Jeff D.
Supporting Actor
- Joined
- Jul 10, 1999
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- Real Name
- Jeff
Review: Monitor Audio Gold Reference 10 Loudspeaker
I think we often forget just how many good products there are in the audio marketplace today. Anyone involved in the hobby will develop a discerning ear relatively quickly. Over time, there will be a tendency to become over-critical when auditioning gear. Sometimes it is useful to stand back and realize that the majority of products available to the consumer today are pretty darned good – and quite reasonably priced. Of course this makes the purchasing decision that much harder.
Even with all these great products at our disposal, it is still rare that one would consider any product “perfect”. Once in awhile though, a miracle will come along. A product that is absolutely perfect in every sense and that sets a new standard for performance at its price point and far beyond. Such a miracle has occurred with the arrival of the Monitor Audio Gold Reference 10 Loudspeaker.
The Gold Reference 10 is the starting model in Monitor Audio’s new high-end line. The series is the British manufacturer’s flagship line, with the Silver and Bronze series doing an admirable job of bringing up the rear. This stand-mounted speaker is a ported design, with a 6 ½” mid-bass driver and a 1” dome tweeter. The mid-bass driver incorporates the company’s new RST (Rigid Surface Technology) cone. RST manifests itself as a series of dimples on the cone surface. Along with the white colour of the C-CAM cone material, the new driver has more than a passing resemblance to a large golf ball. The idea behind RST is to prevent the cone from bending. Monitor Audio claims RST will eliminate any standing waves that may be encountered on the cone surface. The cone maintains a constant shape and size throughout its working frequency range. The mid-bass is finished with a solid aluminum phase plug.
C-CAM refers to the cone material in the drivers of the Gold Reference 10. Aluminum and Magnesium form the alloy and are then coated with 50 microns of ceramic in order to prevent ringing, so common in other metal-based drivers. C-CAM is used for both the mid-bass and tweeter and moves the break-up points of each driver well beyond their crossover frequencies.
The Gold Reference 10 is solidly built. A rap of the knuckles on the top and sides proves it is completely dead. The speaker is bi-wireable and includes heavy duty gold-plated binding posts on its rear panel, directly beneath the port. You can get the speaker in several finishes, including black oak, natural cherry or rosewood mahogany. Of all the choices, the rosewood mahogany is certainly the most elegant. The Gold Reference 10’s do include acoustically transparent cloth grilles, but they tend to be rather cosmetically obtrusive. This speaker is so gorgeous it must be considered sacrilege to allow the grilles to cover the elegant craftsmanship.
Monitor Audio lists the frequency response of the Gold Reference 10 as 40 Hz – 30 kHz. Sensitivity is rated at 88 dB with a nominal impedance of 8 ohms and a minimum of 5 ohms. The speaker can handle 100 watts RMS and peaks of 300 watts. Monitor Audio recommends an amplifier in the range of 50 to 250 watts. Each speaker tips the scales at 20 pounds and measures 14 7/8 by 8 7/8 by 11 ½” (H x W x D). It goes without saying that a product of this class deserves a top-notch stand. The list price for the Gold Reference 10 is listed at CDN $2,000.
The Gold Reference 10 is the smaller sibling to the Gold Reference 20 and Gold Reference 60 floorstanders and can be mated with the Gold Reference Centre channel loudspeaker for home theater application. A subwoofer is also available and Monitor Audio plans to introduce a dedicated surround speaker system in the near future.
Once you’ve tired of looking at these speakers and taking in their beauty – and this could take awhile – you will be anxious to give them a listen. For placement, I would definitely recommend good clearance from the rear wall. The small port at the back is very active and the speaker will tend to boom if placed too close to this boundary. Depending on your listening distance, a small amount of toe-in may be beneficial, but they do quite well without it.
After everything is set up and running, the first thing that will become apparent is the shocking amount of bass coming from these little speakers. This bass is not only plentiful, but it is of the highest quality as well. Never before have I heard such deep, clean bass from such a small package. Of course, the reality of the physical world will eventually set in – no, these speakers cannot take the place of a subwoofer. Yet they can go a lot lower than anyone would imagine. I also enjoyed how they let go when they finally ran out of resolving power. Many speakers do their damnedest to get as low as possible, no matter the sonic penalty for their efforts. The Gold Reference 10’s know their limits and they let go gracefully when it is time. This has a wonderful effect of keeping the low end clean and clear. Deep bass is no doubt the cleanest and most articulately defined I have ever heard. Control over decay time of bass notes is also remarkable. Also, don’t think that turning the volume up will foul the Gold Reference 10’s, because it won’t. No matter how hard you push them, they just keep delivering. No confusion and no distortion – just a lot of that great sound. I was unable to bottom these speakers out. Perhaps there was some cautiousness in my attitude – I didn’t want to damage them. Still, it is clear these speakers are more than capable of keeping up with anything you give them.
Bass isn’t the only quality the Gold Reference 10’s have nailed. My impressions of the midband are just as great. This is simply the most fluent and natural sound I have ever heard. For the majority of my time with them, I rarely even considered that I was actually listening to a pair of mere loudspeakers. The Gold Reference 10’s refused to acknowledge their existence. They simply presented, with a measure of accuracy I have never encountered, the sounds they were being fed from my amplifier. Once again the control over decay time was evident in the midband. How these speakers managed to sound so technically accurate while at the same time not sucking the music of its timing and emotion is a complete mystery to me.
Moving up to the high end, nothing changes really. Even here, the Gold Reference 10’s continue to be stubborn and refuse even the mere suggestion of criticism. The top end is the hardest to get right. The line between detail and harshness is the thinnest in existence. Too many products fall on the wrong side of the line and force their listeners to suffer the effects. The Gold Reference 10’s walk this line perfectly. In fact, one can almost see them being so cocky as to run right down the bloody line and do cartwheels, without ever falling off! The tweeter in this speaker is a divine creation, I am sure. I have never experienced such a wonderful, open and detailed high frequency sound without any sign of harshness. My close proximity to the speakers in my listening room makes this test especially hard. The Gold Reference 10 is not the first speaker I’ve heard that isn’t harsh, but many choose the easy way out by shooting for warmth. The Gold Reference 10 is neither warm nor harsh. It is, in fact, the perfect balance. Decay timing, once again, was staggering. It capped off the most amazing listening experience I have ever had.
With all the bits in place, all I could do was sit back and take in the wonderful sound of the Gold Reference 10’s. Having convinced myself that they were indeed perfect, with everything ranging from jazz to hard rock to classical, I let myself become quite familiar with their character. The easiest way to describe their character is to say they have none. Closing my eyes, the speakers completely disappeared. With lesser products, I can often convince myself that the speaker has disappeared, only after a certain amount of time – and even then I know the truth. The Monitor Audio’s were too smart for that. They disappeared instantly. It was a surprise every time when I opened my eyes and saw two small stand-mounts in front of me.
I have yet to touch upon the imaging characteristics of this speaker. I have saved the best for last. Imaging is another tricky aspect of sound reproduction. A lot of newcomers to the hobby are surprised when they hear their first really good set of speakers. They are amazed that two speakers on the left and right can create an image in the middle. While I suppose that could be amazing, that isn’t what imaging is about. Imaging is about creating a complete soundstage, not just an image in the middle. Precious few speakers can fill in the entire area of a soundstage. The Gold Reference 10’s perform the task admirably. Of course, having been blown away by every other aspect of their performance, I was not surprised to note that the Monitor Audio’s were more than capable in this regard. Imaging was downright scary good. I can’t imagine it getting better than this. The actual performance? Perhaps, but then I don’t have my comfy sofa to sit on. Nah, I’ll take the Gold Reference 10’s over the original.
It would be remiss of me not to explore just how the Gold Reference 10 will fit into a home theater installation. Home theater has become just as important to many as good old 2-channel stereo. Monitor Audio has kept this in mind by offering the necessary home theater speakers in their Gold Reference series. The good news is that the Gold Reference 10’s are equally at home in a home theater system as a dedicated audio system. Pumping out the intense opening battle scene of Gladiator at reference level did not faze them for a moment. In fact, I do think I heard them chuckle a bit after that demo. All of their qualities make the home theater experience completely enveloping and take the medium to a new level of performance.
I hope there don’t appear to be too many superlatives in this review, because the reality is there can’t be too many. This speaker is simply that good. Even considering it merely good is a complete insult. This speaker is transcendental. It has raised the bar of performance to previously unimaginable heights. The price is the killer – CDN $2,000 is an absolute steal. You would have to move up to the CDN $4,500 Gold Reference 20’s to make even the slightest improvement. Unless deep bass response is of primary importance, one might even consider the Gold Reference 10’s to be the better deal.
My time with the Monitor Audio Gold Reference 10’s has come to an end. It is a sad moment for two reasons. First, I have to go back to my old speakers which, frankly, don’t even compare. It is also sad for my savings account, as I have no choice but to move on from here. I suppose every story has a happy ending though, as in no time I will have my own pair of the world’s “perfect” loudspeaker – and will find myself hearing what audio nirvana is really like.
----
Jeff
I think we often forget just how many good products there are in the audio marketplace today. Anyone involved in the hobby will develop a discerning ear relatively quickly. Over time, there will be a tendency to become over-critical when auditioning gear. Sometimes it is useful to stand back and realize that the majority of products available to the consumer today are pretty darned good – and quite reasonably priced. Of course this makes the purchasing decision that much harder.
Even with all these great products at our disposal, it is still rare that one would consider any product “perfect”. Once in awhile though, a miracle will come along. A product that is absolutely perfect in every sense and that sets a new standard for performance at its price point and far beyond. Such a miracle has occurred with the arrival of the Monitor Audio Gold Reference 10 Loudspeaker.
The Gold Reference 10 is the starting model in Monitor Audio’s new high-end line. The series is the British manufacturer’s flagship line, with the Silver and Bronze series doing an admirable job of bringing up the rear. This stand-mounted speaker is a ported design, with a 6 ½” mid-bass driver and a 1” dome tweeter. The mid-bass driver incorporates the company’s new RST (Rigid Surface Technology) cone. RST manifests itself as a series of dimples on the cone surface. Along with the white colour of the C-CAM cone material, the new driver has more than a passing resemblance to a large golf ball. The idea behind RST is to prevent the cone from bending. Monitor Audio claims RST will eliminate any standing waves that may be encountered on the cone surface. The cone maintains a constant shape and size throughout its working frequency range. The mid-bass is finished with a solid aluminum phase plug.
C-CAM refers to the cone material in the drivers of the Gold Reference 10. Aluminum and Magnesium form the alloy and are then coated with 50 microns of ceramic in order to prevent ringing, so common in other metal-based drivers. C-CAM is used for both the mid-bass and tweeter and moves the break-up points of each driver well beyond their crossover frequencies.
The Gold Reference 10 is solidly built. A rap of the knuckles on the top and sides proves it is completely dead. The speaker is bi-wireable and includes heavy duty gold-plated binding posts on its rear panel, directly beneath the port. You can get the speaker in several finishes, including black oak, natural cherry or rosewood mahogany. Of all the choices, the rosewood mahogany is certainly the most elegant. The Gold Reference 10’s do include acoustically transparent cloth grilles, but they tend to be rather cosmetically obtrusive. This speaker is so gorgeous it must be considered sacrilege to allow the grilles to cover the elegant craftsmanship.
Monitor Audio lists the frequency response of the Gold Reference 10 as 40 Hz – 30 kHz. Sensitivity is rated at 88 dB with a nominal impedance of 8 ohms and a minimum of 5 ohms. The speaker can handle 100 watts RMS and peaks of 300 watts. Monitor Audio recommends an amplifier in the range of 50 to 250 watts. Each speaker tips the scales at 20 pounds and measures 14 7/8 by 8 7/8 by 11 ½” (H x W x D). It goes without saying that a product of this class deserves a top-notch stand. The list price for the Gold Reference 10 is listed at CDN $2,000.
The Gold Reference 10 is the smaller sibling to the Gold Reference 20 and Gold Reference 60 floorstanders and can be mated with the Gold Reference Centre channel loudspeaker for home theater application. A subwoofer is also available and Monitor Audio plans to introduce a dedicated surround speaker system in the near future.
Once you’ve tired of looking at these speakers and taking in their beauty – and this could take awhile – you will be anxious to give them a listen. For placement, I would definitely recommend good clearance from the rear wall. The small port at the back is very active and the speaker will tend to boom if placed too close to this boundary. Depending on your listening distance, a small amount of toe-in may be beneficial, but they do quite well without it.
After everything is set up and running, the first thing that will become apparent is the shocking amount of bass coming from these little speakers. This bass is not only plentiful, but it is of the highest quality as well. Never before have I heard such deep, clean bass from such a small package. Of course, the reality of the physical world will eventually set in – no, these speakers cannot take the place of a subwoofer. Yet they can go a lot lower than anyone would imagine. I also enjoyed how they let go when they finally ran out of resolving power. Many speakers do their damnedest to get as low as possible, no matter the sonic penalty for their efforts. The Gold Reference 10’s know their limits and they let go gracefully when it is time. This has a wonderful effect of keeping the low end clean and clear. Deep bass is no doubt the cleanest and most articulately defined I have ever heard. Control over decay time of bass notes is also remarkable. Also, don’t think that turning the volume up will foul the Gold Reference 10’s, because it won’t. No matter how hard you push them, they just keep delivering. No confusion and no distortion – just a lot of that great sound. I was unable to bottom these speakers out. Perhaps there was some cautiousness in my attitude – I didn’t want to damage them. Still, it is clear these speakers are more than capable of keeping up with anything you give them.
Bass isn’t the only quality the Gold Reference 10’s have nailed. My impressions of the midband are just as great. This is simply the most fluent and natural sound I have ever heard. For the majority of my time with them, I rarely even considered that I was actually listening to a pair of mere loudspeakers. The Gold Reference 10’s refused to acknowledge their existence. They simply presented, with a measure of accuracy I have never encountered, the sounds they were being fed from my amplifier. Once again the control over decay time was evident in the midband. How these speakers managed to sound so technically accurate while at the same time not sucking the music of its timing and emotion is a complete mystery to me.
Moving up to the high end, nothing changes really. Even here, the Gold Reference 10’s continue to be stubborn and refuse even the mere suggestion of criticism. The top end is the hardest to get right. The line between detail and harshness is the thinnest in existence. Too many products fall on the wrong side of the line and force their listeners to suffer the effects. The Gold Reference 10’s walk this line perfectly. In fact, one can almost see them being so cocky as to run right down the bloody line and do cartwheels, without ever falling off! The tweeter in this speaker is a divine creation, I am sure. I have never experienced such a wonderful, open and detailed high frequency sound without any sign of harshness. My close proximity to the speakers in my listening room makes this test especially hard. The Gold Reference 10 is not the first speaker I’ve heard that isn’t harsh, but many choose the easy way out by shooting for warmth. The Gold Reference 10 is neither warm nor harsh. It is, in fact, the perfect balance. Decay timing, once again, was staggering. It capped off the most amazing listening experience I have ever had.
With all the bits in place, all I could do was sit back and take in the wonderful sound of the Gold Reference 10’s. Having convinced myself that they were indeed perfect, with everything ranging from jazz to hard rock to classical, I let myself become quite familiar with their character. The easiest way to describe their character is to say they have none. Closing my eyes, the speakers completely disappeared. With lesser products, I can often convince myself that the speaker has disappeared, only after a certain amount of time – and even then I know the truth. The Monitor Audio’s were too smart for that. They disappeared instantly. It was a surprise every time when I opened my eyes and saw two small stand-mounts in front of me.
I have yet to touch upon the imaging characteristics of this speaker. I have saved the best for last. Imaging is another tricky aspect of sound reproduction. A lot of newcomers to the hobby are surprised when they hear their first really good set of speakers. They are amazed that two speakers on the left and right can create an image in the middle. While I suppose that could be amazing, that isn’t what imaging is about. Imaging is about creating a complete soundstage, not just an image in the middle. Precious few speakers can fill in the entire area of a soundstage. The Gold Reference 10’s perform the task admirably. Of course, having been blown away by every other aspect of their performance, I was not surprised to note that the Monitor Audio’s were more than capable in this regard. Imaging was downright scary good. I can’t imagine it getting better than this. The actual performance? Perhaps, but then I don’t have my comfy sofa to sit on. Nah, I’ll take the Gold Reference 10’s over the original.
It would be remiss of me not to explore just how the Gold Reference 10 will fit into a home theater installation. Home theater has become just as important to many as good old 2-channel stereo. Monitor Audio has kept this in mind by offering the necessary home theater speakers in their Gold Reference series. The good news is that the Gold Reference 10’s are equally at home in a home theater system as a dedicated audio system. Pumping out the intense opening battle scene of Gladiator at reference level did not faze them for a moment. In fact, I do think I heard them chuckle a bit after that demo. All of their qualities make the home theater experience completely enveloping and take the medium to a new level of performance.
I hope there don’t appear to be too many superlatives in this review, because the reality is there can’t be too many. This speaker is simply that good. Even considering it merely good is a complete insult. This speaker is transcendental. It has raised the bar of performance to previously unimaginable heights. The price is the killer – CDN $2,000 is an absolute steal. You would have to move up to the CDN $4,500 Gold Reference 20’s to make even the slightest improvement. Unless deep bass response is of primary importance, one might even consider the Gold Reference 10’s to be the better deal.
My time with the Monitor Audio Gold Reference 10’s has come to an end. It is a sad moment for two reasons. First, I have to go back to my old speakers which, frankly, don’t even compare. It is also sad for my savings account, as I have no choice but to move on from here. I suppose every story has a happy ending though, as in no time I will have my own pair of the world’s “perfect” loudspeaker – and will find myself hearing what audio nirvana is really like.
----
Jeff
