In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers by Monitor Audio. Monitor Audio Silver 500 8G is a Floor-standing speaker whereas the Silver AMS 8G is a Surround speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Monitor Audio Silver 500 8G and Monitor Audio Silver AMS 8G first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Monitor Audio Silver 500 8G | Monitor Audio Silver AMS 8G |
|---|
| Brand | Monitor Audio
United Kingdom · founded 1972 | Monitor Audio
United Kingdom · founded 1972 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" gold dome C-CAM | 1" gold dome C-CAM |
|---|
| Midrange | 3" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 8" C-CAM RST III | 5.25" C-CAM RST III |
|---|
| Frequency response | 28-35k Hz | 82-35k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 90 dB | 85.5 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 60-250 watts | 15-60 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 24.30kg / 53.5lbs | 4.50kg / 9.9lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 44-1/8" x 13-3/8" x 17"
1120.0 x 340.0 x 432.0mm | 7-5/16" x 7-5/16" x 12-5/16"
185.0 x 185.0 x 312.0mm |
|---|
Silver 500 8G and Silver AMS 8G are members of Monitor Audio's Silver 8G series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
Monitor Audio Silver 8G Series
History
What size room are the Monitor Audio Silver 500 8G and Monitor Audio Silver AMS 8G 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 8G |
Monitor Audio Silver AMS 8G |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Good |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Good |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Average |
| Large Room |
Good |
Poor |
| Very Large Room |
Average |
No way |
(* 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 8G is a 3-way design whereas the Silver AMS 8G 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 8GMonitor Audio Silver AMS 8G
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 8G |
Monitor Audio Silver AMS 8G |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 3-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 8-inch
|
1 x 5.25-inch
|
Silver 500 8G features a 1" gold dome C-CAM Tweeter, a 3" Midrange and 2 x 8" C-CAM RST III Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 640Hz and 2800Hz. On the other hand, the Silver AMS 8G features a 1" gold dome C-CAM Tweeter and 1 x 5.25" C-CAM RST III Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2800Hz.
Frequency Response
Silver 500 8G has a frequency range of 28-35k Hz whereas Silver AMS 8G has a frequency range of 82-35k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 28Hz, the Silver 500 8G can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Silver AMS 8G's min frequency of 82Hz.
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 8G and Silver AMS 8G have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Silver 500 8G sensitivity is rated at 90 dB and the Silver AMS 8G's is at 85.5 dB. This 4 dB difference makes the Monitor Audio Silver 500 8G a more sensitive speaker compared to Monitor Audio Silver AMS 8G, 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 8G can handle a max power of 250 watts RMS, whereas Silver AMS 8G has a max power handling value of 60 watts RMS, 190 watts less than the Silver 500 8G.
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 8G
Monitor Audio Silver AMS 8G
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Both Silver 500 8G and Silver AMS 8G 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 8G's and Monitor Audio Silver AMS 8G's external dimensions. Monitor Audio Silver 500 8G has external dimensions of 1120.0 x 340.0 x 432.0mm (44-1/8 x 13-3/8 x 17inch) whereas Monitor Audio Silver AMS 8G has external dimensions of 185.0 x 185.0 x 312.0mm (7-5/16 x 7-5/16 x 12-5/16inch).
Monitor Audio Silver 500 8G is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 155mm wider, 935mm taller and 120mm deeper than Monitor Audio Silver AMS 8G.
Size, drawn to scale
Both speakers and both views share one scale, so everything here is directly comparable. Hover a box for its dimensions.
One scale for both, standing on the same surface and pushed back to the same wall, so the deeper one visibly sticks out further.
Monitor Audio Silver 500 8G needs about 154% more floor or shelf area. Monitor Audio Silver 500 8G is 120mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. Monitor Audio Silver 500 8G is 935mm taller.
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 8G is approximately 1468.8cm2 / 227.7inch2 and base area of the Monitor Audio Silver AMS 8G is approximately 577.2cm2 / 89.5inch2. The Silver 500 8G requires 154% more surface area than the Silver AMS 8G which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.