Monitor Audio Gold 100 5G Bookshelf Speaker Piano Ebony (Pair)

The Gold 100 5G is the sole bookshelf speaker in Monitor Audio’s Gold Series — a range that sits between the entry-level Bronze and the flagship Platinum II in the company’s hierarchy. Where the Gold 200 and Gold 300 are floorstanding designs intended for larger rooms, the Gold 100 distils the same driver technology and cabinet engineering into a compact two-way enclosure suited to smaller listening spaces and stand-mounted use.

Driver Technology

The Gold 100 5G employs a 6½-inch (165 mm) mid/bass driver built around Monitor Audio’s RDT II (Rigid Diaphragm Technology) cone. This sandwich construction — thin C-CAM front skin, Nomex honeycomb core, and woven carbon fibre back skin — delivers high stiffness with controlled damping, allowing the driver to operate as a true piston across a wider bandwidth than a conventional single-skin cone. A Dynamic Coupling Filter at the cone’s centre reduces high-frequency break-up modes and the distortion they introduce.

High frequencies are handled by Monitor Audio’s MPD (Micro Pleated Diaphragm) transducer, a technology derived from the Platinum II series. The MPD uses a pleated diaphragm that moves air by expanding and contracting its folds rather than pistoning back and forth, producing an extended and detailed treble response up to 50 kHz.

Cabinet and Port Design

The rear-ported cabinet uses Monitor Audio’s HiVe II (High Velocity, low noise) port system. HiVe II ports feature a rifled internal bore that accelerates air smoothly, reducing port turbulence and the chuffing noise that conventional ports can produce at higher output levels. Single-bolt-through driver mounting braces the driver assembly directly to the rear panel, improving rigidity and reducing cabinet-borne resonance.

The cabinet is finished in Piano Ebony with a high-gloss lacquer. Bespoke magnetic grilles attach without visible fixings, and the top panel features a soft-touch trim. Dedicated bolt-through fixing points on the base allow secure mounting to Monitor Audio’s optional dedicated stands.

Performance

With a frequency response of 40 Hz to 50 kHz, the Gold 100 5G reaches deeper into the bass than many bookshelf speakers of similar size, aided by the HiVe II port tuning. Nominal impedance is 4 Ohms with a minimum of 2.8 Ohms at 3.4 kHz. Sensitivity is rated at 86 dB, and the speaker handles up to 120 W with a recommended amplifier power range of 60–120 W. Maximum SPL is 110 dBA per pair.