In this review, we will be comparing Silver 500 7G and XR100, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Monitor Audio and McIntosh.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G and McIntosh XR100 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G | McIntosh XR100 |
|---|
| Brand | Monitor Audio
United Kingdom · founded 1972 | McIntosh
United States · founded 1949 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 4-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" gold dome C-CAM with Uniform Dispersion (UD) Waveguide II | 2" dome (x2) |
|---|
| Super tweeter | — | 0.75" super tweeter |
|---|
| Midrange | 3" | 8 x 2.0" |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 8" C-CAM RST II | 4 x 6.0" Polypropylene |
|---|
| Frequency response | 27-35k Hz | 30-45k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 90.5 dB | 87 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 80-250 watts | 75-600 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 22.53kg / 49.6lbs | 31.14kg / 68.5lbs |
|---|
| 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 | 49-13/16" x 11-5/8" x 17"
1266.0 x 296.0 x 432.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G and McIntosh XR100 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 |
McIntosh XR100 |
| 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.
Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Silver 500 7G is a 3-way design whereas the XR100 is a 4-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 7GMcIntosh XR100
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 |
McIntosh XR100 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
4-way
|
|
Super Tweeter
|
- |
0.75-inch |
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
2-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 3-inch |
8 x 2.0-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 8-inch
|
4 x 6.0-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 XR100 features a 2" titanium tweeter with neodymium-iron-boron alloy magnet dome (x2) Tweeter, a 0.75" Supertweeter , a 2.0" Midrange and 4 x 6.0" Polypropylene Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 300Hz, 2000kHZ and 8000kHZ.
Frequency Response
Silver 500 7G has a frequency range of 27-35k Hz whereas XR100 has a frequency range of 30-45k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 27Hz, the Silver 500 7G can go slightly deeper then the XR100's min frequency of 30Hz.
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 XR100 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 XR100's is at 87 dB. This 4 dB difference makes the Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G a more sensitive speaker compared to McIntosh XR100, 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.
XR100 can handle a max power of 600 watts RMS, whereas Silver 500 7G has a max power handling value of 250 watts RMS, 350 watts less than the XR100.
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 XR100 features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.
McIntosh XR100's Binding post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both Silver 500 7G and XR100 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 McIntosh XR100'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 McIntosh XR100 has external dimensions of 1266.0 x 296.0 x 432.0mm (49-13/16 x 11-5/8 x 17inch).
Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G is 181mm shorter and 39mm less deeper than McIntosh XR100 but it is also 27mm wider.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G and McIntosh XR100 in scale.
Comparison image of Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G and McIntosh XR100 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 McIntosh XR100 is approximately 1278.7cm2 / 198.2inch2. The Silver 500 7G requires 1% less surface area than the XR100 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 McIntosh XR100 weighs 31.14kg / 68.5lbs. This makes the XR100 38% heavier than the Silver 500 7G.
Here is a comparison of how Silver 500 7G and XR100'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 McIntosh XR100?
Here are the items that come with the XR100:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Grille
- 4 Feet
- 4 Glides
- 4 Tiptoes
- 4 Screws
- Owners Manual
 Sensitivity |
91 dB
vs
87 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Woofer Size |
8 inches
vs
6.0 inches
|
Larger woofer |
|
Low Frequency Response |
27 Hz
vs
30 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 Height |
1085mm
vs
1266mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
1269cm2
vs
1278cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
3200USD
vs
11000USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
 Max Input Power |
600 watts
vs
250 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Driver Setup |
4-way
vs
3-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
|
Number of Woofers |
4
vs
2
|
More woofers |
 High Frequency Response |
45k Hz
vs
35k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
| General |
Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G |
McIntosh XR100 |
| Brand |
Monitor Audio |
McIntosh |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
80-250 watts |
75-600 watts |
| Sensitivity |
90.5 dB |
87 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
27-35k Hz |
30-45k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
4 |
| Woofer Size |
8" |
6.0" |
| Woofer Composition |
C-CAM RST II |
Polypropylene |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
2" |
| Tweeter Type |
gold dome C-CAM with Uniform Dispersion (UD) Waveguide II |
dome (x2) |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
3" |
2.0" |
| Crossover Frequency |
n/a |
300Hz, 2000kHZ and 8000kHZ |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1085.0mm (42.7") |
1266.0mm (49.8") |
| Width |
323.0mm (12.7") |
296.0mm (11.7") |
| Depth |
393.0mm (15.5") |
432.0mm (17") |
| Weight |
22.53kg (49.6lbs) |
31.14kg (68.5lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
MDF/Wood veneer |
Real wood veneer |
| Available Colors |
Oak |
Red Walnut, Black, Pear Maple |
| 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 |
These sit in different price classes - McIntosh XR100 costs roughly 3.4x 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 30Hz. A subwoofer would even that out. |
| Amplifier needs | A | Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G is more sensitive (91dB vs 87dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Headroom | B | McIntosh XR100 takes more power (600W vs 250W) - 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; McIntosh XR100: bi-amping. |
| Price | A | Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G is cheaper - $3,200 against $11,000, about 71% less; arguably a different class. |
A Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G B McIntosh XR100
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 has the edge on paper, though the margin is not large. The rows marked "depends" may matter more to you than the score does. Match it to your room: we rate McIntosh XR100 the better fit for a very large room; elsewhere the two are rated the same. 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.