Loudspeakers

Monitor Audio has pursued the ideal of very light, stiff drivers since the R852MD standmount with its alloy tweeter in 1985, followed by the 'gold dome' in 1986 and the ceramic sandwich mid/bass driver that appeared in the Studio 10 in 1989. The first of what we would recognise as MA's C-CAM (Ceramic-Coated Aluminium/Magnesium) drivers appeared in the Studio 20 in 1991. Marking this 30th anniversary, the latest C-CAM and RST II (Rigid Surface Technology) drivers in Monitor Audio's Silver 7G series are the result of 'trickledown' from the previous 5th-gen Gold series. The dimples that serve to enhance both the physical structure and moderate the resonant behaviour of the RST II bass and bass/mid cones are hexagonal, rather than circular, in shape here. The alloy itself has been changed to offer greater tolerance of the increased forces during moments of high excursion, maintaining performance at even higher levels without increasing the mass or thickness of the cone. The 'C-CAM' component refers to both the alloy and oxide coating used across all its drivers, including the gold-coloured 25mm tweeter. For the latter, this brings exceptional stiffness that, almost inevitably, yields a vigorous breakup mode outside the audioband, here at 31kHz. PM