Monitor Audio

Monitor Audio is a British company that specialises in designing and manufacturing loudspeakers and sound systems.

Monitor Audio
TypePrivate
IndustryConsumer electronics
Founded1972 (1972) in Cambridge, England
FounderMo Iqbal
Headquarters
Rayleigh, Essex
,
England
Area served
Worldwide
ProductsHi-fi, loudspeakers, subwoofers, audiovisual
Websitewww.monitoraudio.com

History

The company was founded in 1972 by Mo Iqbal. Monitor Audio started life in a factory in Teversham near Cambridge, England. In 1976, Monitor Audio brought its manufacturing process in-house and moved to a factory in the heart of Essex. In 2000, it moved to a larger facility in nearby Rayleigh, where it remains. Monitor Audio made the manufacturing move to China in 2004. In November 2016, Monitor Audio acquired British Hi-Fi manufacturer Roksan.[1] In April 2019, Monitor Audio acquired British Hi-Fi furniture manufacturer Blok.[2] Monitor Audio Ltd is a British privately owned company.

Technology

Since launch, Monitor Audio has operated with in-house design and technology teams.[3]

Technologies brought to the market by Monitor Audio include:

  • C-CAM Drivers: Conventional speaker cones are liable to flex in operation, which can result in a significant level of audible distortion. Using a material originally developed by the aerospace industry, Monitor Audio created loudspeaker cones, which have a high resistance to bending stress, resulting in a smooth transition of audio frequencies.[4]
  • Damped Concentric Mode (DCM): Finite Element Analysis has been used to optimise the geometry where the driver cone and surround overlap with the intention of decreasing the amplitude and decay of the first concentric mode of the diaphragm, producing a more accurate time response from the speaker.
  • DCF (Dynamic Coupling Filter): DCF replaces the customary rigid coupling of a driver and voice coil with a pliable unit. In doing so, DCF helps to dampen surplus energy produced by the driver, resulting in a more natural sound.[5]
  • Gold Dome C-CAM: First introduced in the latter half of the 1980s, the Gold Dome Tweeter is built on its maker's 1985 metal dome tweeter technology. Monitor Audio anodises its ceramic-coated aluminium/magnesium alloy, creating a thinner, lighter more rigid dome, one which is extremely efficient and less prone to audio distortion.[6]
  • Hive II Port: This proprietary speaker port technology accelerates airflow and reduces turbulence, resulting in fast, powerful bass coupled with a superior transient response.
  • IDC: The Inverted Dual Concentric midrange/tweeter module offers up to 18 degrees of play, enabling in-ceiling and in-wall speakers to be discreetly positioned, yet still direct sound towards the listening zone.
  • MMP II: Metal Matrix Polymer driver cones have a polypropylene base loaded with metallic particles to offer a rigid and responsive structure. They are manufactured using a sophisticated high-pressure injection process, which modulates cone thickness at critical points to optimise stiffness and consistency, resulting in superior sonic performance.
  • MPD: Developed over many months of intensive testing and listening, the MPD High-Frequency Transducer is a landmark achievement by the engineering team for Platinum II. It represents an imaginative re-working of existing technology, transforming a successful idea into an audiophile super-driver, having greater accuracy and efficiency than ever before. Using a new, proprietary low-mass pleated diaphragm with a surface area eight times larger than that of a traditional dome tweeter, the MPD transducer works like a super-fast accordion by rapidly squeezing the pleats to produce a smooth, wide, naturally fast response up to 100 kHz. As a result, it sounds more lifelike, releasing the high harmonic spectrum of every note without the distortion that blurs definition.
  • RDT II: The second generation of Rigid Diaphragm Technology (RDT) bonds an ultra-thin composite structure to a honeycomb Nomex® core material. Using C-CAM for the front skin and woven carbon fibre for the rear, the RDTII structure reduces distortion by over 8 dB above 300 Hz, making RDTII the lowest distortion cone technology in Monitor Audio's history.[7]
  • RST: Rigid Surface Technology (RST), inspired by the Japanese art of Origami, strengthens the speaker cone, letting Monitor Audio speakers use thinner, lighted and more responsive C-CAM cones, meaning greater speed and accuracy, as well as greatly reduced distortion.
  • Tri-Grip Dog Fixings: All current Monitor Audio custom install models use this fixing design. This three-position ‘dog’ style fix enables great contact surface area over other designs, whilst also saving installation time.[8]
  • Uniform Dispersion (UD) Waveguide: The curved profile of the waveguide has been optimised with the help of Finite Element Analysis in order to give benefits such as a controlled directivity pattern and increased radiation efficiency.

Products
  • Monitor Audio Platinum II series [9]
  • Monitor Audio Gold series [10]
  • Monitor Audio Silver series [11]
  • Monitor Audio Bronze series [12]
  • Monitor Audio Monitor series [13]
  • Monitor Audio Studio [14]
  • Monitor Audio Apex series
  • Monitor Audio Radius series
  • Monitor Audio MASS series [15]
  • Monitor Audio SoundFrame series [16]
  • Monitor Audio Custom Install series
  • Monitor Audio Streamer [17]
  • Monitor Audio Amplifiers [18]

See also

References
  1. "Monitor Audio acquires Roksan". What Hi-Fi?, December 2016
  2. "Monitor Audio acquires Blok". What Hi-Fi?, June 2019
  3. "A Great Tour in Great Britain -- Visiting KEF, Monitor Audio, and the Unexpected". SoundStage! Hi-Fi, September 2015
  4. "Monitor Audio’s new Bronze speaker range uses the new generation of C-CAM drivers". The Audiophile Man, July 2015
  5. "New patented 'DCF' mechanism". HomeTheaterReview, December 2015
  6. "Monitor Audio debuts All-Weather AWC architectural speakers". Inside CI, July 2016
  7. "Monitor Audio Launches Platinum In-Wall II Speaker". CEPro Europe, April 2016
  8. "Fits Where Rivals Fail". HomeTheaterReview, January 2017
  9. "Monitor Audio unveils new flagship Platinum Series II speaker range". What Hi-Fi?, December 2015
  10. "Monitor Audio launches all-new Gold Series speakers". What Hi-Fi?, January 2019
  11. "Monitor Audio unveils all-new sixth generation Silver series". What Hi-Fi?, May 2018
  12. "New Monitor Audio Bronze range looks set for gold". Forbes, April 2020
  13. "Orange is the new black for retro-styled Monitor Audio AV and Hi-Fi Monitor Series". Inside CI, March 2018
  14. "Monitor Audio debuts Studio standmount loudspeaker at Munich High End". Inside CI, May 2018
  15. "Monitor Audio launches second gen MASS compact 5.1 speaker system". Stereonet, February 2019
  16. "Monitor Audio On-Wall SoundFrame speakers are picture perfect". Inside CI, March 2017
  17. "Monitor Audio launches new IMS-4 Music Streamer". Essential Install, May 2020
  18. "Monitor Audio unveils its most compact and affordable amplifier yet". What Hi-Fi?, September 2019
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