Monitor Audio Bronze 500 Floorstanding Speakers (Pair)

Monitor Audio Bronze 500 Floorstanding Speakers (Pair)

The Monitor Audio Bronze 500 is the largest floorstanding model in the sixth-generation Bronze series, supplied as a pair. It is a 2.5-way design with twin 8-inch mid-bass drivers and the series’ C-CAM Gold Dome tweeter, built for larger rooms where a smaller stand-mount or compact floorstander would run out of headroom for music and film soundtracks.

Key features

• Twin 8-inch C-CAM drivers: two mid-bass units with updated cone geometry and Damped Concentric Mode technology.
• Gold Dome tweeter with UD Waveguide: 25 mm C-CAM tweeter with Uniform Dispersion waveguide for controlled, even coverage.
• 90 dB sensitivity: efficient enough for a wide range of stereo and AV amplifiers.
• 200 W power handling: rated for amplifiers between 60 and 200 W.
• Dual HiVe II ports: rear bass-reflex ports tuned to accelerate airflow and reduce turbulence.
• Bi-wire terminals: gold-plated bi-wire terminals with silver-plated oxygen-free copper internal cabling.

Driver and crossover design

In a 2.5-way layout, both large drivers handle bass, but only the upper unit continues through the midrange; the lower driver rolls off earlier, in this case around the 550 Hz crossover point, while the tweeter takes over at 2,700 Hz. This keeps midrange source height close to the tweeter and avoids two separated sources reproducing the same vocal range. C-CAM, a ceramic-coated aluminium-magnesium alloy, gives the cones stiffness at low weight, and Damped Concentric Mode technology is intended to control cone break-up for a cleaner presentation.

Measured performance

Monitor Audio rates frequency response at 41 Hz to 25 kHz free-field and 32 Hz to 30 kHz in-room, both at -6 dB. Sensitivity is 90 dB at 2.83 V at one metre, nominal impedance is 8 ohms with a 4.1-ohm minimum, and maximum output is 116 dBA for a pair. Those figures describe a speaker that can fill a large space without demanding an unusually powerful amplifier, while still rewarding better amplification with greater control at high levels and in the bass.

Cabinet and installation

The cabinet uses MDF construction with a thicker front baffle and internal bracing to limit vibration, finished with a contrasting baffle panel that defines the sixth-generation look. Magnetic cloth grilles with a hexagonal pattern keep the front clean when fitted. Outrigger feet widen the footprint for stability and accept spikes for carpet or rubber feet for hard floors. Including grille and terminals each speaker measures 951 x 231 x 325 mm, rising to 974 x 294 x 364 mm on outriggers, and each weighs 18 kg. Rear ports mean some space behind the cabinet should be allowed when positioning.

Music and cinema roles

As a stereo pair the Bronze 500 provides full-range playback for most music without a subwoofer. In a Bronze home cinema it forms the front left and right channels, with headroom for effects and the option to place Bronze AMS Atmos-enabled speakers on top for height channels.

For listeners stepping up to a full-size floorstander within the Bronze range, the 500 offers the series’ driver technology in its largest and most capable cabinet.