Monitor Audio would like you to think of the Studio 89 as a brand new speaker; one that invokes memories of past greats, particularly the Studio 15 model introduced in 1989. See what they did there with the name? The Studio 15 was a largish two-way standmounter and the only model in that range to combine a black high-gloss finish with the company’s distinctive gold anodised drivers. The new Studio 89 mirrors that finish combination and looks rather lovely with it; but beyond the choice of colours there is little in our view that links the old with the new.
The Monitor Audio Studio model released in 2018 is a more credible ancestor. The two look all but identical at a casual glance if you ignore the new model’s distinctive colour scheme. That may not be good news. Our original review of that earlier model speaks of a talented but uneven performer that failed to convince, musically. Three stars.
