Monitor Audio Silver 8G Series: All New Features at a Glance

For five years, the Silver 7G series was one of the best-selling speaker series of all – and now the successors are here. The Monitor Audio Silver 8G Series is no minor model update, but in many respects a completely new development: new tweeter, new driver generation, new bass reflex ports, new crossovers, new finishes. And a model range that has shifted noticeably.

We have looked at what has really changed from the Silver 7G to the Silver 8G – and which model is right for whom.

Table of Contents

• Which model for whom? The series at a glance
• The models of the Silver 8G Series in detail
• Prices & Availability
• Changes from Monitor Audio Silver 7G to Silver 8G
• FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions about the Silver 8G Series
• Technical Specifications Comparison
• Conclusion
• Introduction Video

Which model for whom? The series at a glance

The Silver 8G Series consists of seven speakers designed for first-class stereo enjoyment as well as immersive home cinema. The short version:

• Silver 50 8G – the compact 2-way speaker for small to medium-sized rooms and shelf or stand placement. Astonishingly big in sound for its size.
• Silver 100 8G – the powerful 3-way compact speaker with its own midrange driver enclosure. For anyone who wants the flexibility of a compact speaker but does not want to compromise on depth and volume.
• Silver 300 8G – the slim, elegant floorstander that fits into practically any room. The all-rounder of the series.
• Silver 500 8G – the flagship model with two 8-inch woofers. For large rooms, high volume levels, and anyone who wants depth without having to think about a subwoofer.
• Silver Centre 8G – the acoustic centre of the home cinema, with clearly intelligible dialogue even at high volume levels.
• Silver On-Wall 8G – the secret weapon of the series: usable as a stereo speaker, as a surround speaker, and – when mounted horizontally – even as an LCR speaker behind a screen or under the TV.
• Silver AMS 8G – the add-on speaker for all Dolby Atmos fans who cannot install ceiling speakers. Fits exactly on the Silver 300 8G and the Silver 50 8G.

Sonically, the whole series is characterized by a slightly warmer and rounder sound than the Silver 7G, with significantly increased volume capability. Anyone who found the analytical sharpness of the 7G tiring at high volumes should definitely give this a listen.

The models of the Silver 8G Series in detail

Silver 50 8G – small in size, big in sound

The Silver 50 8G is the compact 2-way speaker of the series: a 6"/152-millimeter C-CAM woofer/midrange driver with RST III technology, plus the 25-millimeter C-CAM Gold tweeter with UD Waveguide II. It goes down to 43 Hertz and achieves a maximum volume level of 110 decibels – a statement for a speaker of this size. This effectively makes it the successor to the Silver 50 7G and the Silver 100 7G.

Silver 100 8G – the compact one that is actually more

The most exciting new development in the series. The Silver 100 8G takes inspiration from the successful Gold 100 6G with its 3-way design: an 8"/203-millimeter woofer, a 3"/76-millimeter midrange driver in its own enclosure, and the Gold tweeter. The result is a lower limit frequency of 33 Hertz and a maximum volume level of 114 decibels – values for which you previously had to opt for a floorstander. Anyone who has been eyeing the Silver 200 7G until now will find its successor here.

Silver 300 8G – the elegant all-rounder

Two 6"/152-millimeter woofers, isolated midrange driver, Gold tweeter: The Silver 300 8G is the slim floorstander of the series and is proportioned to be living-room friendly with a height of 1020 millimeters and a width of only 295 millimeters. 30 Hertz depth and a maximum volume level of 116 decibels make it the most versatile model in the series.

Silver 500 8G – the flagship model

The Silver 500 8G is the largest speaker in the series: two 8"/203-millimeter woofers, midrange driver in its own enclosure, Gold tweeter. 28 Hertz lower limit frequency, 119 decibels maximum volume level, 90 decibels efficiency. For large rooms and anyone who wants power and depth without compromise.

Silver Centre 8G – dialogue that hits the mark

Two 6" woofers, isolated midrange driver, Gold tweeter, sealed enclosure. The Silver Centre 8G achieves a maximum volume level of 120 decibels – the highest value in the entire series. Dialogue thus remains clearly intelligible even when everything around it is exploding in the movie.

Silver AMS 8G – Atmos without ceiling installation

A 5.25"/133-millimeter woofer/midrange driver and a Gold tweeter with an optimized waveguide in a sealed enclosure. The Silver AMS 8G fits perfectly on the Silver 300 8G and the Silver 50 8G and delivers a maximum volume level of 111 decibels – a strong value for an add-on speaker.

And the bass? Anthra and Vestra subwoofers

Anyone who wants even more depth and structure in the bass should combine the Silver 8G Series with the subwoofers of the Vestra Series – one of the strongest combinations overall in terms of price/performance. The Anthra Series takes it a step further with more punch, authority, and an integrated parametric equalizer. Both subwoofer series are available at special conditions as part of the Silver Cinema Sets – simply contact us about this.

Prices & Availability

Let's talk about money – let's cut to the chase, as we say in Hamburg. The last price adjustment at Monitor Audio was in 2023, and everyone has seen what has happened since then with raw material, energy, and transport costs. Across the entire series, the Silver 8G is around ten percent above the Silver 7G – measured against five years of separation and significantly upgraded components, that is moderate.

The MSRPs at a glance:

• Silver 50 8G – €998 / pair
• Silver 100 8G – €1,798 / pair
• Silver 300 8G – €2,398 / pair
• Silver 500 8G – €3,098 / pair
• Silver Centre 8G – €998 / piece
• Silver On-Wall 8G – €549 / piece
• Silver AMS 8G – €1,098 / pair

The much-discussed outlier is the Silver 100 8G with around 57 percent compared to the Silver 100 7G. However, this comparison is flawed, because both speakers have nothing else in common besides the name – the Silver 100 8G technically and sonically replaces the significantly more expensive Silver 200 7G. Compared to that, the surcharge is three percent. More on this further down in the FAQ.

The complete Silver 8G Series is available at our store in Rellingen – and what is even more important: audible. Come by and see for yourself.

👉 To the Monitor Audio Silver 8G Series in the Fidelity Shop

Changes from Monitor Audio Silver 7G to Silver 8G

When a manufacturer releases a new product or a new speaker series, fantastic marketing terms are often thrown around – but what has really changed? We will get to the bottom of that today.

The most important thing first – The sound character from the Monitor Audio Silver 7G Series to the Silver 8G Series

The Monitor Audio Silver 7G Series was very clear, precise, and accurate, with a very tight and structured, but sometimes also slightly reserved bass.

The Silver 8G Series offers a slightly warmer, rounder tuning compared to the Silver 7G Series. This means greater flexibility in choosing the amplifier in terms of sound character, because it plays a bit tamer in the treble range. In addition, the speakers blend better acoustically into highly reduced and modern living rooms, as the speakers play with less treble energy.

C-CAM RST III Technology in the Woofers, Midrange Drivers, and Woofer/Midrange Drivers of the Silver 8G Series

The C-CAM RST technology goes into the 3rd generation in the Monitor Audio Silver 8G Series with voice coils with improved ventilation and optimized, derived from the Monitor Audio Gold 6G Series, skirts. The result: Increased precision and control even at high volume levels, a higher efficiency and higher volume capability and loadability compared to the Silver 7G Series.

Progressive Center Spiders in the Woofers, Midrange Drivers, and Woofer/Midrange Drivers of the Silver 8G Series

With classic center spiders like those in the Silver 7G Series, the return force of the center spider controlling "rollers" are all the same size. This means that no matter how large the excursion of the voice coil and the diaphragm itself is, the acting, braking, and controlling force remains the same.

With a progressive center spider, the rollers get larger from the inside out. At low excursion of the voice coil, i.e., at lower volume levels, only little control is exerted on the voice coil and diaphragm – the result is more dynamics and playfulness. At higher volume levels, the center spider then controls correspondingly more strongly with the larger rollers to keep the diaphragm cleanly in control at all times. A simple, but extremely effective step.

Midrange Driver in a Fully Isolated Enclosure from the Other Drivers

Here again, the strong kinship of the Silver 8G Series to the Gold 6G Series is shown. While the midrange driver in the Gold 6G Series sits in its own aluminum enclosure, it is a wooden enclosure in the Silver 8G Series that isolates the midrange driver in the Silver 100 8G, Silver 300 8G and Silver 500 8G. Both variants have in common that the midrange driver thus remains completely unaffected by the strong air pressure fluctuations generated by the woofers inside the enclosure and plays cleanly and precisely at every volume level.

Neodymium Ring Magnet and Copper Shorting Ring in the Tweeter

A lot has changed in the C-CAM Gold tweeter of the Monitor Audio Silver 8G Series. On the one hand, the iron magnet was replaced by a neodymium ring magnet, which builds a (in the result) approximately 2.5x stronger magnetic field than the previous iron magnet. This alone leads to a faster, more dynamic response in the treble as well as a better efficiency.

In addition, a copper shorting ring sits on the back of the tweeter, which effectively dissipates the eddy currents that inevitably arise from the movement of the tweeter's voice coil and thus stabilizes the impedance. This results in even more calm and linearity in the treble, which is particularly noticeable in a pleasant way at higher volume levels.

Flatter Uniform Dispersion Waveguide II in Front of the Tweeter

The waveguide (in German: "waveguide") does exactly what the name already suggests: It shapes the sound waves emitted by the tweeter. This ensures more volume in the treble range, which means better efficiency, less stress on the tweeter, and thus stress-free listening. In addition, the waveguide ensures a more harmonious coupling of the tweeter to the midrange driver with a more even radiation characteristic.

New in the version of the Monitor Audio Silver 8G Series is that the waveguide is now significantly flatter (i.e., no longer as deep as before), which has made the stage imaging in the horizontal and vertical plane significantly larger. Or in other words: The stage representation is now significantly more realistic and almost holographic – the speaker disappears behind the music.

Newly Developed and Equipped Crossovers

When a speaker series like the Silver 8G has not only been subtly revised but largely redeveloped from the ground up, newly designed and matched crossovers are naturally essential. Monitor Audio has taken this opportunity to opt for significantly more carefully selected components with tighter tolerances. Although these are considerably more expensive, the benefits in terms of signal integrity, transparency, and homogeneity when the music signal transitions from one driver to another are unmistakable.

Flower instead of pipe – The new bass reflex ports with Silent Flow port technology

The bass reflex port also has a lot to say when it comes to good sound. After all, the speaker "breathes" through it and moves enormous volumes of air. With simple bass reflex ports, compression occurs inside the cabinet at high levels. This leads to a loss of dynamics or, in the worst case, even distortion. In addition, the airflow can cause turbulence noise or pumping sounds.

The Silver 8G Series now features – for the first time at Monitor Audio – Silent Flow bass reflex ports. Their shape is derived from overlapping owl feathers, which, as in nature, enable completely natural, virtually unobstructed pressure equalization in the speaker cabinet free from turbulence noise.

Elegant finishes that will still impress after many years

The Monitor Audio Silver 8G Series is available in three high-quality finishes that are rarely found in this price range. The options include high-gloss black lacquer, satin white, and European walnut veneer.

"The 'trick' with real wood veneer is that it is machine-layered and then stained in walnut. This keeps the color tone and grain permanently color-fast – and the speakers can still be easily combined with other models from the same series even after years. For example, if you buy a pair of stereo speakers today and later want to upgrade to a home theater system. With natural wood veneers, every speaker has its own color and grain. Depending on the batch, you need a lot of luck for speakers purchased later to really match. The Silver 8G Series puts an end to that – here you can combine them however and whenever you like."

Black-tinted diaphragms in the high-gloss black and walnut version

All speakers from the Silver 8G Series in high-gloss black and European walnut now feature deep black diaphragm surfaces instead of the previous silver ones. This once again underscores the high standards of the speakers' appearance and gives them an elegant depth and serenity.

The satin white version continues to feature matte silver diaphragm surfaces, as the contrast with black diaphragm surfaces would simply look unnaturally harsh and out of place.

Smart foot design for height adjustment – Derived from the Platinum Series

Just like in the Monitor Audio Platinum 3G Series, the mechanism for adjusting the height of the spikes and rubber feet (so you have a choice) is located under a turned metal disc. Once removed, the Monitor Audio Silver 300 8G or Silver 500 8G can be easily adjusted in height from above using an Allen key. The speaker no longer needs to be laboriously tilted or held in place during adjustment.

It is only a small detail, but a very clever one, in our opinion.

FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions about the Monitor Audio Silver 8G Series

Why is the Monitor Audio Silver 100 8G so much more expensive than the Silver 100 7G? The price difference is almost 60%!

The only thing the Monitor Audio Silver 100 7G and Silver 100 8G still have in common is the name – otherwise, they are two completely different speakers.

The Silver 100 7G is a classic 2-way compact speaker for small to medium-sized rooms. The Silver 100 8G, on the other hand, is a powerful 3-way compact speaker with its own midrange driver playing isolated in the cabinet, significantly deeper bass (33 Hz lower cutoff frequency), and considerably more headroom and maximum output level. Where the Silver 100 7G cuts out at 106 decibels, the Silver 100 8G plays up to 114 decibels – and is thus significantly more suitable for large rooms and true volume enthusiasts.

Why is there no Silver 200 in the Silver 8G Series anymore?

The Monitor Audio Silver 200 was always very popular due to its slim and elegant design, especially when it came to placing the speaker close to the wall.

If a Silver 200 8G were to come in a similarly narrow cabinet as the previous Silver 200 7G, it would be outclassed by the Silver 100 8G in practically every respect – therefore, a Silver 200 8G no longer makes sense. For comparison: The Silver 200 7G offered a 34 Hz lower cutoff frequency, while the Silver 100 8G is at 33 Hz. The Silver 200 7G has a maximum output level of 108 decibels, while the Silver 100 8G delivers a proud 114 decibels. In other words: Anyone looking for a speaker like the Silver 200 7G should definitely give the Silver 100 8G a listen.

Why are there no Silver FX or other dipole speakers anymore?

In one sentence: The era of dipoles ended with Dolby Atmos and the like. Explained in more detail: Dipoles and bipoles were the first choice for movie fans, especially during the era of Dolby Surround but also Dolby Digital and comparable channel-based audio formats, because they reproduced sound pleasantly wide and diffusely in the room and created a kind of "in the middle of it" feeling.

However, Dolby Atmos and other similar formats are object-based audio formats. The crucial point here: For a correct spatial and temporal representation of movie content, the speakers must always reproduce the sound precisely and accurately in the room. And only direct radiators can do that. That is why Monitor Audio decided to remove the popular Silver FX from the range with the switch to the Silver 8G Series and instead consistently opt for a very shallow and aesthetically pleasing wall speaker – the Silver On-Wall 8G.

The Silver On-Wall 8G has an extremely shallow cabinet, is equipped with an integrated wall mount, and is perfectly matched for it. Sonically, it is almost equal to the Monitor Audio Silver 50 8G and thus offers itself as the logical alternative to the previous Monitor Audio Silver FX.

Technical Data Comparison

Conclusion

The Silver 8G series is a rare case where "new generation" really means a new generation. The tweeter with neodymium ring magnet, short-circuit ring and flatter waveguide, the RST III drivers with progressive centering spider, the isolated midrange enclosures, the Silent Flow ports and the more elaborately populated crossovers – all together, this is no facelift, but a complete redesign.

This is most clearly evident in the model range: The Silver 50 8G takes the place of the old Silver 100 7G, the Silver 100 8G replaces the Silver 200 7G as a 3-way compact speaker, and the Silver On-Wall 8G succeeds the Silver FX – not out of a need to cut costs, but because object-based audio formats require direct radiators.

For small rooms and shelf placement, the Silver 50 8G is an entry-level option with surprisingly much substance. If you want to keep things compact but are looking for the depth of floorstanding speakers, the Silver 100 8G is the right choice. The Silver 300 8G is the all-rounder for most living rooms, while the Silver 500 8G is the choice for large rooms and high volume levels. And anyone who found the last bit of harshness in the high frequencies of the Silver 7G bothersome will experience the warmer, rounder tuning of the 8G as a real improvement.

As always, data sheets are one thing, and your own listening experience is another. The entire series is ready for you to hear at our location in Rellingen.

Presentation video

We also presented the Monitor Audio Silver 8G series in detail in a video – together with Jens Rageno from Monitor Audio Germany, who delved deep into the technical changes. Feel free to check it out:

Come and hear it for yourself – at Fidelity Hamburg

The Monitor Audio Silver 8G series is available from us and ready for demonstration. Whether you are torn between the Silver 100 8G and the Silver 300 8G, are planning a complete home cinema system, or simply want to know whether the new tuning is right for you: Come by, bring your favorite music, and listen to the series at your leisure. We will take the time.

👉 View the Monitor Audio Silver 8G series in the Fidelity shop
👉 Schedule a consultation or a listening session

Author: Fidelity