Floor Loudspeaker Reviews

Monitor Audio Studio 20 loudspeaker RH's Associated Equipment

Sidebar 2: RH's Associated Equipment

I auditioned the Studio 20s in my dedicated listening room with the usual complement of associated components. Power amplifiers were (primarily) the VTL 225W Deluxe monoblocks or (briefly) the Jeff Rowland Design Group Model One, the preamp was an Audio Research LS2 line stage, and phono gain and RIAA equalization were provided by the extraordinary Vendetta Research phono stage.

The analog front end was the Well-Tempered Turntable with a modified arm (see "Follow-Up" next month) and AudioQuest 7000 cartridge. Digital sources were the Audio Research DAC1-20 driven by a Theta Data transport. The Studio 20s were also auditioned for a few days with...drum roll, please...the Linn CD player!

Loudspeaker cables were 8' bi-wired runs of AudioQuest Sterling/Midnight, and interconnects were AudioQuest Diamond, Lapis, and Straight Wire Maestro. AC power was conditioned by a Tice Power Block and Titan.—Robert Harley

COMPANY INFO
Monitor Audio Ltd.
North American distributor: Kevro International Inc.,
McKay Road, Pickering, Ontario L1W 3X8
Canada
(416) 428-2800
www.monitoraudio.com
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COMMENTS
DavidMA's picture
Submitted by DavidMA on July 15, 2022 - 6:28am

Interesting. $4500 in 1992 is equivalent to about $9500 today. So over time, as Monitor Audio has become more sophisticated, and its products evolved from two-way to three-way, 4-driver products (such is the case with Silver/Gold/Platinum floor-standing models), the relative price has fallen. I did not see in the article where the Studio 20s were manufactured. I assume that for a relatively high price like that, these were produced locally rather than in Asia. Seemingly, Monitor's move of production to Asia allows for us to consume the subsequent evolution of their products at a lower price. I own a pair of Platinum PL-300s, and they are quite good - even when compared with speakers on the other side of $50k. So I agree with many reviewers who typically conclude that Monitor Audio (especially the Silver series) is one of the great values in high-end audio. They seem to be a greater value as time progresses.

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