STAND MOUNT SPEAKERS MONITOR AUDIO PLATINUM PL100 Krzysztof Kalinkowski

This test started in an interesting way. Chief said that I will receive some interesting Monitor Audio bookshelf speakers for testing, but he was dead silent as to which model it would be. As lately I was rather testing a more budget oriented equipment, I thought that those would be from the Bronze or Silver series. But when the courier brought the big pack it turned out, that it houses speakers with the Platinum label. So I got loudspeakers that are now the highest model of stand mounts in the company portfolio. Until the test I had only the opportunity to listen to the company’s loudspeakers on shows. But I was always intrigued their looks and by the used technologies. Namely the company uses some uncommon solutions in its products. From the 80. Monitor Audio is faithful to metals, which the company uses to make diaphragms. Aluminum-magnesium molds were used, and even gold. The drivers used in the Platinum series, the highest series of loudspeakers at MA, are the result from those experiments – the ribbon tweeter C-CAM (Ceramic Coated Aluminum Magnesium) and the mid-woofer RDT (a composition of a thin C-CAM layer with a Nomex carrier with a honeycomb structure).

However I did not find one important information in the company materials: those loudspeakers are plain beautiful. After unpacking them I spend a good half an hour just looking at them. Finished in mahogany veneer with high gloss varnish they made big impression, almost a piece of art. Also the quality of the finish is at the highest level. As it turned out, besides the good looks there is also good sound, so the whole made an appearance almost like Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon. It is just a pity I did not have the company stands for the speakers. It would improve both aspects – the visual and the sonic one. But sometimes you just have to listen on.

SOUND

The Platinum sounded with a very open, big sound, not pointing to their bookshelf nature. The sound was well balanced; no part of the sound spectrum was privileged. The bass was not lacking, although those are really small speakers. I do not know, if this is the result of the used drivers, or anything else, but the Monitor speakers sound with a very well composed sound, full and sometimes a bit warm sound. The warmth I am thinking of does not come from emphasizing of any of the sound ranges – but from the splendid resolution and quality, especially of the treble. Every detail is shown clearly, but at the same time there is no harshness, hiss or underlining of the treble.
This way of presenting the treble is one of the reasons the Monitor create a very large, brilliantly constructed stage. This is not a fake, but a fully fledged, credible big sound scene. In general every disc I listened to, regardless if with natural or electronic instruments had a credible space, with well drawn instruments and space between them (also called ‘air’). Every instrument had its place, did not go where it shouldn’t be. This was especially well audible on jazz records – small ensembles allowed to follow each of the musicians apart, without loosing the whole picture. As an example I can point to the disc Plays Bach Jacques Loussier Trio (Telarc Jazz, 1996, CD-83411, CD) where every instrument had its space, and still they created their incomparable climate together. Also the percussion solo in Allegro sounded fantastic. And this not only space wise, but also due to the bass.

Now when I came to the bass I need to tell almost only good things about it, although those speakers are stand mount ones, and will not surpass some things. It is really impressive, how low the speakers go, with acoustic as well as with electronic material. For example the discs A Passage of Time Dead Can Dance (4AD/Sonic, Son73, 1991, CD) and Magnetic Fields J.M. Jarre (Epic/Sony Music, 488138 2, 1981/1997, CD) supply enough proof for that. In smaller rooms there will be as much bass as from a floor standing loudspeaker, but without the problems placing of such a loudspeaker brings. Unfortunately discs with an overage of low tones can cause problems. The disc of Peter Gabriel, made with excess of the bass like most of his discs…, Big Blue Ball (Real World Recordings Ltd, CDRW150, 2008, CD) showed the limits of the loudspeakers – at higher volume levels there was a bit too much of the upper bass, the loudspeakers lost a bit of the control over it. On the other hand the lack of lower bass was also audible. It was clear, when I switched back to my reference speakers, the B&W 804S – they handled this better. It was similar on the disc Redemption’s Son Joseph Artur (Real World Recordings/Virgin, CDRW103, 2002, CD). But I need to point your attention to three things: first of all those loudspeakers have the bass-reflex pointed backwards, what makes the positioning of the speakers more difficult (they were placed about 75cm from the back wall, but I think they may need more space). Secondly they were not on the company, or other solid stands, but on… replacement ones. And finally, that what I am talking about is audible comparing with solid floor standing loudspeakers, 804S is a one meter high loudspeaker with a double 165mm diameter woofer. And this is something.
But in general the bass in those speakers is splendid, really.

I already mentioned the upper part of the frequency range. The ribbon C-CAM allows shows it best side. The resolution is brilliant. Also the speed. That what was presented by the Monitor Audio was really top notch. But unfortunately for some discs everything was reproduced. Discs from the group Camel are well recorded, so they sounded well. Also discs issued by companies that take care of the recording and mastering quality. But placing a CCD (Copy Controlled CD) in the player immediately provoked questions what happened to the treble. Fortunately the truth about the recordings was shown in a way, that they still could be listened to, but I refrained from playing the clipped Chris Botti disc… Anyway, the treble is one of the big assets of this construction.
The fulfillment of everything is the treble, that is not standing off the rest of the sound spectrum. Its resolution is on the level of the treble, it has also a very good timbre. I listened to recordings of voices with great pleasure. Gregorian chants by the Cistercian monks from Stift Heiligenkreuz (Chant, UCJ Music, 4766815, 2008, CD) sounded phenomenal. You could almost see the chapel and the monks standing in a half-circle and singing. Also the female voices sounded just as they should – vivid and saturated. My favorite Kari Bremnes disc visited the player a few times, as well as Sinead O’Connor. I just could not stop listening. One thing I did not mention yet is the rhythm keeping. Regardless of what went to the player, starting with pop and finishing with stronger climates, the loudspeakers handled the rhythm splendidly. There was no clogging together of the sound, no shortcuts. And no effort, everything happened naturally. Riverside from the disc Rapid Eye Movement (Mystic Production, Mystcd044, 2007, CD) sounded with kick and strength, just as it should. There was no slowing down or ‘taming’.

Concluding: those are very nice loudspeakers. If I had some loose change, I would probably not give them back. They would be the base for a bedroom system. And it is not without influence that they also appealed to my wife, not only with the sound, but also with the looks.

DESCRIPTION

The Monitor Audio Platinum PL 100 is a small, two-way stand mount speaker, in a bass-reflex cabinet vented to the back. Those are loudspeakers from the highest series of the manufacturer and is the only stand mount speaker in the series. Already at first sight they make a big impression. The enclosure, made from MDF and ARC composite (the front baffle and the bottom of the cabinet), in a shape eliminating the standing waves, is covered by natural veneer (the tested version was mahogany) and piano varnished. The front baffle is covered with black natural leather, contrasting with the metallic color of the diaphragm of the mid-woofer and the ribbon driver enclosure. Metal elements with the company logo complete the picture. The quality of the enclosure is fantastic. Really a feast for the eye.

The used drivers are the best company achievements prepared for the platinum line of speakers – ribbon tweeter with a C-CAM diaphragm (C-CAM = Ceramic Coated Aluminum Magnesium), what makes it light but at the same time incredibly rigid. This ribbon, weighting only 18g is at the same time the membrane and the voice coil, that receives the audio signal. Moving in a magnetic field created by a rare earth magnet it can reach frequencies in the order of 100kHz, so there is no need to use any super-tweeters for SACD, DVD-A or Blu-Ray.
The mid-woofer is a 6.5” RDT, or a speaker with a honeycomb structured Nomex membrane covered by a thin layer of C-CAM. The coating is only 40µm thick, but the diaphragm as a whole has a 150 times greater stiffness than 200µm C-CAM and weights far less. Also the shape of the diaphragm was optimized to work as a rigid piston, as well as elimination of any distortion.
There is also a bass-reflex port made in HiVe II technology, what means shaping it in a way allowing high air speeds without any turbulences. Also the wire terminals are of highest quality. Those are a WBT product from the highest series, platinum plated, accepting all cable types. The terminal is double, so bi-wiring and bi-amping is an option. Using a single cable we have to leave the standard shunt in place, made from a solid piece of metal, and also platinum plated. I think, that in this case exchanging it to a cable will not bring any improvement.

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