Monitor Audio Gold 100 6G

Monitor Audio shows a glimpse of their Gold 100 speakers and they truly surprises us.

The Monitor Audio Gold 100 stand-mount bookshelf monitor is now in its sixth generation. It has evolved into a three-way design, incorporating a ribbon tweeter alongside a 3-inch (76 mm) midrange driver and an 8-inch (203 mm) woofer. Visually, it is an imposing loudspeaker with excellent finishes and a large internal cabinet volume. Its design is modern without being overly eccentric. The review unit features a flawless piano black finish that fits well in any environment. This 6G version includes the latest iteration of the MPD III high-frequency transducer, a new midrange driver, and a powerful woofer made of a rigid material called C-CAM HDT. Conceptually, it is a typical bass-reflex design with a rear port. The connectors are tool-free, though they must be tightened firmly to secure the cable properly. Monitor Audio remains an independent company, founded in Cambridge by Mo Iqbal. Despite its British origins, the model in question is manufactured in Asia. Regardless, the overall feel is that of a well-conceived and even better-finished quality product, a far cry from semi-artisanal brands that fail to reach these levels of refinement. The monitors can be used with the brand's own dedicated stands (the cost of which should be added to the speakers) or any standard-sized support.

According to the Spanish distributor, the speakers have already been broken in. Therefore, after a few days of having them installed in my system, I began my analysis. Nevertheless, throughout the hours invested in testing, they seemed to continue a positive evolution. Because of this, I suspect a brand-new pair might be a bit stiff initially.

One of the first things I demand from mid-to-high-end speakers is good timbral fidelity. Specifically, that they either do not color the sound or, if they do, it is for a specific purpose and within reasonable parameters. The Monitor Audios do not color the sound, I can say that much in advance, but to verify their credibility, I played the version of "La Llorona" from the Frida (2002) album, which is the soundtrack to the film of the same name. Chavela Vargas's gravelly voice gives the track an impressive drama and an emotional weight that builds to a crescendo until the end. The Golds passed the test with flying colors. They have nothing to envy from certain Sonus Faber models that excel at female vocals and Chavela Vargas in particular.

The lineup I enjoy most from pianist Hiromi is the trio with Anthony Jackson and Simon Phillips, and perhaps the best album is Move (2012). The opening track of the same name is a strong statement of intent regarding what this trio is capable of. At times, it sounds like more than just three musicians are playing. Other speakers I have had in my room seemed to lack the "oxygen" to keep up with the rhythm of Hiromi and her friends. The Monitor Audio Gold 100s, by contrast, are very fast. They attack brilliantly, demonstrating a dynamic range that is difficult to beat. The midrange is excellent, with the piano in the foreground and plenty of air around it. Undoubtedly, the three-way design allows for this excellence in reproducing primary instruments. To put it more graphically, the piano feels more forward, and Hiromi seems to strike the keys with more force. Jackson’s bass deserves special attention; one can follow not just the rhythm but the melody. We turned up the volume and confirmed that the low end does not lose control. The kick drum hits quite dry, meaning there isn't that ill-defined "sponginess" sometimes found in certain floorstanders. And no, I am not mistaken: given their performance in the mid and low frequencies, these Golds are almost more comparable to good floorstanders than to standard bookshelf monitors. The cabinet, larger than it appears on the pictures, and having a driver dedicated exclusively to low frequencies certainly work in their favor.

I wanted to return to the bass for further testing. I chose the track "Shenandoah" from the Magnolia Electric Co. album Josephine (2009). This is a masterpiece of American post-folk, but it has a curiosity: the bass is very present and almost bloated. To be clear, I am not referring to a recording error; on the contrary, it is a very natural sound and the result intended by the artist. The fact is that in my room, with almost every speaker I’ve had, it ends up reverberating a bit and sustaining the note longer than it should. With the Gold 6Gs, and without making any preamplification adjustments, I achieved absolute control. The problem wasn't even hinted at. The speakers gave me all the bass present in the recording but held and stopped it exactly when they should. Moreover, at no point did we notice any "bass-reflex effect." Quite the opposite: the sound was natural and very organic.

This result led me to consider an interesting question. I put on the original period vinyl of Breathless (1978) by Camel. Here the opposite occurs: in the recording, the double bass sits in the background and is somewhat timid. I connected my REL subwoofer and, with a quick adjustment of the bass flow, managed to integrate it perfectly with the Monitor Audios. The result was sublime; the bass extended and gained more body without any artificial effect. In fact, if I hadn't connected the sub myself, I might have thought all the music was emanating exclusively from the monitors. Everything happening in this test bench is truly interesting.

Now let’s analyze the analytical character of the Gold 100s. For this, we played the album Andenes del Tiempo (2024) by maestro Vicente Amigo. In the first track, there are cymbals, handclaps, cajón, and other percussion. There is a lot of detail and many textures behind the guitar. If I haven't said it yet, I love ribbon tweeters because they rarely let me down. On this occasion, they reaffirmed my preference; the Monitor Audio Gold 6Gs exhibit the great virtue of this type of driver: they have a high level of detail and transparency without becoming intrusive or exaggeratedly surgical. All those sounds that season the first track, "Turrón y Chocolate," are exactly where they need to be, perfectly identified but without becoming cluttered. In that sense, the Gold 100s are quite analytical, but always prioritizing elegance and scrupulously respecting the timbre of each percussion instrument. For example, they are capable of perfectly placing the palmeros (hand-clappers) behind the guitar and slightly shifted to the right.

But at this point in the review, I haven't yet mentioned one of the Monitor Audio's greatest virtues. To do so, I selected the track "Ms. Garvey, Ms. Garvey" from the album Emergence (2009) by the prematurely departed trumpeter Roy Hargrove. The dynamics are brutal. It is a difficult track with many musicians playing with great intensity. And there, the Monitor's virtue appears: its ability to create a large, very large and definitive, soundstage. But I prefer another word that defines them better: the Monitor Audio Golds generate a lot of presence. That is, they place the musicians in space in an almost holographic and very credible way. We forget it is a recording, and the full Big Band is brought into our room.

Taking an overall balance of all the tests, I can say that the Monitor Audio Gold 6Gs are capable of building a tall and deep soundstage. The bass stands out for its control; I did not detect a significant difference by adding or removing the foam plug in the rear bass-reflex port. They pair perfectly with a good subwoofer, though it is not essential. When in doubt, the Gold 100s opt for restraint and never for oversizing. This bass management allows them to be placed in difficult rooms. Across all musical genres, the prominence of solo instruments and the human voice stands out, remaining well-defined, placed, and airy thanks to the work of the midrange driver. During late-night listening at low volumes, they remain dynamic, even retaining a certain punch, meaning you don't need to turn the dial much to enjoy them. They pair perfectly with solid-state amplification and respect the character of the associated amplifier because they do not filter what it delivers. Timbre wise, they are neutral, but dynamically they tend toward the spectacular. This ability to give everything with great energy while never losing composure places them above other options of similar or even higher cost. Because, in the end, beyond their precision and cleanliness, what defines these Monitor Audios is their ability to recreate a real presence of the music. To compare them with other British brands of similar philosophy, they would sit halfway between the Bowers & Wilkins 700 and 800 series, and also at an intermediate point between KEF's R and Reference series. But with the advantage that while their price is closer to the more economical options mentioned from both brands, their sound should be compared without hesitation to the superior series that more than double their cost. As a final note, I can say that the Monitor Audio Gold 100 6Gs have convinced me to the point that I have decided to permanently retire my esteemed Italian Sigma Acoustics T-11 floorstanders. The Golds are now part of my own system.

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