Loudspeakers

Recent releases from Monitor Audio, including the floorstanding Hyphn flagship [HFN Jul ’23] and retro-inspired Studio 89 standmount [HFN Nov ’24], have found the UK speaker marque moving into new markets and evolving its ‘brand proposition’. However, proof – if needed – that the manufacturer hasn’t completely up-ended its approach comes in the form of the Bronze 50 7G speaker seen here.

Priced at a tempting – but hardly cheap ’n’ cheerful – £500, this is MA’s new entry-level option if you disregard the ultra-compact Apex and Radius ‘designer’ models. It’s also the latest evolution of a speaker that has been the company’s bread and butter option for 26 years. As ever, it promises agreeable sonics, smart design, solid build quality and value for money. Or, in MA’s words, ‘don’t be fooled by its wallet-friendly price point’.

The two-way ’50 7G standmount is one of five models in the new Bronze range [see boxout], alongside centre channel and Dolby Atmos ‘upfiring’ speakers, an on-wall cabinet, and the three-driver Bronze 300 floorstander. Dimensions of 335x185x328mm (hwd) mean it won’t be the smallest model in the shop at the price, but the cabinet size gives the ’50 7G a grown-up feel compared to compact rivals, as does its classy appearance. Black, walnut and white colourways are offered for the main cabinet (the ‘urban grey’ of the 6G range has been jettisoned), while the finish for the baffle is either black (on the black and walnut models) or white.

Moving on up

This 18mm-thick baffle, with its exposed sides showing off the plywood construction, frames the Bronze 50 7G’s two drivers: a 150mm bass/mid and 25mm dome tweeter. Both units are fresh designs, albeit still employing MA’s C-CAM (Ceramic-Coated Aluminium Magnesium) driver material. Specifically, the manufacturer has increased the size of the bass/mid driver (the ’50 6G’s was 130mm) and made improvements to the magnet system and voice-coil. Meanwhile, the ‘gold’ dome tweeter – first debuted by MA in 1982 – claims improved rigidity while being both thinner and lighter for this generation.

Above: The plywood baffle and MDF cabinet is offered in satin white, black and walnut finishes while the stretched fabric and frame grille snaps into position via a series of hidden magnets

As before, the tweeter lies behind a protective grille/phase plate and now also sits within MA’s UD (Uniform Dispersion) II waveguide, improving directivity at crossover with the bass/mid unit.

This handover between the drivers is at 3kHz, up from 2.5kHz on the 6G model, and managed by a new crossover network with split bass/treble arms. The rear of the cabinet houses two sets of binding posts for bi-amp/wiring – Monitor Audio, unlike some other brands, is a proponent of split crossovers even down at this price level (although the standalone Studio 89 model comes with a single set of terminals). Bi-amping is unlikely at this price point, but if you have spare speaker cable then why not give bi-wiring a whirl…

Inside the ’50 7G, the manufacturer’s now-familiar construction method sees both the HF and bass/mid drivers secured in place by a ‘through-bolt’ that extends to the rear of the cabinet, and said to both improve the enclosure’s rigidity and the decoupling of both units from the baffle. Yet these are not heavyweight speakers, and installation is a breeze, with ‘optimal’ rear-wall clearance suggested as 15cm-30cm.

Toe-out tips

In addition, the manual recommends siting the two speakers slightly ‘toe-out’, aiming the cabinets at a point behind the listener to give the best stereo image, but the manual is clear this is a matter of personal taste. Frequency response is rated down to 41Hz, aided by a rear-facing HiVe II reflex port, while sensitivity is a suggested 86dB [see PM's Lab Report].

There’s no dedicated stand for the Bronze 50 7G. Instead, Monitor Audio’s website says the speakers can be used with its ST-2 model. As this is a ‘universal’ design also aimed at owners of its Gold and Platinum series standmounts, and ticketed at £550 per pair, I expect most buyers will look for a more affordable option offering a similar elevation of 24in.

Port bungs are supplied to manage bass output where the speakers have to be parked very close to a rear wall and the speakers come with magnetically attaching grilles that cover most, but not all, of the front baffle. Personally, I find these rob the speaker of much of its visual appeal, and as PM reports [see Lab Report], they should always be removed for best performance.

King sized
For my listening tests, the Bronze 50 7Gs were used with 24in stands and paired with both a WiiM Amp [HFN Nov ’24] and a beefier Primare A35.2 amp [HFN Dec ’19] with Matrix Audio’s Element X2 Pure streaming DAC/preamp [HFN Dec ’23]. As you’d expect, the speakers sounded more authoritative, particularly in the bass, using the pricier amplifier and source, but the performance with WiiM’s compact all-in-one didn’t disappoint either. This is part of the ’50 7G’s affordable but not truly ‘budget’ appeal – being ready for duty in a simple, cost-conscious system and having more to give the owner when the upgrade bug bites.

From the moment the full band enters on B.B. King’s ‘Bad Case Of Love’ [Blues On The Bayou; MCA Records 111 879-2], the potency of the ’50 7G’s new, larger bass/mid driver was apparent. Aided by the cabinet porting, and even positioned a good deal further from the rear wall than that 30cm recommendation, the loudspeakers dug impressively deep. The fun, bluesy bassline and energetic drumming became the track’s driving force, a full-bodied ‘canvas’ upon which King could paint his slippery lead guitar lines and, in his distinctive singing voice, lament his woman troubles.

This bass performance is a notable trait of the ’50 7G, being comprehensively more robust and ‘true’ than some of the more bookshelf-friendly rivals around this end of the market. The deep, thundering bass effects of DJ Brockie’s ‘BBC’, from the Welcome To The Jungle compilation [CD res. download], were given necessary prominence, and enjoyed a superb amount of snap and articulation – as opposed to booming monotonously. On the more ‘hi-fi’ side of things, the disco-tinged rhythm section in Margo Price’s ‘I Just Don’t Give A Damn’ [Hard Headed Woman, Loma Vista Recordings; 96kHz/24-bit], sounded authentically full and well-defined.

Above: The bass/mid driver is reflex-loaded via a substantial ‘HiVe II’ port. Unusually for a speaker at this price, the Bronze 50 7G has a split crossover, hence the two sets of 4mm posts

Price is a Nashville-based country singer, so this track quickly layers on twangy vocals, major-key guitar and the genre’s staple instrument, the fiddle. Monitor Audio’s baby Bronze series model was impressive in how it handled the different tones and textures and avoided grittiness during the harmonic bends of the electric guitar solo. The speaker’s crowd-pleasing punch in the low-end was also joined here by solid-sounding treble details.

Thin to thrilling

Less forgiving when it comes to mids and highs is Polish composer Krzysztof Komeda’s score for the 1968 chiller Rosemary’s Baby [UMG Recordings; CD res.] which, by modern standards, at times sounds thin and watery. Yet the Bronze 50 7Gs rose to the challenge, giving a sure-footed portrayal of the eerie, almost discordant ‘Main Title’, particularly the long, sustained violin notes, and conveying all the devilish atmosphere in ‘What Have You Done To Its Eyes’. True, this piece may have some listeners questioning where their speaker’s low midrange has gone, but this is a facet of the recording itself – follow-up track ‘Happy News’ is much more fulsome.

The Bronze 50 7G’s C-CAM dome tweeter has excellent off-axis uniformity so the loudspeaker’s ‘straight and true’ treble balance is not dramatically influenced by positional changes. If needs must these can face down the room, rather than at the listening position, without the central image becoming too unfocused. Neither did I find a close-to-wall placement requiring use of the port ‘bungs’ to counter excessive boundary gain. These are well-suited to typical living rooms as well as dedicated listening spaces.

Whale of a time

An accompaniment to this, however, is its widescreen rather than pin-sharp soundstaging. Having previously marvelled at the precise location of each hit during the drum solo on Led Zeppelin’s ‘Moby Dick’ [Led Zeppelin II, Atlantic; 96kHz/24-bit] with Devialet’s Phantom Ultimate 108dB [see p60], the presentation via the ’50 7G’s was projected across a broader canvas.

Of course, no one should expect a £500 speaker to perform double duty as an analytical tool. The raison d’être here is musical enjoyment, something the speakers deliver by the bucketload. A ‘volume up’ session with Orbital’s 30 Something set [London Music Stream; 44.1kHz/24-bit], which features remixes of the electronica duo’s earlier works, was as much about relishing the rhythmic drive brought to ‘Impact’, and its wall-of-sound production, as admiring the ’50 7G’s smooth way with its washes of synths.

Equally, these speakers powered along with The Cult’s ‘Love Removal Machine’ [Electric; Beggars Banquet 258-223], conveying the British rockers’ effervescence and attitude while uncovering the tricks of Rick Rubin’s ostensibly stripped-back production, from the forward nature of the drums to the slight reverb employed on Billy Duffy’s guitar riffs. To call this affordable loudspeaker an all-rounder would be to damn it with faint praise. Make no mistake, Monitor Audio’s Bronze 50 7G is worthy of a gold star.

Hi-Fi News Verdict

A more accomplished-sounding speaker than some standmounts at twice the price, Monitor Audio’s latest ‘baby Bronze’ is a must-audition. The performance – balanced throughout the mid and treble, genuinely deep but well controlled in the bass – shows the brand continuing to refine tried-and-tested driver and cabinet technologies. That these over-performing speakers also look smart is the icing on the cake.

Sound Quality: 88%