Monitor Audio Bronze 50 7G review

Monitor Audio’s Bronze speakers – especially their ‘2’ moniker standmounts – were our go-to recommendation for budget speakers for many years. The five-star Bronze BX2 (from 2010) and the Bronze 2 (from 2015) have multiple Award wins to their name, and while the last model, the three-star Bronze 100, didn’t reach the impressive heights of their more celebrated predecessors, we have high hopes that the brand is back on fighting form with the new seventh generation of Bronze speakers.

Previous generations of this Bronze standmounter usually sat in the £250-£350 range in the UK, but the new Bronze 50 7G is yours for £500 ($849 / AU$1099), which brings it into direct competition with the Award-winning Bowers & Wilkins 607 S3 (now £449). The speakers are also within reach of two newly minted five-star speakers, the Acoustic Energy AE300 Mk2 and KEF Q3 Meta, both tested at £649.

Monitor Audio took a ground-up approach to this model, looking back at previous generations of the Bronze speakers to find the key qualities that made them truly great, and infused the 50 7G with this core DNA – along with many refinements to elevate the brand’s entry-level offering.

Build & design

The Bronze 50 7G may be cheaper than their Acoustic Energy and KEF rivals, but they sure don’t look it. These new Bronze speakers look very classy and the cabinet is beautifully made.

The 50 7G model comes in three finishes – walnut, black or white – but the highlight is that the front baffle is made of real wood veneered plywood, which elevates the overall look. Run your fingers along the textured grain finish of the baffle and you’ll find that it’s of a pleasingly high quality.

We quite like that this element is slightly separated from the main MDF body of the cabinet to highlight the design point; on our walnut review sample, they never look mismatched.

The speakers’ fascia is clean and minimal, with no visible fixings, and there is a concentrated effort for this model to look modern and fit into contemporary living spaces. The high build quality certainly befits the higher price tag than their previous generations.

Monitor Audio continues to use metal cones for its drivers, preferring the lightweight yet rigid properties compared with more conventional driver materials. The new Ceramic-Coated Aluminium Magnesium (C-CAM) metal drivers used in the Bronze series offer a better “piston-like movement” that helps reduce break-up issues (the bending of the cone as it moves that causes distortion).

In the Bronze 50 7G, you’ll find a 25mm C-CAM gold dome tweeter that’s lighter, thinner and more rigid than before, combined with an updated UD (Uniform Dispersion) Waveguide II to offer a wider, more precise sound and improved time alignment with the mid/bass driver.

The tweeter is protected by an aluminium grille made up of tiny and rather beautifully patterned hexagons, which further adds to the ‘prettiness’ of the Bronze 50 7G speakers.

The 15cm C-CAM mid/bass drivers feature a larger voice coil and magnet, which is claimed to result in better power handling, lower midrange distortion, and more controlled dynamic output. There is a new crossover design with carefully selected components that has been tuned over hundreds of hours of listening by Monitor Audio’s R&D team.

The speakers are rear-ported, and the cabinets themselves are reinforced with through-bolt bracing to reduce unwanted internal resonances and improve structural integrity. You’ll find nicely finished bi-wire speaker terminals on each rear panel, too.

While many budget speakers are understandably low on frills, it’s clear that a lot of thought and care has gone into these new Bronze 50 7G speakers, to offer a little more than what’s expected of them. From the elegant design and high-quality build to lovely little details such as the intricate pattern on the speaker grille, these are speakers that certainly make a great first impression when you get them out of the box.

While foam inserts for the rear ports are provided to control the bass output, we would avoid placing the speakers up close to a wall. We get the best results when giving the Bronzes a little space, placed on stands and positioned further into the room, and with the ports left unobstructed. Start at around 30cm from a back wall and then play around with positioning until you get a really solid stereo imaging with vocals hanging perfectly in the centre – we found this easily achievable in our medium-sized test room.

For our review, we plugged the Monitor Audio speakers into our reference amplifier, the Naim Nait XS 3, and also paired them with the more price-compatible Arcam A5 integrated. Our sources were the Naim Uniti Atom Headphone Edition streamer and the Cyrus CDi CD player.

Sound

For a speaker at this price level, the Bronze 7G are unusually precise and controlled. They are really clear, fast and detailed, and grab you right from the start with a front-footed, vibrant presentation that can’t be ignored.

The speakers deliver a large-scaled sound that’s broad and spacious, with a good handling of rhythmic snap and dynamic contrast too. They are clearer, more detailed and more rhythmically talented than the B&W 607 S3.

Sabrina Carpenter’s fizzing pop tunes such as Espresso and Dumb And Poetic are spotlessly clean, shiny and forthright. There’s enough detail to catch the breathy nuances and winking playfulness in her voice, while Yard Act’s art-punk track Fizzy Fish takes full advantage of the Monitor Audios’ ability to deliver a fast, grippy, deep bass.

Play Starburst by Fontaines D.C. and you are confronted with the big-scale drama and attacking rhythm that this song needs. Through the Bronzes, this song’s brash attitude comes across with high-octane energy and a confident handling of dynamics; in less capable speakers this could easily sound unpleasantly bright, grating or unwieldy. The sharp inhalations of breath are punctual, clear and appropriately dramatic. They are quite happy being played at higher volumes, too.

Shift gears down a notch, and the Bronze 50 7G duly oblige. We play Tom Waits’ Alice album, and the variety of instruments – marimba, mellotron, glockenspiel, pump organ – come through with a great amount of detail and texture. From the gloomy mournfulness of No One Knows I’m Gone to the wild, carnivalesque ditty of Kommienezuspadt, the Monitor Audio does a good job of relaying the rhythm of slower, less full-throttle songs when required.

The speakers are able to uncover the growly, rough depths of Waits’ gravelly, raspy voice; his intent and emphases on Poor Edward come through with good dynamism, too.

Throughout our testing period, listening to various songs from all genres and eras, we find there is a slightly relentless quality to the Bronze 50 7G’s assertive sound. Despite plenty of running-in, they can sound a little uptight on occasion, but not so much that it becomes an issue. This is a matter of taste rather than a problem.

In comparison, the Acoustic Energy AE300 Mk2 have a more relaxed presentation, but without ever dropping the ball when it comes to engaging rhythm or dynamics. While the Monitor Audios sound a touch cleaner, the AE300 Mk2 are just a little subtler and more naturally fluid. They disappear into the background to deliver the more nuanced emotions of a song, such as in Waxahatchee’s 365, better. As ever, we would recommend that you demo any of the Bronzes’ rivals at this price range before making a final decision.

On the plus side, we didn’t find any real issue with amplifier compatibility with any of the amps we tried, with the refined Arcam A5 partnering the Monitors well without subduing any of their shine or spirit.

Verdict

Monitor Audio has done a terrific job with the new Bronze 50 7G standmounts. The high build quality and elegant finish are excellent, and their sound quality proves they are more than just a pretty face.

Their clarity and precision, coupled with a great sense of rhythm, all combine to deliver an exciting, confident presentation that demands your attention and offers quite the battle for its price rivals. These are very capable standmounts for the money, and are worth an audition.

Review published: 25th September 2025

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Build 5
• Compatibility 5

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Read our review of Acoustic Energy's AE300 Mk2

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