Monitor Audio Loudspeaker Platinum Series User manual

“In developing Platinum we’ve created the definitive
Monitor Audio loudspeaker. There is no finer
expression of the dedication to sound quality, design
and engineering that has driven our adventure and
innovation for over three decades. We’ve proved once
again that there is no preconception that cannot be
challenged, no rule beyond question. By refining new
materials and technologies, we’re getting closer to
perfection.”
Dean Hartley
Technical Director

Technical Expertise
Innovation
Superior Design
Performance
Pride of Ownership

Famous for his ‘Il Libro Del Cortegiano’ (The Book of
the Courtier, 1528), Renaissance humanist Baldesar
Castiglione coined the word ‘sprezzatura’ to describe
the ideal for courtly behaviour. He insisted that in
order to be worthy, exceptional virtuosity should be
conveyed with an unaffected, effortless dignity. In
essence, sprezzatura is the art of making something
difficult look easy.
Created from the finest materials and complex
technologies, our superlative Platinum loudspeakers
are a sophisticated blend of craftsmanship and
science, but make music so gracefully that it sounds
naturally effortless.
SPREZZATURA

SPREZZATURA

Introducing genuinely esoteric yet affordable
performance and quality, Monitor Audio’s Platinum
loudspeakers are engineered to achieve the most
natural sound possible. In our quest for true
fidelity, we’ve harnessed new materials, developed
innovative new technologies, tested, refined and
optimised every last design detail, and verified the
science with plenty of good old-fashioned listening.
Every component part is produced to exacting
standards and each speaker is carefully hand-built
by our small team of technicians. The new Platinum
Series represents the epitome of British design and
quality, demonstrating Monitor Audio’s devotion
to music and film sound reproduction.
AUDITION

Each pair of Platinum loudspeakers is an original
work of art. Monitor Audio’s cabinet makers hand
select uniquely matching sets of exotic natural wood
veneer in Santos Rosewood or Ebony for every pair.
The veneers are applied by hand after the cabinet
is made to ensure that the grain match is precise
and that no joints are visible. After meticulous
inspection, no fewer than eleven layers of clear gloss
piano lacquer are applied to enhance the exquisite
grain definition and rich variety of colour within each
veneer.
The front baffles are hand-upholstered using
Strathspey leather supplied by Andrew Muirhead.
Strathspey’s natural leather is of the very highest
quality and is associated with many respected
British brands from the furniture, automotive and
marine industries. It conveys a tactile sense of luxury
which blends with the lustrous beauty of Platinum’s
lacquered veneer finishes to impart an immediate
impression of excellence in any room, however lavish
its décor.
Platinum promises a depth of beauty, quality and
performance that will inspire an intense pride of
ownership in lovers of music and design.
Craftsmanship
and Quality

Ceramic-Coated Aluminium/Magnesium (C-CAM®)
Since 1972, Monitor Audio’s near fanatical
commitment to excellence and innovation has
received global recognition and acclaim. When
we launched our R352MD loudspeaker - the first
model to incorporate a metal dome tweeter - it caused
quite a stir. Until that time, most metal domes were
single-metal types made from copper or titanium and
virtually all sounded unconvincing. The R352 used
an aluminium/magnesium alloy dome and sounded
significantly better and smoother than all of its
single-metal rivals. This radical design formed the
blueprint for successive generations of our C-CAM
metal domes.
All the radiating surfaces of the Platinum drivers are
formed from C-CAM, a material originally developed
by the aerospace industry for jet engine components.
Its properties are ideal for loudspeaker cones:
extremely rigid, yet light enough to yield high overall
efficiency. In manufacture, aluminium/magnesium
alloy undergoes stress-relieving processes to
remove surface deformation and molecular weakness.
Once formed, the alloy cone is subjected to a high
temperature anodic coating process, in which a
layer of pure ceramic alumina is depleted onto its
surfaces to give a completely rigid exterior.
Conventional cone materials are liable to flex or
twist in operation, producing a significant level of
audible distortion. C-CAM cones have a much higher
resistance to bending stress and therefore exhibit
much greater fidelity.
Technologies

Platinum C-CAM high frequency ribbon transducer.
A pure ribbon tweeter is highly regarded in the world
of high-end audio as being the best way to reproduce
ultra-high frequencies and provide the most lifelike
transient response. While this belief is well supported
by fundamental physics, one listen will tell you that
this driver is very special indeed.
Platinum’s ribbon tweeter design uses an ultra-thin
sandwich of C-CAM alloy suspended in a powerful
transverse magnetic field of high energy NeFeB rare
earth magnets. The ribbon serves as both voice coil
and radiating diaphragm, with every part of the ribbon
driven directly and simultaneously without energy
storage. Having a mass of just 18mg, its diaphragm
is able to start and stop in an instant, producing a
transient response capable of defining the leading
edge and natural harmonic resonance of complex
musical sounds. Specified to reach ultra-high
frequencies up to an elusive 100 kHz, Platinum’s
magical ribbon tweeter will reproduce with ease
every last nuance and detail from vinyl, CD, DVD-A
and SACD, together with the wider bandwidth of
HD-DVD and Blu-ray.

Rigid Diaphragm Technology (RDT®) mid-range and
bass drivers
Bass and mid-range driver cones use RDT, a unique
technology developed specifically by Monitor Audio’s
engineers for the Platinum series of loudspeakers*.
Designed to reduce mass and increase cone stiffness,
RDT applies ultra-thin skins of C-CAM to a core of
honeycomb Nomex®** material, creating a structure
which is extremely light but incredibly rigid. At only
40μm thick, the C-CAM skins are half the thickness
of a human hair, yet when bonded to the hexagonal
honeycomb core they form an RDT cone, which is 150
times more rigid than a single layer of 200μm C-CAM
alloy, but has a fraction of the overall mass. These
properties allow the cone to operate as a lightning-
fast piston for a clearer more natural sound. The
cone’s new concave geometry has been refined by FEA
analysis to provide a smooth frequency response and
eradicate break-up.
To optimise the performance of the RDT cone,
Monitor Audio has developed motor systems in
which a focused magnetic gap and copper eddy
rings work together to produce a higher level of
linearity and lower distortion than was previously
possible. Magnet plates and poles are CNC machined
to very precise standards, ensuring consistency.
The Platinum mid-range driver utilises an ‘under hung’
voice coil design to further optimise linearity and
reduce distortion. High energy NeFeB rare earth
magnets are used for high efficiency, and a large
2” (50mm) voice coil is specified to handle powerful
dynamic impulses. Its RDT cone is driven directly
by the voice coil to provide an extremely articulate
mid-range response and seamless integration
with the other drivers.
Platinum’s bass drivers use long-throw voice coil
windings for long excursions at high power levels,
giving deeper, more controlled and potent bass.
The larger 8” (200mm) drivers employ dual spider
arrangements for extra stability. Their direct-drive
RDT cones have no dust cap or joints to interfere
with the driver response over the working band.
* PLW-15’s driver is C-CAM only
** Nomex® is a registered trademark of E.I DuPont de
Nemours and Company

Anti-Resonance Composite (ARC) baffles, plinths and
mid-range driver housings
The front baffles, plinths and mid-range driver
housings for the Platinum series of loudspeakers
are cast from ARC material, a thermo-set polymer
loaded with minerals to provide very inert,
optimally-damped components. Refined for Platinum
by Monitor Audio’s engineers, this type of material
is used for leading-edge automotive design and is
ideal for acoustic applications where a high degree
of structural rigidity and vibration damping is
required. ARC material is cast to form a Tapered Line
Enclosure (TLE) for Platinum’s mid-range drivers.
The TLE is designed to prevent the propagation of
standing waves and modal resonances.
HiVe®II High Velocity reflex port
Platinum employs a new type of port technology,
which uses a straight rifled design to accelerate air
flow and reduce turbulence. HiVe II technology has
the ability to move air in and out of the cabinet more
quickly than a conventional port, bringing powerful
bass and a superior transient response.

TLE (Tapered Line Enclosure)
HiVe II (High Velocity reflex port)
ARC (Anti-Resonance Composite)
ARC (Anti-Resonance Composite)

Cabinet construction
The cabinets are of multiple laminations of wood
veneer in a rigid plywood-type construction shaped
to form a one piece shell. Internally, the sides are
non-regular, preventing the formation of standing
waves, which undermine the accuracy of the system.
Monitor Audio has developed a unique ‘pin-hole’
bracing structure for the Platinum series, positioned
to provide rigidity and integrity. Cabinet bracing is
further enhanced by steel bolts that tie front and
back panels to the ‘pin-hole’ brace and are tightened
to a specific torque in order to tune out undesirable
resonances. Bitumastic damping material is applied
to all internal cabinet walls to produce a heightened
level of resonance damping.
Every last detail
WBT* Platinum signature Binding Pots are
considered to be of the highest quality available.
Precision-machined and plated with pure platinum,
they offer a very low contact resistance and the best
possible reliability. Featuring accurate fine-pitch
adjustment, the terminals are suitable for heavy
duty cables with spade, 4mm plug or bare wire
connections.
To provide a secure contact with the floor,
adjustable spiked feet are used. Machined to the
finest tolerances from high-grade alloy and anodised
to the most exacting standards, the feet accept
‘bullet’ spikes of high-tensile steel, chrome-plated
to a mirror finish. For hard or solid wood flooring,
a non-slip rubber pad is integrated with the foot
design.
* WBT Trademark of WBT GMbh, Germany

PL100
A compact two-way loudspeaker featuring one
6.5” (165mm) RDT bass-mid driver and C-CAM
ribbon transducer. The PL100 has the superior
bass definition and detailed mid-range response
of the most accurate studio monitors; and its
ability to generate the deepest bass frequencies
will redefine expectations of a small speaker. A
rigid cabinet construction, proprietary bracing
techniques and advanced damping technologies
combine to provide the optimum environment
for its ultra-low distortion drivers. The PL100’s
C-CAM ribbon tweeter extends way beyond
the auditory threshold to reveal the ultra-high
harmonic frequencies that are part of the
natural spectrum of sound. Consistency of
phase is secured by the lightning-fast RDT bass
driver, which reproduces the power and scale of
dramatic passages with a breathtaking fidelity.
The PL100 is a wideband speaker capable of
expressing the entire micro-dynamic texture
of every performance, drawing a rich, natural
radiance from the most demanding of music and
film scores. Optional, dedicated floor stands
are available, which can be bolted directly to
the PL100 cabinet for increased stability and
performance. The PL100 stand allows for an
increased level of tilt to facilitate set up and
positioning.