded 1972 | ELAC
Germany · founded 1926 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" gold dome C-CAM with Uniform Dispersion (UD) Waveguide II | handmade JET 5 folded ribbon |
|---|
| Midrange | 3" | 6" |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 8" C-CAM RST II | 2 x 7" Aluminum/Paper |
|---|
| Frequency response | 27-35k Hz | 28-50k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 90.5 dB | 89 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 4 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 80-250 watts | 40-200 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 22.53kg / 49.6lbs | 32.18kg / 70.8lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 42-11/16" x 12-11/16" x 15-7/16"
1085.0 x 323.0 x 393.0mm | 52-3/8" x 10-15/16" x 13-9/16"
1331.0 x 278.0 x 345.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G and ELAC VELA FS 409 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 500 7G |
ELAC VELA FS 409 |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Good |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| 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 500 7G and VELA FS 409 are 3-way speakers.
Monitor Audio Silver 500 7GELAC VELA FS 409
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 500 7G |
ELAC VELA FS 409 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 3-inch |
1 x 6-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 8-inch
|
2 x 7-inch
|
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. On the other hand, the VELA FS 409 features a " handmade JET 5 folded ribbon Tweeter, a 6" Midrange and 2 x 7" Aluminum/Paper Woofer.
Frequency Response
Silver 500 7G has a frequency range of 27-35k Hz whereas VELA FS 409 has a frequency range of 28-50k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 27Hz, the Silver 500 7G can go slightly deeper then the VELA FS 409's min frequency of 28Hz.
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 500 7G is a 8 ohms speaker compared to the VELA FS 409 which has a nominal impedance of 4 ohms. Lower impedance speakers, especially the ones that are rated at 4 ohms may put more pressure on the amplifier unit especially when played at high volume levels, so make sure the amp you pair with the VELA FS 409 can provide this impedance level.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Silver 500 7G sensitivity is rated at 90.5 dB and the VELA FS 409's is rated at 89 dB. This 2 dB difference makes the Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G a more sensitive speaker compared to ELAC VELA FS 409, 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 500 7G can handle a max power of 250 watts RMS, whereas VELA FS 409 has a max power handling value of 200 watts RMS, 50 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 500 7G
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Both Silver 500 7G and VELA FS 409 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 500 7G's and ELAC VELA FS 409's external dimensions. 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) whereas ELAC VELA FS 409 has external dimensions of 1331.0 x 278.0 x 345.0mm (52-3/8 x 10-15/16 x 13-9/16inch).
ELAC VELA FS 409 is 45mm narrower and 48mm less deeper than Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G but it is also 246mm taller.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G and ELAC VELA FS 409 in scale.
Comparison image of Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G and ELAC VELA FS 409 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 500 7G is approximately 1269.4cm2 / 196.8inch2 and base area of the ELAC VELA FS 409 is approximately 959.1cm2 / 148.7inch2. The Silver 500 7G requires 32% more surface area than the VELA FS 409 which gives it a small disadvantage 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 500 7G weighs 22.53kg / 49.6lbs and the ELAC VELA FS 409 weighs 32.18kg / 70.8lbs. This makes the VELA FS 409 43% heavier than the Silver 500 7G.
Here is a comparison of how Silver 500 7G and VELA FS 409's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Floor-standing class.
Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers
Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G
What's in the Box of Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of 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
What's in the Box of ELAC VELA FS 409?
Here are the items that come with the VELA FS 409:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Base plate
- 2 Jumper straps (pre-installed)
- 4 Spikes
- 4 Pucks
- 4 Rubber pads
- 4 Machine screws
- 4 Washers
- Hex-key
- Operating And Safety Instructions
 Max Input Power |
250 watts
vs
200 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Sensitivity |
91 dB
vs
89 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
4 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
 Woofer Size |
8 inches
vs
7 inches
|
Larger woofer |
|
Low Frequency Response |
27 Hz
vs
28 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 Height |
1085mm
vs
1331mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Price per pair* |
3200USD
vs
7400USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
 High Frequency Response |
50k Hz
vs
35k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Base Surface Area |
959cm2
vs
1269cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
| General |
Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G |
ELAC VELA FS 409 |
| Brand |
Monitor Audio |
ELAC |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
80-250 watts |
40-200 watts |
| Sensitivity |
90.5 dB |
89 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
4 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
27-35k Hz |
28-50k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
8" |
7" |
| Woofer Composition |
C-CAM RST II |
Aluminum/Paper |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
- |
| Tweeter Type |
gold dome C-CAM with Uniform Dispersion (UD) Waveguide II |
handmade JET 5 folded ribbon |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
3" |
6" |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
n/a |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1085.0mm (42.7") |
1331.0mm (52.4") |
| Width |
323.0mm (12.7") |
278.0mm (10.9") |
| Depth |
393.0mm (15.5") |
345.0mm (13.6") |
| Weight |
22.53kg (49.6lbs) |
32.18kg (70.8lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
MDF/Wood veneer |
MDF/Aluminum |
| Available Colors |
Oak |
Gloss Black |
| Grille |
Yes |
n/a |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
Yes |
Yes |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
5 Years |
3 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
5 Years |
3 Years |
These sit in different price classes - ELAC VELA FS 409 costs roughly 2.3x what Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G does. Expect it to lead on paper; the question is whether the gap is audible enough in your room to be worth it.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | evenly matched | Much the same reach (27Hz vs 28Hz). |
| Amplifier needs | A | Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G is more sensitive (91dB vs 89dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Amplifier match | A | Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G is the easier load at 8 ohms; the other is 4 ohms and wants an amplifier rated for it. |
| Headroom | A | Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G takes more power (250W vs 200W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size | depends | Similar cabinet size - neither is easier to fit. |
| Expandability | depends | Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G: bi-amping; ELAC VELA FS 409: bi-amping. Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G sits in a wider range (8 models), so a matched surround system is easier later. |
| Price | A | Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G is cheaper - $3,200 against $7,400, about 57% less; arguably a different class. |
A Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G B ELAC VELA FS 409
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?
Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G is the easier recommendation: it leads on most of the measured areas and costs less. Take ELAC VELA FS 409 if its size, looks or fit in your room suit you better. Match it to your room: we rate Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G the better fit for a very large room, and ELAC VELA FS 409 for a mid-size room. If your amplifier is modest, vintage or valve-based, Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G is the safer partner - the other will want more current or more watts to sound its best.
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.