Monitor Audio Gold vs Silver

[ScooterMcTav]

Hello all,

Although I was committed to purchasing a set of MA Silver 6 (based on the size of my audio kitty), my kitty may suddenly get larger due to an unexpected sale of surplus equipment.

So now, I may move to the Silver 8s. However, the fiendish dealer let me know he can also sell me a leftover set of Gold 100 for $52 less than the Silver 8s.

Unfortunately, I have never had the pleasure of listening to an MA speaker in the Gold line with the ribbon C-CAM tweeter, and have had no access to do so.

So my question is: is it worth giving up some of the bass extension I would get from the Silvers (in either the 6 or the 8) for some different quality of the Gold.

Would appreciate the honest feedback of those who've heard both, and who could describe how the ribbon tweeter changes the sound signature from the C-CAM dome.

Of note, they can be driven by either a Jolida 60W/ch tube amp (KT88 output tubes) or a Musical Fidelity a3.2 (115W into 8ohm, 185W into 4). Music is mainly rock/classic rock, and listening room is 15' x 20' with a 7' drop ceiling.

 

[soundmig]

Man, I hate to give you a recommendation on that one. It all comes down to taste and what is important to you. Any chance you can audition both? That would be the best way to make the decision. You have a pretty good sized room, so the extra 2dB in efficiency (sensitivity) might be helpful. The Silver 6 and 8 both go a little deeper, but the Gold 100 goes down to 42Hz which is pretty good, and a lot of classic rock albums don't have much below 45 - 50 Hz anyway (Pink Floyd,etc. excepted). The Gold 100's may give you a slight increase in transparency, but ribbons are also more directional in the vertical plane. Depending on your listening position and habits this tight listening window (vertical) might be a consideration. I recently heard the Silver 300's at the RMAF and felt that they were one of the best sounding sub $5000 speakers at the show. MA does a nice job with their domes. I've not heard (that I know of) the Silver 6 or 8, but I would think they should be similar to the 300's and 500's. Bottom line, I think you will be happy with either choice. MA makes some really find sounding and relatively affordable speakers. I'm usually a sucker for smaller 2-way speakers, so I might go for the gold's and add a couple of subs?

 

[ScooterMcTav]

I've had a few sets of MA in the past - Silver RX1 (which I loved but I had no application for them), some Silver 8i (older ones with the gold phase plugs) which created stealth tinnitus, and Climate 50, which are still in use in my daughter's dance studio.

Based on my experience with the Silver RX1, I am confident I will enjoy the Silver 6 or Silver 8. That being said, I just want to make sure I am not passing up a good opportunity for something clearly better than the Silvers.

And if the Golds are only incrementally better than the Silver, then I'd think I may be better buying the SPLs.

Should almost mention that although my room seems larger, my listening area is 8' from the speakers which are approx 6' apart. It is also a very inert room, so the direct sound I get from the speakers is the most important.

 

[Bert 1100]

Should almost mention that although my room seems larger, my listening area is 8' from the speakers which are approx 6' apart. It is also a very inert room, so the direct sound I get from the speakers is the most important.

That's similar to what I have with my RX6's, and they are very nice at this close range. sitting in my comfy chair brings the ears down to tweeter level. And the bass is very good.
If getting the Gold 100, consider that you most likely want good stands to go with them, that adds to the budget quite a bit....

 

[soundmig]

Sitting that close may help from the standpoint of first order reflections (depending on positioning of the speakers relative to the walls) but the bass response is more dependent upon the room volume (as well as speaker placement). You still have to fill that whole space in order to get good bass response. I would think that with the 6 or 8's you would have enough energy in the bottom to fill the room pretty well. The single 6.5" on the Golds is not likely to be enough to fill up that much space. Good stands will be a must, and I'd think you'd want a couple of good (but smaller) subs to pair up with them to fill in the bottom octave for you, if you go with the smaller 2-way Gold's.

 

[classic carl]

I own a pair of Silver RS8 towers, which I love, and I heard a pair of Gold towers of that era back when I bought the Silvers, that were absolutely amazing. Back then (2009), the RS8 were $1500/pair and the Golds were $5k.

 

[ScooterMcTav]

.

I own a pair of Silver RS8 towers, which I love, and I heard a pair of Gold towers of that era back when I bought the Silvers, that were absolutely amazing. Back then (2009), the RS8 were $1500/pair and the Golds were $5k.

Interesting comment CC

At that time, the Gold was the GS series, which had the same C-CAM gold dome tweeters as the Silvers. Wonder what made such a difference? For me, it is the allure of the ribbon tweeter in the Gold series that has my curiosity piqued.

That's similar to what I have with my RX6's, and they are very nice at this close range. sitting in my comfy chair brings the ears down to tweeter level. And the bass is very good.
If getting the Gold 100, consider that you most likely want good stands to go with them, that adds to the budget quite a bit....

I have had very good luck designing good looking, solid, mass-loadable stands. So although I will need to spend some scratch on this, I'm not overly concerned here.

Sitting that close may help from the standpoint of first order reflections (depending on positioning of the speakers relative to the walls) but the bass response is more dependent upon the room volume (as well as speaker placement). You still have to fill that whole space in order to get good bass response. I would think that with the 6 or 8's you would have enough energy in the bottom to fill the room pretty well. The single 6.5" on the Golds is not likely to be enough to fill up that much space. Good stands will be a must, and I'd think you'd want a couple of good (but smaller) subs to pair up with them to fill in the bottom octave for you, if you go with the smaller 2-way Gold's.

This is interesting, as MA advertises their high-excursion driver in the Gold to have the same bass production as a 8" woofer. 42Hz isn't a bad number at all, though the 35Hz in the Silver 6 may end up being appreciated. There are no plans to add a sub, so I need to decide if I can live with 42Hz if I go to the Golds. I was originally looking at the Silver 2 before getting attractive closeout pricing on the Silver 6.

 

[soundmig]

.


Interesting comment CC

At that time, the Gold was the GS series, which had the same C-CAM gold dome tweeters as the Silvers. Wonder what made such a difference? For me, it is the allure of the ribbon tweeter in the Gold series that has my curiosity piqued.



I have had very good luck designing good looking, solid, mass-loadable stands. So although I will need to spend some scratch on this, I'm not overly concerned here.



This is interesting, as MA advertises their high-excursion driver in the Gold to have the same bass production as a 8" woofer. 42Hz isn't a bad number at all, though the 35Hz in the Silver 6 may end up being appreciated. There are no plans to add a sub, so I need to decide if I can live with 42Hz if I go to the Golds. I was originally looking at the Silver 2 before getting attractive closeout pricing on the Silver 6.

The measured FR in Hz doesn't tell the whole story. Even if the single 6.5" driver will go as low as their other 8' driver - it doesn't move as much air - unless it has a much much larger excursion capability. Even if it does - it won't move as much air (volume - which larger rooms need) as will the 2 woofers in the floor standing designs. FR curve and ability to create sound pressure at the Frequency are two different things. Just try a speaker that goes to 42 Hz that uses two 15" drivers and compare it to a speaker with a single 6.5" driver that goes down to 42 Hz and you'll see what I mean.
Typically the FR curve is measured with 1 watt input and is measured at 1 meter. That doesn't necessarily tell you what will happen with 60 watts input in a room with a volume of say 2,100 cu ft (like yours) - measured at 8 feet (2+ meters). I'm sure there are those here on AK that can explain this more accurately, but .... small speaker in large room = rolled off bass. You have to move air to get bass in a larger room and more woofers = more air movement.

 

[classic carl]

Interesting comment CC

At that time, the Gold was the GS series, which had the same C-CAM gold dome tweeters as the Silvers. Wonder what made such a difference? For me, it is the allure of the ribbon tweeter in the Gold series that has my curiosity piqued.

Now that I think of it, I'm pretty sure the towers I heard had the ribbon tweeter. It's possible that they were the Platinum Series.

 

[ScooterMcTav]

Thanks guys,

I continued to look into the Golds, and although the 100 gets high marks, there are some who feel the larger woofer doesn't integrate as well with the tweeter. That being said, also looking at dimensions and specs, I think I'd run into the same issue I had when I had a set of RX1 - just not enough speaker for the listening area.

So, I'll stick with the Silver 6 I ordered - issue with the 8s is the opposite of the Gold 100; I think it may be too much speaker for the room, especially as it is only rear ported, a particular speaker design I've had issues with.

 

[kwkshift]

The Silvers are very nice, but the Golds are fantastic. I've had both and its a no-brainier for me if it was my decision. Plus, they look beautiful.