Monitor Audio Gold GX50
The Gold GX50s get Monitor Audio’s newest range off to a flying start – the golden child of the family?
Write your own reviewFor
- Great build and finish
- clean, transparent presentation
- sweet treble
- articulate bass
Against
- Nothing of note
More than 10 years have passed since Monitor Audio’s Gold Series made its debut. In that time we’ve seen two versions – the GR and GS.
This latest incarnation, the GX range, is being described by Monitor Audio as ‘a revolution’, not simply an evolution of the previous models. The gold-domed tweeter has been replaced by a ribbon, not dissimilar to that used in MA’s high-end Platinum range.
It is thicker than on the pricier speaker, to allow a lower crossover point. This helps it integrate better with the C-CAM (Ceramic-Coated Aluminium/Magnesium) mid-bass driver.
This 5.5in unit features MA’s second generation RST (Rigid Surface Technology) technology, with ridges on the cone to help increase stiffness and reduce distortion.
Clean and elegant looks
The cabinet is curved now, rather than straight, to increase rigidity and reduce the impact of standing waves inside the cabinet. The GX50s look clean and elegant, but while they’re eye-catching, they don’t produce an out-of-the-box attention-grabbing sound.
This is no bad thing; these are some of the most natural-sounding speakers we’ve heard from MA. Music sounds detailed but you don’t overanalyse things, so it’s an engaging presentation.
The soundstage isn’t the widest, but it is tall and well-organised. We recommend a touch of toe-in and sticking with single-wired connections to keep things cohesive.
Sweet treble and a tight, agile bass
There’s a fine sense of transparency and balance to the GX50s sound. They won’t
try to cover up any harshness or noise; nor will they exacerbate the situation.
The ribbon tweeter sounds especially sweet, affording high frequencies a show-stopping level of refinement and finesse.
A standmounter will always have limitations with scale and bass weight, but here, low frequencies sound tight, punchy and agile. They sound a little insubstantial in free space, though, so place them a couple of feet from a rear wall.
There’s a rear-facing bass port, but this way you don’t sacrifice agility or introduce booming.
If this kind of performance is mirrored through the rest of the range, this could be one of Monitior Audio’s finest line-ups to date. Vive la révolution!
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