I cannot understand how Monitor has done this. How can they build a speaker that is so cheap (well all right, inexpensive) and yet have it sound so good (great?). I am, in one word, AMAZED! I auditioned speakers costing twice as much, and even more, but the soundstage I hear with these babies, is truly spectacular. I thought they sounded better than the Monitor Silver 7's.

Three tips.
(1) Use the biwiring capability (your ears will thank you)
(2) Add lead shot to bottom-fill these speakers, and the bass extension is remarkably improved
(3) Use the supplied speaker stands with the mounting "needles"

My system is
Nakamichi AV-10 (another great buy)
Toshiba SD-9000
Alpha Arcam MCD
Audioquest Jade cables

This is a no-brainer purchase for anyone on a budget. A clear 5 star winner

Was looking for a pair of Speakers for my Rotel integrated amp and
my marantz cd player. Auditioned the B&W 602s, the Silver 7s,
and a pair of $ 2400 Vienna Accoustic speakers.

In my opinion the Silver 5s blew all of them away. The sound
stage on these puppies is very very good. Clear crisp sound.
When I auditioned them they were attached to an NAD amp
and a Parasound CD player. The Silver 7s sounded very good
as well but I felt that the 5s sounded better.

The Silver 5's are exceptional speakers. I listened to them twice using a wide variety of music. At first, they seemed slightly forward -- a little bright -- but they had exceptional bass, even though they had not been weighted with sand or lead which is supposed to tighten and extend the bass. On the second listening, I found the tweeter to be very crisp -- not at all bright. The bass was balanced and honest. However, there is something about the sounds in the mid range that kept bothering me. They seemed too strong and a bit nasal. This is the only weakness in these speakers. They have beautiful cabinet work but a odd shaped grill that could be improved. Overall, they beat the NHT 1.5 and Paradigm Mini Monitor and Studio 20. However, I feel that are a step behind the Dynaudio Audience 50 in overall performance. The Dynaudio has the best high and mid range of any speaker under about $2000 IMHO. Still, they can't produce the excellent bass of the MA Silver 5. I am leaning toward the Dynaudios but I will give the Silver 5 another listen. Both are excellent speakers: 4.5 stars for sound quality; 5 stars for value.

Does anyone know any mailorder companies for Monitor Audio Silver5 speakers?I saw a note saying that someone got them for $769. I wonder where??

Thanks,
heyjoe

couple of more things - the silver 5's i have are actually the silver 5i, the i stands for improved. evidently monitor audio went back & made some changes to the crossovers in the silver series & they are now silver 3i, silver 5i, etc. . . also, i did not mention in my previos posts that every one of the silver series are a tad on the bright side & will benefit from warm sounding electronics, or get a musical fidelity x10-d tubed buffer stage to add on to your cd player - this is a very synergistic match with the silver 5i's & can keep up with some of the best systems i have heard at any price (ie, b&w nautilus 801/mark levinson - except bass output of course). happy listening & make sure you are listening to the improved version when you demo the speakers at the store.

For the price, I couldn't find better.

I think these speakers are good choice for me, but I would like to hear your opinon on amps ideal for
silver 5.
My choices: AA Puccini, Fase Performance, NAD c340 and
Rotel ra 971. (aprox 500-600$)

I have a home theatre system with DCM Time windows & a Kef 100 center that i'mvery happy with. But, I was never happy listening to music CD's in 2 channel
on the system. I've been searching for a pair of speakers for music only for
over a year. I have auditioned PSB Gold i's, Paradigm Studio 100's, NHT 2.9s' 3.3's and many more, non of them did it for me. Then I heard the Monitor Silver
5i's I was amazed. I have never heard such clear open sound with such imaging
and from a relatively small floor standing speaker. The store allowed me to take the speakers home for an audition with my electronics and room acoustics. without bi-wiring or mass loading they were unreal. (I did angle them back slightly as reccomended) At $800. my purchase price they are a steal. They get 5 stars for sound, build quality and looks(Don't use grills)

This is my second review of these speakers. Mr. Webmaster, I'm sorry you feel like you do about second reviews, but sometimes we, the users, have a little more to add. None of us have anything to gain by a second review, other than we want to share more info that we didn't have before. I'd go to the 'discussion' area, but for those who are looking for specific info about equipment, this is the best way to go. So ban me if you must.
I want to comment on some of the tweeks that have been posted. First, before you remove the grilles from the tweeters, I sujest you give the speakers a proper break in period. My dealer suggested 100 hours of listening, I suggest at least double that. Once the speaker is broken in, the 'harshness' will go away. Mass loading will inprove the bass response a little, but if you are using the supplied spikes and get them on a solid surface, I don't think its necssary. Tilting the speakers back about 10 degrees to adjust the 'time aligning' does work. Its the same as having a speaker about 12-15 inches taller. It basically aims the tweeter at the ears of a listener in a normal seating position roughly 10-12 feet from the speaker. Bi-amping or bi-wiring the speaker just makes good sense. If you amp/receiver has the capability, its worth the effort.

To the people who give the speaker a 'one star (speaker)' rating, I have to tell you that you're not being fair. It may not be the same as a $4000 speaker, but, even to a casual listener, its an excellent speaker. Trash can? I think not.

To anyone who gets to read this before I'm 'stricken' from the review site, this is a heck of a speaker for less than $1000. Buy them and you'll be happy.

Cheers, y'all.

Jim

I have had many other speakers and for the money you can not go wrong with silver fives thay are clean life like for both music and home theater.I think the nines are a bit better in the mids and lows but there twice the price if you need good sound for a good price theres nothing better.