In this review, we will be comparing Silver 500 7G and ESL 9, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Monitor Audio and MartinLogan.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G and MartinLogan ESL 9 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G | MartinLogan ESL 9 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" gold dome C-CAM with Uniform Dispersion (UD) Waveguide II | 9.2 x 44" curved electrostatic transducer |
|---|
| Midrange | 3" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 8" C-CAM RST II | 2 x 8" high-excursion paper cone |
|---|
| Frequency response | 27-35k Hz | 34-23k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 90.5 dB | 90 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 4 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 80-250 watts | 20-400 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 22.53kg / 49.6lbs | 35.45kg / 78lbs |
|---|
| 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 | 59-13/16" x 10-7/16" x 25-7/16"
1520.0 x 266.0 x 647.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G and MartinLogan ESL 9 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 |
MartinLogan ESL 9 |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Are you nuts? |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Average |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Average |
Good |
(* 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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through our links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Silver 500 7G is a 3-way design whereas the ESL 9 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 7GMartinLogan ESL 9
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 |
MartinLogan ESL 9 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
9.2 x 44-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 3-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 8-inch
|
2 x 8-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 ESL 9 features a 9.2 x 44" curved electrostatic transducer Tweeter and 2 x 8" high-excursion paper cone Woofer.
Frequency Response
Silver 500 7G has a frequency range of 27-35k Hz whereas ESL 9 has a frequency range of 34-23k 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 ESL 9's min frequency of 34Hz.
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 ESL 9 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 ESL 9 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 ESL 9's is rated at 90 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G a more sensitive speaker compared to MartinLogan ESL 9, 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.
ESL 9 can handle a max power of 400 watts RMS, whereas Silver 500 7G has a max power handling value of 250 watts RMS, 150 watts less than the ESL 9.
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 ESL 9 features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.
MartinLogan ESL 9's Binding post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
New
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 MartinLogan ESL 9'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 MartinLogan ESL 9 has external dimensions of 1520.0 x 266.0 x 647.0mm (59-13/16 x 10-7/16 x 25-7/16inch).
Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G is 435mm shorter and 254mm less deeper than MartinLogan ESL 9 but it is also 57mm wider.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G and MartinLogan ESL 9 in scale.
Comparison image of Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G and MartinLogan ESL 9 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 MartinLogan ESL 9 is approximately 1721.0cm2 / 266.8inch2. The Silver 500 7G requires 26% less surface area than the ESL 9 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 MartinLogan ESL 9 weighs 35.45kg / 78lbs. This makes the ESL 9 57% heavier than the Silver 500 7G.
Here is a comparison of how Silver 500 7G and ESL 9'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 MartinLogan ESL 9?
Here are the items that come with the ESL 9:
- Floorstanding hybrid electrostatic loudspeaker
- AC power adapter (w/ attached 10-feet DC cord)
- Grille
- 4 Spike Feet
- Users Manual
- Product Registration Card
 Driver Setup |
3-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Sensitivity |
91 dB
vs
90 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
4 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
 Low Frequency Response |
27 Hz
vs
34 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
35k Hz
vs
23k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Height |
1085mm
vs
1520mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
1269cm2
vs
1721cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
3200USD
vs
7000USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
 Max Input Power |
400 watts
vs
250 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
| General |
Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G |
MartinLogan Masterpiece Classic ESL 9 |
| Brand |
Monitor Audio |
MartinLogan |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
80-250 watts |
20-400 watts |
| Sensitivity |
90.5 dB |
90 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
4 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
27-35k Hz |
34-23k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
8" |
8" |
| Woofer Composition |
C-CAM RST II |
high-excursion paper cone |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
9.2 x 44" |
| Tweeter Type |
gold dome C-CAM with Uniform Dispersion (UD) Waveguide II |
curved electrostatic transducer |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
3" |
No |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
n/a |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1085.0mm (42.7") |
1520.0mm (59.8") |
| Width |
323.0mm (12.7") |
266.0mm (10.5") |
| Depth |
393.0mm (15.5") |
647.0mm (25.5") |
| Weight |
22.53kg (49.6lbs) |
35.45kg (78lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
MDF/Wood veneer |
Composite |
| Available Colors |
Oak |
Gloss Black |
| Grille |
Yes |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
Yes |
Yes |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years w/ Registration |
| Labor Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years w/ Registration |
These sit in different price classes - MartinLogan ESL 9 costs roughly 2.2x 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 |
A |
Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G digs deeper - 27Hz against 34Hz. A subwoofer would even that out. |
| Amplifier needs |
evenly matched |
Similar sensitivity (91dB vs 90dB) - both want much the same power. |
| 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 |
B |
MartinLogan ESL 9 takes more power (400W vs 250W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size |
depends |
Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G is easier to place; MartinLogan ESL 9 is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Expandability |
depends |
Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G: bi-amping; MartinLogan ESL 9: bi-amping. |
| Price |
A |
Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G is cheaper - $3,200 against $7,000, about 54% less; arguably a different class. |
A Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G
B MartinLogan ESL 9
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 34Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead. Match it to your room: we rate MartinLogan ESL 9 the better fit for a very large room; elsewhere the two are rated the same.
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.