Greadt sounding speakers for the money

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These speakers have to be the best sounding speakers I have ever heard (for the price). I am not sure why everyone keeps bashing these speakers. For one, go to www.monitoraudio.com, there are reviews from other sources,let's say audiophile experts who think these speakers are awesome. Second, make sure you listen to them, then you'll see.

They have excellent highs, mids, and bass. The balance is quite nice. These are two way speakers even though they look like three ways. There there are two 5.5" mid-woofer and one tweeter/speaker. These small speakers give very good bass response and are very tight.

I've listened to a vast variety of speakers, these are top notch and excellent for home theater.

Make sure you get decent speaker wire.

NOTE: MAKE SURE YOU BUY THESE FROM A FACTORY AUTHORIZED DEALER, IF NOT THEY PROBABLY WON'T BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY!!!

Similar Products Used:

NHT supertwo, Polk, B&W,Bose, PSB

True audiophile potential for a relative bargain

Require high quailty upstream electronics and cables/wires for these speakers to perform

Speaker performance is truly a subjective experience. There are indeed cost no object products out there, and I have no doubt they are incredible sounding. The goal for the vast majority of the rest of us is to find equipment which is able to realistically recreate the sensation of music as intended by the artist, at a cost which will allow for other mundane things such as rent and food. I am fortunate in that I have the modest ability to purchase speakers 3-5 time the cost of the MA-silver 5's, but I find I will not have to.
With the right modifications and sufficiently mid-fi gear you to can enjoy the sound that so-called "audio-philes" insist can only come with $20K+ price tags.

My recommendations include (some quire obvious):
1) Remove the cloth grilles and metal tweeter grill
2) Elevate the speakers on 1-2 inch granite slabbs
3) use the supplied plinths and spikes, ankle the speaker backwards by 10 degree to time align the speaker
4) mass load the speaker with the densest material you can find (lead shot or sand)
5) correct lack of vibration control with Tekna-sonic radiator panels
6) Bi-wire speakers

With these tweeks and the right gear the compliants of brightness or sibilance will be corrected, as will the boxiness or thin sound. Tilting not only time aligns the speakers but it also compensates for their short stature, aiming the tweeter at ear level.

My equipment: Musical fidelity HTP Sound Processor
Musical fidelity HTP 5 channel amp
Denon DVD 5000
Pioneer Elite CLD59
Mitsubishi Diamond Series 65 inch r. project
DH Labs Silver Q10 speaker cable internally bi-wired
I now have a mid-fi system that equals or betters all Dynaudio, all B&W except the Nautilus, and equal the transparency of electrostatics. These speakers are very revealing, if your electronics are bright or the cables are inferior, the MA-Silver 5's will accentuate these flaws. I am one happy owner...for now, go ahead and buy them!

Similar Products Used:

B&W, Dyn-audio, Mission, Magneplanar, Martin Logan

I know the Monitor Audio Silver Series have gotten a lot of good press lately.I wanted to let people know that you will LOVE these speakers and I can compare them to speakers 2 and 3 times more $$$. Imaging and detail is INCREDIBLE since they are fast and accurate due to the light construction of the Metal drivers. Typically, metal drivers have a problem with ringing. Monitor Audio has a design that does not ring. The same metal composite is used on the VERY highend B&W line.
The Silver 5's are simply THE best speaker under $1000 made. The do like good electronics in order for them to perform. It is also a MUST to fill the back (4 screws on the lower rear) with sand or lead-shot. Doing this will control the base from sounding muddy from cabinet resonance.
I don't mean to sould like a commercial but I really believe these to be a FANTASTIC speaker and well built as well!
If you don't have a dealer and need pricing, delivery or techical info. Feel free to call me.
Steve 612-308-7736
Authorized Lines:
ATI, Acurus, Aerial Acoustics, Aragon, B&K, Bryston, Class'e, Cinepro, DynAudio, EAD (Enlightend Audio Designs), Energy (Local Only), Gallo Acoustics, Gershman Acoustics (Beautiful Sounding and looking speakers), Innersound (ElectroStatic), Lexicon (Local Only), Marantz (Local Only), M&K, Monitor Audio, NHT, Panamax, Parasound, Pioneer (Not Elite), Plinius, Sherwood NewCastle, Toshiba, Theta Digital (local or I need to install), & Velodyne.

I just got these bad boys yesterday & hooked them up right next to my beloved nht 2.5i's so i could do some direct comparisons. let me say right off that these two are the only speakers that both my wife and i can live with & we listened to a LOT of speakers prior to this. how did they sound? very very good. sweet top end. detailed midrange. nicely integrated sound. smooth, smooth, smooth. how did they compare to the 2.5i's? on the silver 5's the vocals were a little less forward & the soundstage was a little less defined, the bass did not go quite as low, but other than that they sounded extremely similar :-) silver 5's were actually "faster" than the 2.5i's, which combined with the smoother treble made them more relaxing to listen to, but more exciting at the same time - a paradox, not a contradiction (a paradox is an apparent contradiction, but only apparent) the 2.5i's were slightly better overall, but they did have a few advantages that should be mentioned. First they were hooked up with audioquest midnight cable, where the silver 5's were hooked up with type 4, a much lower grade cable. plus the 2.5is were bi-wired & the 5's had a single run of wire and those yucky gold jumpers on the binding posts. the 2.5i's have been in heavy use for the past year, while the silver 5's have not fully broken in yet. i also have not mass loaded the silver 5's with lead shot yet, which should improve the bass quite a bit. last but not least, the 2.5i's are positioned optimally in my room, while the silver 5's almost certainly are not. so given all these disadvantages i am amazed at their performance. once they are set up optimally i think they will at least match the nht's in every area except bass extension (they are close, but not quite). this speaker has got to be one of the all time bargains that i have seen, especially since i think the 2.5i's are the best speaker i have heard for under $6000. for the silver 5's to keep up with them at $999 is astounding. i highly recommend these. p.s. - do not waste your money on the silver 9's - these are much better in every area, again except bass extension, but even that is close. these are $1000 bucks cheaper - use that to buy a good sub if you have to have thunderous bass. 5 stars on an absolute scale.

I listened to these in the showroom twice, then took them home to demo. They are incredibly clear, with great detail of information, and excellent imaging. Unfortunately, they sound harsh to me -- the metal drivers I guess. I found them unpleasant to listen to after a while, and they left my ear ringing.
The "presence" of the speaker was magnificent -- it was very gripping on video. I tried out different music on it, and the warmth and musical nature of speakers such as the Proac Tablette 2000 was missing. Classical music was a bit harsh, as was some rock. Tracey Chapman, with precise, percussive effects was oustanding. On most items, it sounded better than Paradigm Reference Studio 20's, with which I compared it. I'm leaning towards the Proacs, though, or a less expensive system. In the end, the brightness or harshness outweighed, to me, the clarity and the presence. My wife felt the clarity was worth the harsh tone.

Well, upon reading this months Home Theater article, I had go in for an audition at my local store. I was so amazed at how these little 5 1/2 drivers crank out so much sound. Jazz, light rock music sounded very clear and detailed. The soundstage was excellent...at least from the demo room at the store. These are unbelievably smooth...the bass, mid, and treble worked in great harmony. Then we dragged these speakers into the theater room, and watched Fifth Element (action/fight/opera scene) for a bit. Once again I am amazed with the fullness of sound coming out of these little puppies!!! Yup, I do agree, this is one of those "just go buy" type of speakers.
Recently, the price jumped to $999/pr (which was still worth it), but luckily my store had a sale at $949/pr (I love sale's). With this, after an hour, I bought them...I got the beautiful Cherry Mahogany. I think this weekend, I will get the Silver 3 for my rear surrounds ($599/pr).

THese speakers are replacing my Infinity Studio Monitor 120's front, and Infinity Sterling Series 2003. I will keep my center Klipsch KSC-C1 (I love the horn). Although these Monitor Silver 5's (88 SPL) aren't as efficient like my Infinity's (98 SPL), a little level adjustment cured that right up, with the use one of those Radio Shack Digital Decibel meters (wow something useful from RS).

I am running:
Yamaha DSP-A1 (running all 7.1 channels)
Klipsch KSC-C1 Center
Monitor Audio Silver 5 (front)
Infinity Minuettes (front effects above main)
Infinity SS2003(being replaced w/ Silver 3 this weeekend) (rear)
Klipsch KSW300 15" powered Subwoofer
Monster Power HTS3000 line conditioner (for main eqiupment)
Panamax 1000+ line conditioner (for subwoofer)
Z series and reference cables from Monster
Sony DVP-S7700 DVD player
Philips CDR-765 CD recorder and player (dual tray)..using digital outs
Sony VCR SLV-795
Sony 41" rear projection
Kenwood reference tape deck
plus other stuff, DBX and ADC sound processors and analyzers.

wanted to post a follow up to my previous review of these speakers. they are now set up correctly in my living room (bi-wired with audioquest indigo speaker wire, a bryston b60 integrated amp with audioquest emerald coming from the cd player, and i have finally mass loaded them with about 40 pounds of lead shot per speaker) before i get to the review i want to make note of one really cool tweak you can do with these speakers. once you mass load them, adjust the front spikes so that the speakers angle back about 10 degrees. voila!, your drivers are now time aligned. plus the speakers are so bottom heavy with all that lead shot in the bass, they are completely stable. i had a friend over this past weekend & said "hey, check out how heavy this small speaker is". he tried to lift it by grabbing the sides & could not lift it. these things are now solid.
first off, let me anticipate/answer those who say that this speaker is harsh. it is not harsh, it is extremely accurate. i understood this yesterday while listening to Daniel Barenboim playing the beethoven piano sonata's (a close miked recording). my best friend is a pianist & i have sat through him practicing and performing many times. this speaker reproduces the sound of the piano with uncanny accuracy. but it did sound harsh. that is because a piano does sound harsh when you sit close to it. it has a metallic twang to it as well, which these speakers reproduced perfectly. in contrast my nht's made the piano sound like "pearls flung on black velvet" (fans of brahms should recognize this quote - he was talking about the playing of the woman he lusted after, Clara Schuman, his best friends wife) while the nht's sounded more pleasing, they certainly were not as accurrate. On Holly Cole's Temptation CD, the sound is almost holographic, much more so than the nht's, probably due to smaller & faster drivers. the only place they do not better the nht's is in the low bass. this makes them have an overall sound that is a little thinner than the 2.5i's, but this is easily solved with a good sub, & fortunately monitor audio makes a perfectly matched 10 inch sub for only $600. this combination, for $1600 retail, kills everything (and i mean everything) that i have heard for under $6000. as i stated before, stay away from the silver 9's as they are inferior in my opinion, and also the silver 3 + sub does not sound nearly as good as the silver 5 + sub combo. this really does have it all. Johnny Lang's Lie to Me cd absolutely wails - you are inside of the music! (I saw him in concert this past weekend & he is even intense than on cd - catch the show if he's in your town.) Mahler's 5th symphony, which was earth shattering before, is now bone shattering. Instruments are perfectly placed & layered & you can easily hear the different timbre's of all the wind unstruments. Audio heaven? nirvana? well, maybe not quit, but it is as close as i have ever gotten. my other system, which i spent >$15,000 on doesn't even get listened to anymore except for watching movies. If only these speakers had come out a year ago before i started buying my equipment, i might have saved some money. ah well, i'm happy now, & who really needs a new car anyway?

Simply Amazing.There is no better way to describe these speakers. After listening to everything I could find in the price range (PSB Stratus Bronze, Paradigm Studio 60's & 80's, NHT 2.5i, NHT VT1.2, DefTech) I was absolutely blown away by the accuracy, speed and clarity of these speakers. In every song I listened to I heard notes, soft echoes, and variations I have never heard before. I listen to mostly techno, trip hop & dj music, and I wa astounded to hear notes that sounded monotone on other speakers reveal great definition on the Monitor Audios. Tracks that I believed to have monotone (almost buzzing sounding) bass lines were revealed to actually have rapid successions of different notes. DJ scratching was likewise richer.
A Portishead CD had subtle echoes and harmonies that were lost to other speakers. And metallic sound-effects & cymbals were amazing with the metal tweeter.
I cannot wait to buy a pair & rediscover every CD in my collection.
Though the bass does not go as low as some speakers, it is amazing for the size of these speaker and as accurate as I have heard. What is most important, I believe, is fast & accurate bass (which is the shining merit of these speakers), for the lowest lows a sub can always be added for HT use.
High were not the least bi harsh, and more rvealing than I could believe. On some NHT speakers I felt the highs were ACCENTUATED. The MA seem not to accentuate, but to REVEAL. he demos I heard were well broken in, and not the least bit fatiguing.
My search has ended, I really doubt there is better in the price range. If you wish to spend $1k for a pair of speakers, these should be auditioned regardless of the effort involved- you will not regret it.

Own this model for two weeks and it's already in run-in mode. Very accurate sound and speedy, tight bass. I use them with Silver Center together in my HT, super sound and balance ever heard. In Singapore, the discount is unbelievable for just about US$1000 for Silver 5 + Silver Center, super value.

I have been running these marvelous wonders with my Denon AVR-5700 for about a month and WOW!!!! I was amazed. I would have gave these things 10 stars before I even broke them in. Now fully broke in I'm almost speechless. For the price, they can not be beat. I got mine for $749 a pair. No better value anywhere!! The soundstage is awesome with clarity unmatched. Please give these things a try before you spend lots of money on something that can't even compare.