Floor Loudspeaker Reviews

Setup and sound
Following delivery and installation, I let the Gold 300 6Gs' temperature stabilize and subjected them to some high-power musical exertion; this loudspeaker does run in. First impressions were of a well-balanced sound with no obvious coloration or anomalous response feature—a sound so neutral and natural that they could be considered self-effacing, almost bland. With time and careful listening, the impression of blandness passed. I realized that everything was there sonically but that the usual bumps and wrinkles had been ironed out so that the speaker seemed lacking in obvious character. Each time I thought I had identified some fault to write about, it slipped away. And whenever the loudspeaker seemed to lose its composure, even slightly, it quickly became apparent that the recording was at fault.

The Gold 300 conveyed a realistic sense of controlled power combined with crisp attack, but it never seemed to exaggerate or shout. This is a mark of very good control of unwanted stray resonances. As regards dynamic range, you can wind up the loudness to impressive levels with nary a misstep. I gave up trying to punish it after 220W peak input (into this 4 ohm–equivalent load); the natural-sounding timbre and fine detail remained firmly planted even under such duress. There were no unwelcome surprises when they were fed curveball tracks that can sometimes sound aggressive at high loudness. We—the listening panel (Charlie Palmer, Chris Bryant) and I—almost wished the Gold 300 would let itself go momentarily if only to reveal itself as a working mechanism with finite dynamic limits.

The Gold 300 is modest in weight, but the two speakers were so firmly planted on those large-footprint floor-spiked bases that they seemed resolutely immovable. There were no fireworks but rather genuinely stable, accurate, informative sound reproduction.

There is some running in to do; after a week or two, the Gold 300 really starts to convince listeners that it is highly neutral, truthful, and quite exceptionally competent. You then become aware of the deep vein of quality running through the design and the sound it produces. We heard promisingly wide and stable sound images with fine focusing of individual sources and performers. Our appreciation grew with use. The quality is not thrown at the listener as if to grab attention. It is more subtle than that. And you really can chuck power at this improbably slim design with little sign of distortion or premature limiting. Those compact bass units are impressively capable and soak up high power with aplomb. And they are clearly well aligned in this enclosure, continuing to sound in control at least to a low 40Hz. When we experienced this exceptional power headroom subjectively, I had already discovered it in measured form, during the preliminary proving trials undertaken to pretest these UK-based samples prior to formal auditioning.

A different kind of tension
As the speakers ran in, they were positioned in an area with full-height windows with an occasional bathing of late spring sunshine. We started to hear fine detail, well-focused stereo images with good image depth, moderate-to-low coloration, and promising spatiality. Compared with some more costly high-end speakers, the upper mid and treble could have been a touch more microdynamic and transparent, but the positives were adding up. Already they were providing a solid, worthy performance, with many notable qualities, and they were still running in.

Yet we yearned for more dynamic expression, rhythm, beat, and—if you like—musicality. We hoped for still more image depth and microresolution. Our Gold 300 samples were tantalizingly close to a winning audiophile standard.

After listening for a few tens of hours, we became a little discomforted. Some of the more subtle qualities we value were still not fully expressed; we feared that they would never be. This view was sustained over several listening sessions despite the evidently high level the speakers had attained; the sum of the scores was greater than that mild sense of emotional disconnection might indicate.

After some consideration, the shortfall seemed to relate to a palpable sense of emotional tension we could term "uptight" combined with some muting of transparency and rhythm. Extended listening also suggested that the soundstage was not as deep and spacious as we might have hoped, considering all the other areas of excellence. The sound was punchy and bold but presented more in the forestage. Deep transparency and microdetail were somewhat curtailed. We tried repositioning the speakers and the listeners in several trial arrangements, but with no further improvement. Still, we hoped for more. Was this just wishful thinking?

A small bell rang in my brain, reminding me of a philosophical discussion from the last century, about motorcycle maintenance and the interrelationships of various associated elements. Motorcycle chassis are not wholly rigid but are carefully engineered with some compliance, in a complex relationship of all the coupled masses, including the engine, saddle, rider, suspension, and wheels. All must be tuned interactively to optimize handling and ride comfort. An ultra-rigid chassis is not optimal (footnote 4). Provoked by this notion, my attention strayed to the 300G's tensioning feature—those hex bolts on the back of the enclosure. I trialed micro-step reductions in bolt torque, ending up with an anticlockwise one-eighth turn, or 45°, from "in contact," to borrow a phrase from the manual. Set this way, the bolt is tight but not super-tight. With the tension set this way, we began to notice some interesting changes in sound quality.

I ran a single-blind listening test on a visiting experienced listener, Chris Bryant. The only variable was back-bolt torque. He easily heard the difference. At the factory-recommended 90° turn, musicality was diminished, transparency was impaired, and that special sense of equilibrium was diluted. Rhythm and timing were not optimal. When the bolts were finger-firm but not wrenched tight, Chris found that timing was significantly improved, and the musicality gain was substantial. Now the Gold 300s were performing to their long-suspected potential. It was all rather surprising. (See the sidebar for more on this topic.)

Much listening followed. When we were fully energized and well sated with CD and HD digital sources, we moved on to listening to vinyl records.

Many carefully curated modern audio systems can sound less immediate with analog sources. However, this refined MA design was no slouch when fed LP, skillfully recreating vibrantly detailed soundstages with no sense of muddle or clouding. As the loudspeaker continued to run in, it showed increased audiophile class in respect of the natural perspectives it could conjure. It sounded well-balanced octave by octave, with a convincing equilibrium. Soundscapes were well-planted, sounding open and deep, with substantial transparency, abundant detail, and a particularly pleasing exposition of the natural timbres of acoustic instruments and vocals. I couldn't resist "Summer," from the Vivaldi Four Seasons on Argo (Decca) ZRG 654; the violins fairly shimmered in the heat, while the harpsichord continuo sparkled in sweet harmony. The image was nicely dimensional, correctly proportioned, and well-focused. There was a sense of immediacy with this analog material, and an inviting clarity.

I had a lucky moment at my Oxfam charity shop when I chanced on an original mint copy of Joni Mitchell's Blue (Reprise K44128). Some systems have difficulty with her voice on the title track, but not this system. With these Monitor Audio speakers, Joni's voice was natural, articulate, and intimate. It flowed, timed as it should be.

One of my favorite albums is Ali and Toumani with Ali Farka Touré and kora virtuoso Toumani Diabaté (World Circuit/Nonesuch 522937-2). This CD sounded delightful, sparkling, and expressive with a fine beat. (Sadly, shortly after I played this recording, we learned of Toumani's July 19 death.) Then I played my Japanese first-pressing LP of Keith Jarrett's Köln Concert (PA6053-54) and dared not lift the stylus: The replay was satisfying to the last note of this exceptional performance. You could choose the 300 for its piano performance alone.

When JA moved to New York with Stereophile in 2000, he sent me a CD single of Sting's Englishman in New York" (A&M Records AMCD 431); I purchased a second-hand LP copy of the album in excellent condition a few days later. I reciprocated with Belfast Child, by Simple Minds (Virgin BRUCE 1). I now tried out the Gold 300s with Belfast Child and Let It All Come Down (3" CD, Virgin SMXCD 6), with notable success. Both tracks/formats played back really well on this latest Gold 300, with flowing rhythms and effortless clarity, digging deep into these layered, multitrack mixes. The Gold 300s conjured fond memories of listening sessions long past.

As the testing progressed, I felt no urge to curtail the sessions since all kinds of programs were playing equally well and in character.

And before I forget: The 300s play really loud when required, with low aural fatigue. With broadband material, the low bass will dry out somewhat when they're driven flat out, but this happens gracefully.

Conclusions
These fine floorstanding speakers clearly benefit from electroacoustic engineering steadily refined over the extended development of a long-established and respected line. The design and musical performance are beyond reproach; the build quality and finish are excellent. They easily clear the performance bar and are firmly recommended. I anxiously await feedback from the manufacturer on our preferred setting for the back bolts. The tension-optimized Gold 300 6G hits it out of the park!

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Footnote 4: Also see Art Dudley's Listening #201, specifically the section memorably labeled "The Sirens of Tighten."