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Proper Speakers, perfectly safe to the listeners health

Roxbrough

Member
specs
Superb cohesion
The three speakers at
the front of the system
share the same type
of bass, midrange and
high-frequency drive
units: that helps the
system to deliver a
matchless spread of
sound in your room.
Power corrupts
With 1000w of output
and a 15in drive unit
to shift air, the PLW-
15 sub is a formidably
potent partner for the
rest of this system. It
goes super-low, yet
retains enough speed
to relay music well.
Metal guru
Although they’re
formed from lavish
chunks of wood and
leather, it’s metal that
forms the signature
material with MAs.
Those metal drivers
are wonderfully fast
and expressive.
Gentle giants
This isn’t a particularly
difficult set-up for an
amp to drive: a decent
£2000 receiver could
cope with their load.
That said, the 2500w
Anthem kit (
Perfect
Partners

, right) is
a far better bet…
perf ect part ners
Pl300 fronts
Drive units
2 x 20cm bass, 10cm
midrange, C-CAM
ribbon tweeter
Freq resp onse
28Hz-100kHz
Imp edance (all)
4 ohms
Power handling
100w-300w
Size (hwd)
111 x 41 x 47cm
Weight
44kg
You’ll already know
about the high
regard we have for Monitor Audio’s
Platinum-series – if not, turn back
to p56 to find reviews of the PL300
floorstanders and PL100 standmounts,
which form the front and rear channels
in the PL300 AV system tested here.
So, put the two designs together, and
you ought to have something special.
Just how special, though, has come
as something of a surprise to us. Simply
put, the PL300 AV is a truly fabulous
surround system, one of the best we’ve
ever tried. It plays everything superbly,
from live concert Blu-rays to madcap
action movies, revealing every last gasp
of subtle effects and powering through
sofa-shaking dynamics with a deftly
judged blend of sublime detail and
thrilling drive. And of course, it’s also
sensational in stereo, as you’d expect.
In fact, after several weeks enjoying
its company, we’ve got no closer to
exposing any major weaknesses.
So, you’ve got PL300s up front and
PL100s on the rears – what about the
rest of the system? First, in comes a
PLC350 centre channel to complete
the surround soundfield. Naturally,
it’s a substantial device, its drive-unit
complement matching that fitted to
the huge PL300s. That ensures the
front three speakers integrate superbly,
but it also makes the centre a hefty
beast, one that just won’t fit most
kit racks. Monitor Audio’s optional
centre-channel floorstand, shown
here, is a worthy investment at £300.
Bass in your space
Rounding things off is the formidable
PLW-15 active subwoofer, which uses a
rigid 15in long-throw metal drive unit
in a sealed, superlatively constructed
50kg enclosure finished to the same
lavish standard as the other speakers in
the system. Fed by an astonishingly fast
1000w Class D power amplifier, capable
of reaching down to an ultra-low 16Hz
and blessed with extensive adjustability
via remote control, it’s as every bit as
fast, articulate and potent as it ought
to be in such vaunted company.
Quality needs quality
What else do you need to know? First,
remember that a system this capable
needs plenty of space to work. If you
can afford the package, that shouldn’t
be an issue. You’ll also need to have good
partnering kit – amps, a Blu-ray player
and the like (see
Perfect Partners) –
because while the Monitors aren’t that
demanding to drive or fussy about tonal
matching, they’re just so darn good
that to listen to them using anything
second-rate would almost seem a crime.
Brilliant home cinema performance and superlative stereo come
together in this majestic Monitor Audio Platinum-series system
m
for
Massive, incredibly
detailed sound, with
taut, powerful bass,
superlative space
and clarity, and
brilliant cohesion;
stunning build
quality and finish
against
m
Needs a big room to
work at its best; it’s
not exactly cheap
verdict
m
One of the finest 5.1
speaker packages
on the market;
delivers everything
you could wish for
and more
“The Monitor Audio is a
truly fabulous surround
system, one of the best
we’ve tried. It plays
everything superbly”
you Want to hear
what this kit can
do? Try these…
The Dark Knight
Dial up the Batpod
sequence and hang
on for dear life: the
scale, space and
sheer drama of
the scene will take
your breath away.
The PRodigy
Invaders Must Die
Should speakers this
classy be asked to
play music this nasty?
A good question, but
let rip with the title
track, and who cares…
Band Of
Brothers
A gem of a TV series
and a brilliant buy on
Blu-ray – the forceful
combat scenes test
both dynamics and
speed to the max.
speaker pac kages
Best buy Best buy
Monitor Audio PL300 AV
★★★★★
www.monitoraudio.co.uk
speaker pac kages
Surround
amplifier

Anth em
Stat ement D2
v and P5
★★★★★
£ 16,100
Fearsomely powerful and formidably detailed,
this astonishing combination of processor
(D2v) and 2500w five-channel power amp (P5)
works wonderfully with the Monitor Audios.
It gives the speakers full rein, and it teems
with detail. See p126 for a full review.
The centre of it all
The PLC350 centre is vast – it
just won’t fit in most AV racks.
Best to place it on the stand
shown here, another Monitor
Audio special. It tilts, too.
Finish made in heaven
We’ve said it before, but it’s
worth saying again just how
wonderful these speakers look,
and how well-made they are.
That black front trim? Leather…
Hang on to your sofa
1000w of Class D power and a
stiff 15in driver ensure plenty
of bass, but the extensive user
adjustments are worth a nod:
it’s easy to fine-tune this sub.
Stands that deliver
The PL100s will suit a variety of
speaker stands, but for surround
use we like Monitor Audio’s own
£400-a-pair designs, which
bolt securely to the speaker.
PlC350 Centre
Drive units
2 x 20cm bass, 10cm
midrange, C-CAM
ribbon tweeter
Freq resp onse
32Hz-100kHz
Power handling
100w-250w
Size (hwd)
29 x 80 x 37cm
Weight
33.5kg
Pl100 rears
Drive units
16.5cm mid/bass,
C-CAM ribbon tweeter
Freq resp onse
42Hz-100kHz
Power handling
50w-120w
Size (hwd)
37 x 22 x 28cm
Weight
13kg
PLW -15 sub
Drive units
38cm C-CAM
Freq resp onse
16Hz-160Hz, variable
Power
1000w Class D
Size (hwd)
45 x 48 x 47cm
Weight
50kg
blu-ray player
Pioneer BDP-LX91
★★★★★
£
2000
The ’LX91 might take a little longer than
normal to load discs, but once they’re
spinning the picture is sublime. Punchy,
vibrant colours contrast well against deep,
inky blacks. There’s also onboard decoding of
high-def audio formats to PCM, with analogue
DTS-HD Master Audio coming soon. See p118.
projector
SIM2 HT3000E
★★★★★
£
10,000
Extremely high-precision optics and a very
nifty six-segment colour wheel means the
’3000E is capable of throwing truly stunning
images. It’s a picture you could luxuriate in
for hours – spin the Blu-ray of
Apocalypto
and you’ll see what we mean. See p144
 
Monitor Audio does manufacture sublimely superlative and formidably fearsome albeit petrifyingly priced products.

Highly recommend for those who have the means. 3.14159~

Me, I am stuck with these iPod earbuds. At least they aren't round.
 
Before I moved, I gave all of my gear to a friend because different voltage/freq. and now I am wanting something for here. Actually, two somethings: one for the livign room (might just buy a soundbar and call it good enough) and the man cave.

Budget: not a lot.
 
I miss my man cave. Can't shift all of the gear to my current apartment so it sits idle and unloved.
 
I recommend hearing protection so that you may continue to do so into you golden years.
 
I am past the LOUD is best phase. I just want it to sound good.

Feel that. I settled on a little known company out of California by the name of NHT. Moderately priced, sealed enclosure design that I enjoy. I used to run an old AR design that I loved, but they were monolithic and after 20 years of faithful service they finally gave up the ghost. I've had the NHTs for, oh, six years now and still love them.

Understand that I am not recommending them to you (I don't do that because the only thing worse than a room full of wannabee sommeliers is a room full of audiophiles), just commenting that if you look in unexpected places you can get really good sound without mortgaging the home.
 
(I don't do that because the only thing worse than a room full of wannabee sommeliers is a room full of audiophiles).

Separately I can understand but put them together... getting pissed with the volume turned up among likeminded types sounds alright to me.
 
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