While they aren’t predated by 88 iterations, Monitor Audio’s new Studio 89 do by name nod to the illustrious history of the British brand’s famed Studio model: the Studio 15 model was introduced in 1989 as a two-way standmounter that married a glossy black finish with gold-anodised drivers.
Indeed, as you can see in the accompanying images, the new Studio 89 pay homage to that ancestor not only in name but also aesthetic. Uniquely in the current Monitor Audio speaker range, they combine a high-gloss black finish with metal cone drivers finished in gold. They certainly look the part – and they sound it too, as you will gather from our Monitor Audio Studio 89 review.
They’re more compact than the large-ish Studio 15 of old – more in line with the dimensions of the 2018-released Studio (which didn’t exactly impress back then!) – though Monitor Audio promises “scale and quality that belies [the] Studio 89’s size”.
The Studio 89 feature the company’s latest MPD (Micro-Pleated Diaphragm) tweeter, which lies in the middle of the baffle, sandwiched between two of its current RDT (Rigid-Diaphragm Technology) mid/bass drivers. These twin driver cones comprise three ultra-thin layers – a C-CAM (ceramic-coated aluminium magnesium) outer skin, sitting over a Nomex honeycomb central core with the underside skin made up of woven carbon fibre. Monitor Audio says this makeup is ideally lightweight and strong.
Monitor Audio says the crossovers have undergone “hours of listening and part selection” by its engineering team to make the most of those drivers, while the cabinet design, with its thick (18mm) front baffle and side walls (15mm), slot ports and through-bolt bracing, has been rigidly structured in a way to optimise driver performance.
The Studio 89 cost £2000 / $2500 per pair so are certainly of a calibre that warrants positioning on dedicated speaker stands. Monitor Audio has created bespoke stands that cost an additional £500 / $625 per pair, with their steel top plate, extruded aluminium poles, die-cast aluminium base and four adjustable feet (with both chrome-plated spikes and domed rubber feet) designed to give the Studio 89 the support they need.
Naturally, the Monitor Audio newbies face tough competition, up against the undeniably talented KEF R3 Meta and Neat Petite Classic at this price point. So do they give these proven players a run for their money? And are they more impressive than the disappointing Studio from six years ago? That's where our Monitor Audio Studio 89 review comes in.
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