Monitor Audio Silver 300 8G Floorstanding Speakers

Three way sound in a normal sized room

The Monitor Audio Silver 300 8G is the three way floorstander most people should be looking at, pairing twin 6 inch RST III bass drivers with a dedicated 3 inch midrange and the 25mm C-CAM Gold Dome tweeter. Sold as a pair, its 295mm wide cabinet takes up far less floor than the Silver 500 while keeping the same driver philosophy. In room response runs to 30Hz, so a subwoofer becomes optional rather than assumed.

Why You'll Love It

• The midrange driver you usually have to pay more for. A dedicated 3 inch cone covering 610Hz to 3.3kHz keeps voices and instruments clear of the bass drivers, which is the single biggest step up from a two way tower.
• Sized for real living rooms. A little over a metre tall and under 300mm wide, so it reads as furniture rather than as equipment, without giving up the 30Hz in room reach.
• Finished properly. High Gloss Black, Satin White and a European Walnut veneer made from real engineered wood off sustainable timber, so the cabinet holds up in a room you actually live in.

Under the Hood

• Three way layout with 2 x 6 inch C-CAM RST III bass drivers, a 3 inch C-CAM RST III midrange and a 25mm C-CAM Gold Dome tweeter with UD Waveguide II.
• Silent Flow Port Technology tuned to 41Hz, with a wider port and a smoother flare geometry to reduce turbulence and port chuffing at volume.
• Through-Bolt Driver Technology anchoring each drive unit to the rear of the braced cabinet, with an upgraded crossover using higher quality capacitors, inductors and resistors.

CHT Insider Verdict

For the majority of Australian living rooms this is the sweet spot of the range, and the gap to the Silver 500 is mostly about room size rather than quality. At 88dB it wants a bit more amplifier than the 500 does, so do not pair it with the smallest integrated you can find. Note the response figure is quoted in room at -6dB, which is how Monitor Audio measures the 8G range and is not directly comparable to an anechoic -3dB spec.

Pro Tip: Start with the speakers about 300mm off the rear wall and toed in so the axes cross just behind your head. The Silent Flow port is quieter than the old design, but a tower this slim still firms up noticeably once you get it away from the corners.