Monitor Audio Silver RX1 Loudspeaker Review
A Compact Charmer
March 31st, 2010 -- by Tom MartinThe Monitor Audio Silver Series RX1 loudspeakers come across like many in the seemingly endless parade of unassuming, though attractive, small box loudspeakers on the market. Because of this, the RX1s do almost nothing to prepare you for the sonic excellence that awaits you once they are installed.
"Almost nothing" may be a bit too strong. The British loudspeaker maker Monitor Audio enjoys a reputation for being one of the pioneers in the development of drivers whose diaphragms are made of metal (in order to exploit the light, stiff, responsive characteristics they afford). But perhaps more importantly, Monitor is also known for delivering value for money.
OVERVIEW
Consider this system if: You find yourself in agreement with statement like “the midrange is the heart of the music” or “get the midrange right and the rest takes care of itself”. If you place a high priority on sonic resolution and detail the RX1s might make you wonder why people pay thousands of dollars for speakers. Expect a lively, dynamic, and well-defined sound, but without a painful or aggressive character. Your room should be on the small side for the RX1s, but if it is, and you’d like something that sounds remarkably “high end”, your speaker may have arrived.
FEATURES
Silver RX1 technical highlights:
◦1-inch C-CAM gold metal dome tweeter that are virtually identical to the tweeters used in Monitor’s more costly Gold-series speakers. According to Monitor Audio, C-CAM is "an alloy of aluminum and magnesium on which a thin coating of ceramic is deposited."
◦6-inch aluminum RST bass driver. The RST feature creates a distinctive, computer-modeled, “dimpled” cone surface said to “reduce cone break up and provide purer, more natural mid-range clarity.”
◦The mid-bass driver features a vented, rigid, non-magnetic cast chassis said to “keep the driver cool as well as reduce internal pressure, resulting in the ability to play louder and cleaner.”
◦Port has turbulence-reducing HiVe II port system, said to reduce port noise on high-amplitude bass transients.
◦As a means of providing both a stable driver mounting platform and of improving cabinet rigidity, Silver RX drivers are fastened in place by tension rods that pass all the way through to the back sides of the speaker cabinets to reduce “excessive vibration from the driver and cabinet together, giving lower colouration across the entire frequency spectrum.”
. . . BOTTOM LINE:
The Monitor Audio RX1 is an exceptional speaker, no doubt about it. Its combination of midrange clarity and smoothness gets to the essence of a lot of music. For a listener with a small-ish room (or a high-quality desktop system) who favors music of soloists, small groups and acoustic bands, the RX1 is so good it might do everything you need. No speaker does everything well, certainly not one at this price, so you should know that the RX1 has bass limitations and doesn’t present the largest possible soundstage.
Full Review:
http://www.avguide.com/review/monitor-audio-silver-rx1-loudspeaker-playback-29