Note: measurements taken in the anechoic chamber at Canada's National Research Council can be found through this link.
From modest beginnings in 1972, loudspeaker manufacturer Monitor Audio, founded in Teversham, England, by Mo Iqbal, has grown immensely in size and technical expertise. In 2023, on the heels of the company’s 50th anniversary, Monitor Audio launched a no-holds-barred, ultra-high-end loudspeaker, the Hyphn, describing it as “the most creatively ambitious, technically advanced, and powerful loudspeaker in the company’s history.” Of course, loudspeakers like the Hyphn are unattainable for most and are not expected to be runaway commercial successes. But they do showcase the technological capability of a brand, and the technology incorporated in them tends to percolate down in time to the brand’s more mainstream offerings.
It seems fitting, this Olympic year, that Monitor Audio is releasing the sixth generation of its Gold Series loudspeakers, the Gold Series 6G. From drivers to cabinets to crossovers, the Gold Series 6G is all new, and it incorporates some of the latest advancements in the company’s loudspeaker design and manufacturing. We were quite excited here at SoundStage! Hi-Fi to have been given the opportunity to be the first in North America to evaluate one of the series’ two floorstanders, the Gold 300 6G ($5599/pair, all prices in USD).
My experience with Monitor Audio loudspeakers spans a whole decade, having evaluated models from the Silver Series, Gold Series, and Platinum Series, as well as the flagship Hyphn, most recently. It has always been a positive experience, and I was therefore eager to audition this latest incarnation of the Gold Series’ midsize floorstander.
A new generation
The Monitor Audio Gold 6G Series comprises six models: the Gold 50 6G compact bookshelf speaker ($2499/pair), Gold 100 6G midsize bookshelf ($4199/pair), Gold 300 6G midsize floorstander ($5599/ pair), Gold 500 6G flagship floorstander ($7499/pair), Gold On-Wall 6G ($1399 each), and Gold 250C 6G compact three-way center-channel loudspeaker ($2499). Of the six new models, only the Gold 250C 6G kept the name of its former version. The new Gold 50 6G, Gold 300 6G, and Gold 500 6G replace the Gold 100 5G, Gold 200 5G, and Gold 300 5G, respectively, and the Gold 100 6G bookshelf and Gold On-Wall 6G are new to the series.
This sixth iteration of the Gold Series brings with it several cutting-edge technologies. First and foremost is the proprietary metal-cone design of the 3″ midrange and 6″ bass drivers, which Monitor Audio calls Hexagonal Diaphragm Technology (HDT). HDT builds on the Rigid Diaphragm Technology (RDT III) incorporated in the Hyphn and the Platinum Series 3G loudspeakers: a Nomex honeycomb core sandwiched between aluminium and carbon-fiber skins. The HDT cone is formed of low mass single-skin Ceramic-Coated Aluminium-Magnesium (C-CAM), which is highly resistant to deformation. The rigidity of the cone is increased by a pattern of hexagonal surface indentations, which disrupts symmetries in the cone breakup, Monitor Audio claims. HDT C-CAM cones are said to be among the strongest, most pistonlike cones Monitor Audio has ever engineered. The larger, 3″ midrange driver of the Gold Series 6G—it was 2.5″ in the Gold Series 5G—improves sensitivity, lowers distortion, and allows better crossover matching with the Micro Pleated Diaphragm (MPD III) tweeter.
The MPD III high-frequency transducer design is another notable technology employed in the Gold Series 6G. The MPD III tweeter is a revised version of the one used in the Hyphn and Platinum Series loudspeakers, and it too was developed and refined in-house. The MPD III tweeter is said to handle the high-frequency range with even greater consistency, clarity, and accuracy than its predecessor. With a flatter and wider frequency response, it produces greater detail, and a crisper, cleaner, more lifelike sound, Monitor Audio claims.
The Gold Series 6G’s crossover implementation is another of its key technologies. The 6G crossovers employ high-quality capacitors and have been refined through extensive testing to provide a smooth transition and minimal noise.
To allow the advanced drivers of the Gold Series 6G loudspeakers to perform to their full potential, cabinets have all been designed for maximum rigidity, with thick walls, robust bracing, and through-bolt technology. A primary design objective in the development of the Gold Series 6G was the attainment of consistency in sound and performance across the series. To achieve this goal, consideration was given to every last detail. A new trim feature on the Gold 100 and 500 models, for instance, allows the MPD III tweeter to be placed higher up on the cabinet, where edge diffraction is reduced.
The floorstanding models of the Gold Series 6G employ an attractive low-profile plinth assembly based on the one in the Platinum Series. The new outrigger feet are broader and stronger than in the previous generation and constitute a solid, stable, adjustable platform for the cabinets.
Aesthetically, Gold Series 6G models are a refinement of, not a departure from, Gold Series 5G models. The conspicuous oval nameplates the former models brandished are now gone, replaced with small, unassuming logo buttons. The pixel-like edge on the former tweeter-midrange pod surrounds (in the C250, 200, and 300 loudspeakers) has been retired, too, as have the black-and-silver bass-driver surrounds; the drivers’ trims and surrounds are now all silver. On the Gold 300 6G and 500 6G, an elegant, slender silver line stretches vertically from the lower bass driver down to the logo button near the base. This purely cosmetic element somehow has a slimming effect on the cabinet. Perhaps one of the most distinguishing design elements of the Gold Series 6G is the sharp cabinet edges, which give 6G models a clean, contemporary look; the Gold Series 5G cabinets had rounded edges.
Gold Series 6G loudspeakers are available in three finishes: high-gloss black, satin white, and for the first time, Macassar, a manufactured wood veneer made from reconstituted, sustainably sourced wood that is dyed and laminated to resemble Macassar ebony. This material allows greater consistency and uniformity in color and grain than natural Macassar would, and its use avoids further stress on this endangered species.
Technical details
The Gold 300 6G floorstander is a slender three-way bass-reflex design with two rear ports. As mentioned, it employs an MPD III tweeter, a 3″ HDT midrange driver, and twin 6″ HDT bass drivers. Monitor Audio supplies separate removable magnetic front grilles for the tweeter-midrange pod and for each of the two bass drivers. The speaker can thus be posed veiled or denuded, topless or bottomless. Spikes and floor pads are also included. Two pairs of five-way binding posts with nickel-plated jumper bars are at the rear.
The Gold 300 6G has a specified frequency response of 45Hz–60kHz (−6dB, free field) or 28Hz–60kHz (in-room). It has a nominal 4-ohm impedance and a sensitivity of 87dB/2.83V/1m (free field). Continuous power handling is rated at 250W, and the recommended amplifier power is 130W–500W (RMS).
Each speaker measures 43.3″H × 13.4″W × 18.3″ D, including feet and spikes, and weighs 46.8 pounds. My review pair came in the satin white finish, which seemed very similar to that of the Silver 300 6G loudspeakers I acquired a few years back. Fit and finish were impeccable, as I’ve come to expect from Monitor Audio. The Gold 300 6Gs’ visual appeal attracts the eye, but they are unintrusive. Their refined, understated elegance prevails over their few strong design elements: the protruding feet, pinstripe inlay, silver driver surrounds.
Setup
My audition of the Monitor Audio Gold 300 6G took place in my acoustically treated studio, which measures 13′W × 18′D × 8′H. My music sources were Tidal HiFi and Qobuz, via a Roon Nucleus server. A Bryston BR-20 streaming preamplifier was next in line, feeding a pair of Bryston 7B3 monoblock power amplifiers.
I found that the Gold 300 6G speakers were unfussy about placement and had no difficulty finding the optimal placement for them. It turned out that they sounded best in just about the same position as my own reference loudspeakers, the Dynaudio C2 Signature: 4′ from the front wall and 3′ from the side walls but with less of a toe-in, about 10-degrees. Port bung plugs were provided but proved unneeded, and I left them out.
Listening
Over the last few years, I’ve become a fan of the music of the Australian brother-and-sister duo Angus and Julia Stone, and of some of their solo music too. The Stones’ album Down the Way (24-bit/44.1kHz FLAC, Discograph / Tidal) is one of my favorites—two tracks in particular: “Black Crow” and “Big Jet Plane.”
On “Black Crow,” the opening soft double tap on the snare was imaged distinctly deep left of centre. The following succession of bass plucks, on the right, communicated tension that was heightened by the tangible texture of the strings moving across the fret. The Gold 300 6Gs effectively spread the reverb in the recording throughout my listening room, creating a rich soundscape and keeping the instruments well focused in their positions. The kick drum hits were tight and articulate and had a concussive impact. Delineation of bass notes was excellent. The Gold 300 6G seemed to prioritize controlling the bass over imparting great weight to it. (The Monitor Audio Platinum 200 3G, which I auditioned last year, had a much heftier bass.)
The midrange was clear, detailed, and smooth, and revealed the full texture and tone of the duo’s voices. It delivered vocals cleanly with no added warmth and without congestion or roughness. Cymbals, too, were well portrayed, as was the hi-hat, whose sandiness was always believable, never coarse.
On “Big Jet Plane,” the Gold 300 6Gs conveyed the opening violin strings with smoothness and good definition. The electric guitar sounded taut, the drums strikes clean and impactful.
Marie Spaemann’s “Lovesong,” from her 2019 album Gap (16/44.1 FLAC, Anthropoet / Qobuz), was a pleasure to listen to through the Gold 300 6Gs. The song opens with a brief passage of cello pizzicato, taking the role of a double bass. Spaemann’s finger action and string snap, and the accompanying woody resonance of the cello’s body, were all conveyed with great realism. At around the two-minute mark, the cello’s soulful singing was presented by the Gold 300 6Gs in all its warmth and sweetness. The tone and timbre of Spaemann’s silky-smooth, entrancingly feminine voice were also superbly conveyed.
I’ve been spending some time lately listening to classic albums of yore. One album I have a rekindled fondness for is Phil Collins’s 1981 Face Value (24/96 FLAC, Rhino Records / Qobuz). Playing the 2015 remastered “In the Air Tonight,” I was met with an immersive, broad soundstage, stretching well beyond the speakers’ positions, past the confines of the room itself. Collins’s voice was imaged distinctly, its overlying electronic sheen unmasked. The opening percussion was impressive, quick and impactful, and the synth notes made the soundstage all the more immersive. At 3:40, a climactic drum roll thunders, panning left to right. The Gold 300 6Gs reproduced it impressively, preserving its timbre and demonstrating excellent control and speed.
Now hankering for more virtuosic percussion, I played “Drum Solo,” from Gojira’s 2005 album The Link Alive (16/44.1 FLAC, Listenable records / Qobuz). This track opens with an isolated drum strike, which quickly evolves into a percussive cascade that tumbles torrentially to a final cymbal crash. With the Gold 300 6G’s fast transient response, the drum sounded lifelike throughout, and the cymbals rang with an authentic metallic shimmer. Earlier this year, I listened to this same track played on a pair of Hyphn loudspeakers. While the Gold 300 6Gs could not quite take this track to the same breathtaking level that the Hyphns could, they did exhibit much of the top model’s character.
Comparison
I compared the Monitor Audio Gold 300 6G with my own Dynaudio C2 Signature loudspeakers (discontinued, $15,000/pair when available). On “Keep the Wolves Away,” from Uncle Lucius’s 2012 album And You Are Me (16/44.1 FLAC, eOne Music / Tidal), the Gold 300s were tight and textured in the bass and delivered the guitar dynamically, with precision and tube-like sweetness. Images were focused and natural. The Dynaudio C2s, by comparison, sounded appreciably fuller in the low bass and had a richer, more complex harmonic palette. And they presented vocals with greater detail and warmth, more lifelike. Where the Gold 300 6Gs were a match for the C2s was in transient response. In fact, their delivery was more incisive than the C2s’. In view of this comparison and of my audition, last year, of the Monitor Audio Platinum 200 3G, I would say that the Gold 300 6G, while not quite at the level of a top-tier loudspeaker, offers much of the performance of one.
Conclusion
The Monitor Audio Gold 300 6G is a most capable, highly refined loudspeaker. It is neutral and transparent, revealing the subtlest recorded detail (and any upstream change to equipment and interconnects). It is fast and dynamic, and it is honest, adding neither warmth nor color to recordings. Given its neutrality and transparency, the Gold 300 6G would be a good match to a ruler-flat front end. I’d be reluctant to pair it with brighter components, though. All told, the Monitor Audio Gold 300 6G is a high-performance loudspeaker that lives up to its gold-standard pedigree.
. . . George de Sa
george@soundstage.com
Associated Equipment
- Loudspeakers: Dynaudio Confidence C2 Signature
- Rack: Quadraspire SV3T
- Streaming preamplifier: Bryston BR-20
- Server: Roon Nucleus
- Cables: Audio Sensibility Statement speaker, interconnects, and power cables; Pangea AC-9 power cables; Zavfino Fusion balanced (XLR) interconnects
- Integrated amplifier: Rega Elex-R Mk3; Peachtree Carina GaN
- Power amplifiers: Bryston 7B3 (monoblocks)
- CD player: Rega Apollo
- Headphones: Grado SR325e
- Network: Netgear wireless modem
Monitor Audio Gold 300 6G loudspeaker
Price: $5599 per pair
Warranty: Five years, parts and labor
Monitor Audio Ltd.
24 Brook Road
Rayleigh, Essex SS6 7XL
United Kingdom
Phone: +44 1268-740580
Fax: +44 1268-740589
Email: technical@monitoraudio.group
Website: www.monitoraudio.com
North American distributor:
Kevro International
902 McKay Road #4
Pickering, Ontario L1W 3X8
Canada
Phone: 1-800-667-6065
Fax: (905) 428-0004
Email: info@kevro.com
Website: www.kevro.com
