In this review, we will be comparing Silver 500 7G and RF-7 III, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Monitor Audio and Klipsch.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G and Klipsch RF-7 III first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G | Klipsch RF-7 III |
|---|
| Brand | Monitor Audio
United Kingdom · founded 1972 | Klipsch
United States · founded 1946 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" gold dome C-CAM with Uniform Dispersion (UD) Waveguide II | 1.75" dome |
|---|
| Midrange | 3" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 8" C-CAM RST II | 2 x 10" Cerametallic |
|---|
| Frequency response | 27-35k Hz | 32-25k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 90.5 dB | 100 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 80-250 watts | up to 250 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 22.53kg / 49.6lbs | 44.10kg / 97lbs |
|---|
| 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 | 49-1/16" x 13-15/16" x 17-15/16"
1247.0 x 355.0 x 456.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G and Klipsch RF-7 III 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 |
Klipsch RF-7 III |
| 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.)
The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.
Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Silver 500 7G is a 3-way design whereas the RF-7 III is a 2-way speaker. 3-way designs utilize a midrange driver in addition to the tweeter and woofer on 2-way designs. Designing a crossover for a 3-way speaker is a complicated process and generally increases the overall cost of the speaker.
Monitor Audio Silver 500 7GKlipsch RF-7 III
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 |
Klipsch RF-7 III |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1.75-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 3-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 8-inch
|
2 x 10-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 RF-7 III features a 1.75" titanium dome Tweeter and 2 x 10" Cerametallic Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 1300Hz.
Frequency Response
Silver 500 7G has a frequency range of 27-35k Hz whereas RF-7 III has a frequency range of 32-25k 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 RF-7 III's min frequency of 32Hz.
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 RF-7 III 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 RF-7 III's is at 100 dB. This 9 dB difference makes the Klipsch RF-7 III a more sensitive speaker compared to Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G, 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.
Both handle the same maximum of 250 watts RMS, though Silver 500 7G is rated 80-250 watts and RF-7 III up to 250 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 500 7G
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Both Silver 500 7G and RF-7 III features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.
Klipsch RF-7 III's Binding post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both Silver 500 7G and RF-7 III 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 500 7G's and Klipsch RF-7 III'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 Klipsch RF-7 III has external dimensions of 1247.0 x 355.0 x 456.0mm (49-1/16 x 13-15/16 x 17-15/16inch).
Klipsch RF-7 III is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 32mm wider, 162mm taller and 63mm deeper than Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G and Klipsch RF-7 III in scale.
Comparison image of Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G and Klipsch RF-7 III 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 Klipsch RF-7 III is approximately 1618.8cm2 / 250.9inch2. The Silver 500 7G requires 22% less surface area than the RF-7 III 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 500 7G weighs 22.53kg / 49.6lbs and the Klipsch RF-7 III weighs 44.10kg / 97lbs. This makes the RF-7 III 96% heavier than the Silver 500 7G.
Here is a comparison of how Silver 500 7G and RF-7 III'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 Klipsch RF-7 III?
Here are the items that come with the RF-7 III:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Plinth
- Grille
- 4 Spike feet
- 4 Rubber feet
- 2 Jumpers (pre-installed)
- 4 Machine screws
- Owners Manual
 Driver Setup |
3-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Low Frequency Response |
27 Hz
vs
32 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
35k Hz
vs
25k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Height |
1085mm
vs
1247mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
1269cm2
vs
1618cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
3200USD
vs
4398USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
 Sensitivity |
100 dB
vs
91 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
|
Woofer Size |
10 inches
vs
8 inches
|
Larger woofer |
| General |
Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G |
Klipsch Reference RF-7 III |
| Brand |
Monitor Audio |
Klipsch |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
80-250 watts |
up to 250 watts |
| Sensitivity |
90.5 dB |
100 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
27-35k Hz |
32-25k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
8" |
10" |
| Woofer Composition |
C-CAM RST II |
Cerametallic |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
1.75" |
| Tweeter Type |
gold dome C-CAM with Uniform Dispersion (UD) Waveguide II |
dome |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
3" |
No |
| Crossover Frequency |
n/a |
1300Hz |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1085.0mm (42.7") |
1247.0mm (49.1") |
| Width |
323.0mm (12.7") |
355.0mm (14") |
| Depth |
393.0mm (15.5") |
456.0mm (18") |
| Weight |
22.53kg (49.6lbs) |
44.10kg (97lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
MDF/Wood veneer |
MDF/Wood veneer |
| Available Colors |
Oak |
Black ash, Cherry, 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 |
A generation apart: Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G is the newer design, against a 2017 model. Newer is not automatically better, but the older one is more likely to be discounted or near run-out.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | A | Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G digs deeper - 27Hz against 32Hz. A subwoofer would even that out. |
| Amplifier needs | B | Klipsch RF-7 III is more sensitive (100dB vs 91dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Headroom | evenly matched | Similar power handling (250W vs 250W). |
| Size | depends | Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G is easier to place; Klipsch RF-7 III is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Expandability | depends | Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G: bi-amping; Klipsch RF-7 III: 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 $4,398, about 27% less. |
A Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G B Klipsch RF-7 III
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. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 32Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead. In a large or open-plan room, Klipsch RF-7 III has the cabinet volume to fill it more easily; in a small room, near a wall or at desk distance, Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G is the easier speaker to get right.
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.