Monitor Audio PL300 Speakers MK1

It’s been more than a year since I parted ways with the Revel Ultima Studio2, but that system still stands out as the best speaker package I’ve had in my current listening room. Time blurs the details, but the Revel’s highs were a bit airier than the Monitor Audio’s, although they were also a bit more obvious. Midrange coloration was comparable, but the Revels were slightly more laid back. The Revel’s Ultima2 Voice2 center was also a bit more neutral on axis and varied less at far off-axis angles. As an overall package, the Monitor Audio is barely a step below the Revels, yet it costs $13,000 less.

Twenty-five big ones is a lot of money for loudspeakers, especially in a market where there are excellent and far less expensive alternatives. But the sort of engineering, sound, and aesthetic refinements in the Monitor Audio Platinums rarely come cheap.

I’d never recommend that anyone buy speakers sound unheard. But I do recommend a serious audition of the Platinums if you’re shopping for the best. Unlike some surround systems, I can say that if you’re only able to audition the PL300s alone in a two-channel setup and like what you hear as much as I did, you’ll be in heaven with the full surround package.