In this review, we will be comparing Silver 500 7G and R5, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Monitor Audio and KEF.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G and KEF R5 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G | KEF R5 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Uni-Q driver | — | 12th Generation Uni-Q |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" gold dome C-CAM with Uniform Dispersion (UD) Waveguide II | 1" Dome |
|---|
| Midrange | 3" | 5" |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 8" C-CAM RST II | 2 x 5.25" Hybrid Aluminum |
|---|
| Frequency response | 27-35k Hz | 58-28k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 90.5 dB | 87 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 80-250 watts | 15-200 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 22.53kg / 49.6lbs | 27.30kg / 60.1lbs |
|---|
| 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 | 42-3/8" x 10-3/4" x 13-13/16"
1077.0 x 274.0 x 351.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G and KEF R5 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 |
KEF R5 |
| 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.
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Drivers
Both Silver 500 7G and R5 are 3-way speakers.
Monitor Audio Silver 500 7GKEF R5
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 |
KEF R5 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 3-inch |
1 x 5-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 8-inch
|
2 x 5.25-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 R5 features a 1" aluminum Dome Tweeter, a 5" Midrange and 2 x 5.25" Hybrid Aluminum Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 400Hz and 2900Hz.
Frequency Response
Silver 500 7G has a frequency range of 27-35k Hz whereas R5 has a frequency range of 58-28k 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 R5's min frequency of 58Hz.
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 and R5 have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Silver 500 7G sensitivity is rated at 90.5 dB and the R5's is at 87 dB. This 4 dB difference makes the Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G a more sensitive speaker compared to KEF R5, 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 R5 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 R5 features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.
KEF R5's Binding post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both Silver 500 7G and R5 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.
KEF R5 Port
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 KEF R5'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 KEF R5 has external dimensions of 1077.0 x 274.0 x 351.0mm (42-3/8 x 10-3/4 x 13-13/16inch).
Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 49mm wider, 8mm taller and 42mm deeper than KEF R5.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G and KEF R5 in scale.
Comparison image of Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G and KEF R5 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 KEF R5 is approximately 961.7cm2 / 149.1inch2. The Silver 500 7G requires 32% more surface area than the R5 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 KEF R5 weighs 27.30kg / 60.1lbs. This makes the R5 21% heavier than the Silver 500 7G.
Here is a comparison of how Silver 500 7G and R5'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 KEF R5?
Here are the items that come with the R5:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Grille
- 2 Foam port plugs
- 4 Outrigger feet
- 4 Spikes
- 4 Protective discs
- 4 Screws
- 4 Washers
- Wrench
- Hex-key
- User Manual
- Warranty Information
 Max Input Power |
250 watts
vs
200 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Sensitivity |
91 dB
vs
87 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Woofer Size |
8 inches
vs
5.25 inches
|
Larger woofer |
|
Low Frequency Response |
27 Hz
vs
58 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
35k Hz
vs
28k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Price per pair* |
3200USD
vs
3300USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
 Height |
1077mm
vs
1085mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
961cm2
vs
1269cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
| General |
Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G |
KEF R5 |
| Brand |
Monitor Audio |
KEF |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
80-250 watts |
15-200 watts |
| Sensitivity |
90.5 dB |
87 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Impedance |
n/a |
3.2 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
27-35k Hz |
58-28k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
8" |
5.25" |
| Woofer Composition |
C-CAM RST II |
Hybrid Aluminum |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
gold dome C-CAM with Uniform Dispersion (UD) Waveguide II |
Dome |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
3" |
5" |
| Crossover Frequency |
n/a |
400Hz and 2900Hz |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1085.0mm (42.7") |
1077.0mm (42.4") |
| Width |
323.0mm (12.7") |
274.0mm (10.8") |
| Depth |
393.0mm (15.5") |
351.0mm (13.8") |
| Weight |
22.53kg (49.6lbs) |
27.30kg (60.1lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
MDF/Wood veneer |
MDF/Lacquer |
| Available Colors |
Oak |
Black Gloss, White Gloss, Walnut |
| 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 |
No single best speaker here - they are built to different priorities, and the right one depends on your room, your amplifier and what you listen to.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass |
A |
Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G digs deeper - 27Hz against 58Hz. |
| Amplifier needs |
A |
Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G is more sensitive (91dB vs 87dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Headroom |
A |
Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G takes more power (250W vs 200W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size |
depends |
KEF R5 is easier to place; Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Expandability |
depends |
Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G: bi-amping; KEF R5: bi-amping. Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G sits in a wider range (8 models), so a matched surround system is easier later. |
| Price |
evenly matched |
Much the same money ($3,200 vs $3,300 a pair). |
A Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G
B KEF R5
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, placement 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 has the edge on paper, though the margin is not large. The rows marked "depends" may matter more to you than the score does. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 58Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead. Match it to your room: we rate Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G the better fit for a very large room, and KEF R5 for a mid-size 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.