Sound quality, Finish

Size is for me but may not be for some, electrolytic in x-over-some of the construction seems cheap. Tweeter's motor assembly is cheap

These are supposed to be the more acurate sounding speaker of the silver series with less bass than it's brothers. I think they sound great. Very revealing and articulate. They look great too. Probably not as suited to HT as their bothers are but better for music. I like them for both and I would rather have a more acurate speaker than the extra bass. The finish is stunning and I love the looks. Soundstage is big and they have nice warm sound ie not metallic.

Similar Products Used:

Magnepan, Infintiy, Polk, have listened to many others, Wilson audio, MB quart, Mission, Def tec, NHT, Theil, Martin Logan, Legacy, Paradigm, Psb, B&W, etc.

sound stage, midrange

height, low end

I bought the Silver 7's as a demo set for $1k. I love the way the lows and highs blend with the crystal clear midrange. I have MA's ASW210 subwoofer to complement the bass at

Similar Products Used:

Alon, Infinity, Paradigm, B&W, Boston Acoustics VR

clarity, crisp highs, airy mids

short stature

My priorities are approximately 80% music, 20% home theater.
I initially considered the Silver 5's but found them lacking in mid-low to low end richness. The clarity and staging of the mid to high range was excellent, however.
So I listened to the Silver 7's which succeeded in smoothing out the low end with the larger 6.5" cones. When I initially heard the 5's and the 7's in the store, I was impressed but not completely blown away as I have been listening to some other *very* expensive speakers (i.e. Karma's, Martin Logan's, Avalon). This is not to say I'd expect them to perform at that level, but this was my first impression.

Related electronics are:
Acurus ActIII pre/pro (I love this preamp)
NAD 925THX 5 channel AMP (warm sound, lots of power)
Sony MDP LD/CD player toslink to Acurus (old but great with Acurus DAC)
Audioquest cables
Room is under 2000 cubic feet (13x14x10).

So I brought the 7's home with the silver center 10 and the 3's for rears. I set them up with the included plinths, spikes, no mass loading, angled them in about 15 degrees, placed them about 7 feet apart with a listening position about 7 feet away. I was completely satisfied with their performance in my home. Vocals come out rich and airy, highs are incredibly precise, staging is excellent, and most of all, the transitioning of frequencies over the entire range is very smooth. When I close my eyes I picture the sounds enveloping me and, as the manuals say, the speakers disappear.
By the day, they get warmer, more clean, and outspoken.
I have an old Paradigm sub which I was using with a pair of Boston Acoustics VR's prior to this upgrade and that old sub just can't keep up. The bass output on the 7's is supposedly coherent to 35Hz and I now prefer to leave the sub off completely as the 7's are doing a find job with nice tight low end.

I am thinking of getting the Silver12 center instead of the 10 since I'm finding the 10 having a harder time matching bass output with the 7's.

I recommend these to anyone.

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm, Alon, Boston Acoustics VR, Cambridge Soundworks, B&W, Infinity, etc.

Startling detail, incredible spaciousness and air. Very neutral and accurate. Flat-out unreal midrange performance. Nicely finished and very cool looking, in a high-tech way. Bi-amp capable, mass loadable.

Wish they were 2-3" taller, a little cruel to poorly recorded music. Not really muscular in the low bass. Very long break in necessary. Really long, in fact. Longer than you think.

I've been holding off on reviewing these speakers, breaking them in and living with them for quite a while. After living with them for some time, I've decided it's high time to put in my two cents worth. And I must say, I wonder how I ever lived without them.

The first thing that will amaze you right out of the box is the flat-out "rightness" of the 7i. Even before the speakers are properly broken in, the midrange performance floors you. Vocals, especially, are sensational through the 7is. Well recorded female vocals from the Medieaval Baebes CD "Undrentide" are positively otherworldly. Through most speakers, the hauntingly atmoshperic sounds congeal into a (pleasant sounding) wall of sound, with any given voice lost in the mix, but the 7is clearly present the sonic picture as a mass of individual voices.

The effect is just as uncanny on male voices. After listening to the new Mark Knofpler disc, "Sailing to Philadelphia," I realized I've never heard his voice presented in such a natural way, completely lacking the chestiness I'd previously figured was just a part of his voice! A great example of the powers of this speaker can be heard on Knopflers' duet with James Taylor, the albums title track. Most speakers represent the baritone voices as a thick chorus, but even on the chorus the 7is preserve the distintive sounds of each singer.

The clarity of the tweeter will give you goosebumps. I've never heard the detail of the brushes on cymbals quite so clearly and naturally as is presented by the Monitors. The triangles and tympanies are just uncanny.

The most amazing aspect of this speaker is how well all aspects of the sound are flawlessly integrated into the whole. The treble is astounding, yet it's never etched or overly analytical. Even with its amazing extention, it's never screechy or metallic, nor does it overpower the other frequencies. The midrange qualities of the Monitors is discussed at some length by Joe Haggeman in several audio publications (actually, he writes so much about Monitor, I wonder how he gets anything else done!): I encourage anyone interested in these speakers to read his many reviews.

The extreme realism and accuracy on acoustic music is the main draw for me: I can honestly say I can't recall hearing their betters at any price, and few speakers to equal them (not that there aren't any, just that I can't think of them) at any price. They have a sound reminiscent of an electrostatic, but with better dynamics. Same uncanny detail and air but in a much more practical package.

But the 7i isn't just for dainty and polite string quartets: these babies can really rock out. The metal drivers don't seem to know the meaning of "distort" or "quit"; as you pour on the power they'll pump out the sound with all the energy and impact you could want. From Led Zep to Loudness to Metallica to Satriani, I've given these speakers a workout, and they keep coming back for more.

The 7is really shine on home theatre, which only makes sense as they are called Silver Cinema series. My system includes Monitor Audio 7i/FXi Surrounds/12i Center and a Pair of Hsu Research TN 1220 subs powered by a Hsu 500w amp. The electronic high pass feeds a Carver a400x amp which powers the 7is. The performance is staggering. I recommend using the Silver Surrounds in dipole mode for movies. As this is a review of the 7i as opposed to the whole system, I'll let it suffice to say the system is awe-inspiring.

Unlike some posters on this site, I'll knock off the love fest long enough to address the shortcomings of the system, even though they are few. One, the speakers could be a couple inches taller. Not that they are short, but the speakers they replace were 5" taller. Also, with the center on top of my 55" projection set, the height disparity is more obvious.

Two, the 7i doesn't really produce a lot of bass. Of course, that is subjective. I have a pretty big room and I listen to a lot of bass heavy material: I am a fan of classical music but also an awful lot of hard rock and heavy metal (I graduated High School at the peak of the 80's metal era...), and I'm a big home theatre junkie, with a collection of over 200 DVDs, mostly action. So when I say they don't have bass, keep in mind that I'm used to a pair of very high output subs. Since my Hsu amp contains an electronic high- and low-pass, the 7i doesn't ever have to break a sweat as all bass below 80hz is filtered out an routed to my subs. And with over 400 THX-certified watts to the 7is, I guess I can't say how well they'd work with a garden variey reciever. I briefly hooked them up to the speaker outs of my 75 w/ch Denon reciever, and they sounded good enough, but make no mistake: the 7i wouldn't satisfy me w/o a good sub. But then again, I've never heard a speaker that would.

But these to me are very minor nitpicks. I love these speakers more and more every day. I would have to contrast the poster that claimed the 7i was fatiguing: I think the speakers are as laid back and easy-listening as a truly accurate speaker could be. The 7i is one of those rare speakers that just essentially disappears into the wall of beautiful sound. I'll concede though that the speakers really take a long time to break in. Perhaps that reviewer didn't allow sufficient burn in.

All in all, the Silver 7i is a sterling example (no pun intended) of modern speaker art/science. I couldn't be happier with mine and would recommend them without reservation.

Enjoy the music and the gear.

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm, B&W, Infinity, JBL. You name it, I've likely heard it.

Great detail, appearence, size

Bright and fatiguing, placement critical, lack of bass

Owned these speakers for about three months. The longer I had them the less I wanted to listen to them. Hoping they would warm in with break in but never did. Tried different placements and loading with sand and lead shot. Was really never satisfied with these speakers. Try for an extended in house audition if you are considering these speakers. They are impressive for short periods, like in store audition. They would probably be a great choice for home theater main spreakers. I was able to exchange these speakers for Paradigm Studio 100's paying only difference in dealers selling price. Try that over the internet.

Similar Products Used:

B&W, Mission, KEF

Very detailed and acurate. Amazing soundstage and realistic musical sound from these 2 way ported towers. They have taken the pleasures of music to new heights in our home. We are rediscovering our music collection.BRAVO!!

Clarity of the highs, sound stage.

Low end is good but not great

I initially auditioned the Silver 5i at home (along with the Monitor ASW-110 sub) and found the low end lacking. I brought the 7s home and found that they did a much nicer job of filling in where the 5i was weak. Paired with a sub, these are great. The clarity is amazing on these.

The next step is to upgrade my electronics. I'm running them with a Denon AVR-2400 (75 watts/channel) and a Rotel 930 CD player.

Similar Products Used:

B&W 603S2, Paradigm

Relatively small footprint
Extremely accurate neutral sound
Highly versatile and customizable (biwiring, mass loading)

Very low bass frequency performance could be a wee bit slight for some listeners

System:
NAD T750 A/V Receiver
AMC CD8b CD player
Onkyo P-8 Preamp
Project 1.2 TT

I can't expand much on what some of the other very postive reviewers have already said. My mid/hi-fi listening experiences are not terribly extensive, and moreover I purchased the entire system along with the speakers at the same time so I cannot objectively account for the quality of each components sound. However, this system produces an extremely gratifying and detailed sound superior to any set-up I have ever listened to, which includes some fairly mid-high end systems with Magnepan and Snell floor standing speakers.

So with a grain of salt, I'll say these speakers in my 12'x15" room (wood floors) are incredibly nice to listen to. In particular, the sound of percussion instruments is incredibly crisp, deep, four-dimensional, and realistic. Music sounds totally different in a good way with these speakers compared to anything i've experienced, I never realized how muddy most speakers sound when reproducing percussion. I constantly hear new subtle sounds in music which I've listened to many times on lesser systems that enhance the recordings depth and complexity, hence making listening to good music many times more enjoyable. The different distinct sounds from the recording process are very distinguishable and razor sharp, yet still blend nicely in the room without sounding too sterile. They look very nice and understated, like quality wood furniture, and seem to be built very solidly.

One more point is that the price for these was very good ($799) from saturdayaudio.com. Unfortunately I see they are sold out now at this price. But if you ever see these used (it doesn't seem likely based upon the low quantity of these manufactured coupled with their quality sound) I would recommend a purchase.

Similar Products Used:

Boston Acoustics A60
Bose AM-5
Magnepan (very early production model)

Clarity and tightness

none found YET!

My first new pair of speakers in 15 years and well worth the wait. I was stunned by the clarity and seperation on female voices in particular. I love blues and these speakers delivered a new sound not heard for years. I'm now rediscovering all my old albums. You really feel that you are sitting in front of the artist.
Sorry for the lack of 'techno speak' but these speakers are just awesome!

Unbelieveable sound stage, transparent, true to life, great price

A few years ago, I was introduces to the Monitor Audio Studio 20se. I had never heard such clarity and lack of distortion in an electro dynamic design. After listening and owning many of the "so called" top rated speakers, the Studio 20's were the best I'd heard.
Later, I sold the 20's and kicked myself everyday since. I was talked into buying the much over rated B&W 802's. What a let down. Tubby bass, harsh uncontrolled top end and a lack of midrange purity that I'd fallen in love with on my former 20se's.
Enter the Silver 7's. I was at a dealer in San Francisco looking for cable to improve my 802's when I happened on the Silver 7's. They looked a lot like my old Studio 20's, but could they possibly come close. My initial thought after hearing the price of $1400 retail was "no way. My 20's were colse to 4,000.00.
To my delight and amazement, the Silver 7's brought back that same emotion that the 20's had provoked so many times before. Open, clean, depth of field, crystal clear mids and tons of emotion.
I have now had the Sillver 7's for a couple of months and they keep getting better and better.
Once they were mass loaded and set up properly, my old friend who talked me into buying the 802's also sold his and bought these wonderful speakers. Kudos to Monitor Audio on a job very well done.
I wish I could give these speakers ten stars. Do yourself a large favor and listen to these little wonders. If you like music, they will do you in a big way. As an added plus, they're dynamic enough to play HT with the best.