Midrange clarity, high frequencies accuracy. They sound perfectly integrated.

In big rooms, bass lacks power.

What a terrific pair of little speakers!... It's hard to believe the midrange clarity and the accurate highs. Besides, they sound perfectly seamless throughout the frequency range. Only low frequencies lack thump in bigger rooms, like mine, but add in a good powered sub, like I did, and the problem is solved. I've possesed Mission, Kef and B&W speakers near this price range, all of them 5-star products at their time, but, as for full enjoyment of what's being played, none of them comes close to these babies.

Similar Products Used:

Mission 733, KEF Coda 9, B&W DM-601S2

Panoramic, rich, detailed, and beautifully turned out.

At the closeout price, none.

I have been searching for a sound like this for a long, long time. I compare the 3i's to the IMF's I owned in the 70's. They are true artists, painting a beautiful mural of sound. I had been lured by the "Danish sound", the "French sound", and American stuff. Dynaudio, Focal, Triangle, JBL and Snell have spent time with me, and they all have their respective pluses, but for me the Monitor Audio 3i's are the best I've had. I have them placed half way into my room, on Atacama Nexus stands, powered by a Creek 5250 SER int.amp. and using a Pioneer Elite PD-65 cd player. Wiring is Mapleshade Golden Helix speaker wire and interconnects are Mapleshade Excalibur. The Creek has been tweaked and the active pre-amp gain stage removed. A must for this version of Creek's beloved series. For low bass fill in an Energy 8in. powered sub runs off the "B" speaker posts of the Creek and 3i's run on the "A" side, full range. Excellent match in my smallish room. There definetly has been a period of acclimation from the super "harsh" Triangle Titus's to the "calmer" 3i's. This is, to me, British audio at it's finest, at this price range. True sound reproduction artistry, and a beautiful Rose Manhogany real wood finish to boot. A true masterpiece for the "all and sundry". Oh, yes, Smart Home Theaters has 2 more pair left at this price.

Similar Products Used:

IMF, Triangle, Focal, Dynaudio, KEF.

imaging, transparency

none at this price range

I like the 3''s alot alot, however they definately need a sub. What I found was that the 3''s sound slightly thinner and more transparent than my 5''s. So what I''ve done is to add additional sub (2 ASW 210''s) and put the 5''s in the rear,using the 3''s as my fronts. Excellent! Very detailed and perhaps alittle larger in the soundstage than with the 5''s up front. The 5''s in the rear add dimension and depth to the back of the couch, they pocess enough bottom to stand alone, the 3''s didn''t.

Nice cabinets and high WAF.

Sound thin to my ears. Expensive.

I auditioned the 3is for the purpose of rear channel use with the 5is that I owned. I have sold the 5is and simply wanted to throw in my two cents for the benefit of those looking to purchase these speakers.

I spent some time with the Silver 3is on two separate ocassions. In both auditions these speakers sounded thin to me. The 3is also carry a hefty price tag of nearly $600.00 which I believed to be a bit high for this kind of performance. Compare these to the $299.00/pair Acoustic Energy Aegis Ones and you would be hard pressed to justify the 3i's price. For a bit more, the Dynaudio Audience 40s are a much better speaker in terms of clarity and midrange accuracy in my view.

As a previous owner of the Silver 5is, I was not at all impressed with their build quality. The cabinet finish are first rate for speakers in this price range but the absence of internal cabinet bracing is also unusual and surprising.

Look around and compare these with various other speakers. There are a few other models in this price range which offer better value and performance.

Similar Products Used:

A few.

legendary Brit midrange

price/need a sub

I auditioned these puppies with a Carver Signature tube
amp and boy did they sing! I have never experienced a
warmer or more accurate midrange representation in my life!
True, there are better speakers as far as imaging,
transparency, etc., but it is difficult to ignore the fact
that most music is reproduced in the midrange. Brit speakers
have had a reputation for being very warm and very smooth
in the high end and Monitor easily lives up to the legacy.
If you enjoy warm but detailed sound, without a hint of
fatigue, these are the ones. However, they are not cheap.
I have not heard the bronze series but after this i will
certaintly give them a shot. Good Luck!

Similar Products Used:

nht 1.5,paradigm mm

Build Quality...imaging, detail sound

none yet

Just simply fantastic. I have these on the rears of my HT setup with the matching 5i, center 10, asw sub filling out the rest. The 3i sounds good out of the box, impressing me more than the 5i at first. The 3's have just gotten better and better. They are so detailed and have such clarity, it is hard to imagine anything better. Word of warning....the Monitor Audio Silvers are so accurate and detailed, they show any imperfection in the recording.... sound engineers beware...your goofs will definitely show with these babies.
Kinda light in the low end but no problem if ya got a sub. Great speaker.

Similar Products Used:

Energy, JBL, Maggies

Detail - unbeleiveable detail but not bright. Very warm - very rich sound. Beautiful cabinets.

Light on the low end (expected in something this small)

This is my first set of high end speakers. I spent weeks researching and auditioning many speakers in the $600 to $1000 range and nothing came close to these Silver 3's. As they break in they sound even better. The bass end is a little light - Silver 4 or 5 may be better in this area - but the detail is amazing. Highly recommended!

System - NAD C740 Receiver, HK FL8550 CD, MIT interconnects and MIT speaker cable.

Similar Products Used:

Auditioned Tannoy R1, Castle, Epos 12, B&W 601, PSB, Mission, Energy, Mirage.

clean sounds,good look

weak bass

With the price I paid for, the silver 3I was an excellent buy. The details and image are excellent, clarity and built quality are very good. I highly recommend these in comparisson to Paradigm or Energy or even NHT.

Similar Products Used:

B&W 602S2

The Silver 3 is the smallest and least expensive pair from the new Silver Series line from Monitor Audio. They retail for $599 a pair and use a 5-1/4" woofer along with a 1" gold dome tweeter. I brought these home to try as an inexpensive monitor that could keep me happy until I could warrant finding a worthy upgrade. I tried may speakers to my dissapointment in the long run. Too forward, too bright, uneven bass response, etc. What I found was this is the most enjoyable set of speakers I have had in my system. I know, they are suppose to be rears in a theater set up. I know they are only $599/pair. I know they only have a 5-1/4" woofer. What I also know is that they sounded more natural than any speaker I have owned. That includes the likes of...Platinum Audio Solo's, Totem 1s, Signet SL280s, Vienna Acoustics Haydn's, PSB Silver i's, NHT 2.5i's. I know you are thinking my ears are bad but with my equipment, in my room, there was nothing that these speakers could not provide. Bass? Amazing. Oootles of it out of a two tiny woofers and tight as well as quick, never once sounding strained even at high levels. Mids? Incredible! Lush smooth and real, not a hint of glare or harshness, the sounstage is simply haunting. Highs? Couldn't be better IMO. Never harsh or bright but very quick and detailed. What is their weekness? Maybe lacking some transparency found in the 2.5i or thee Solo but that is fine, who wants to hear crap in a crappy recording? Both of those speakers have a upper bass suckout to my ears. These Monitor Audio Silver 3s were more enjoyable than any above mentioned speaker as a whole period.I can only imagine the rest of the line if this is where it starts.
I am ordering the step up latest model to come out. The Silver 4 at $850. This line will be the benchmark in theater and hi fi price/performance. Way to go Monitor Audio!
Equipment:
Bryston B60R
Rotel RCD975
MSB Link DAC
(Kimber all over for cables)

All I can say is WOW!! These are by far the most detailed surround speakers I have listened to. I have owned these for about 2 months and decided to wait until now to write a review for these due to the fact of the breaking in period. These things sounded great from the get go, but kept getting better and better with time. Please do not spend lots of money without auditioning these beauties. I have these paired with the silver 5's and Silver Centre. I could not be happier. My Denon AVR-5700 is a perfect match. I'm still waiting on a subwoofer for my system. Any reccomendations please Email.