New Products

Monitor Audio today announced a high-performance bookshelf speaker that draws inspiration from the once-popular Studio Series it introduced way back in 1989.

The new Studio 89 speaker, which is slated to sell for $2,499/pair when it ships at the end of July, features Monitor’s signature “point source” MTM (Mid-Tweeter-Mid) driver configuration, which positions the latest version of its MPD (Micro-Pleated Diaphragm) tweeter between two 4.25-inch woofers.

The cone of each woofer sandwiches a honeycomb layer of Nomex fiber between an outer layer of ceramic-coated aluminum magnesium and an inner layer made of woven carbon fiber – a multi-layer design the company describes as super light and very strong.

The tweeter, now in its third generation, has been refined to reduce distortion and flatten frequency response for “wider, cleaner, and more consistent lifelike sound,” according to Monitor, and the woofers are said to boast the lowest distortion of any speaker in the company’s history.

The transition between the tweeter and woofers is handled by a highly optimized third-order crossover made with polypropylene and polyester capacitors and low-loss air-core inductors that was subject to many hours of listening tests to ensure a proper balance.

Everything is housed in a rock-solid cabinet featuring a 0.7-inch baffle and 0.6-inch side walls with internal bracing and “through bolts” that run from the back of each woofer to the rear wall of the cabinet for extra support. A high-velocity HiVe II slotted port built into the bottom of each speaker is designed to reduce air turbulence and noise compared with more conventional port configurations.

Key specs include a nominal impedance of 6 ohms, low-frequency rating of 53 Hz (in-room, –6 dB), and a max SPL rating of 113 dB.

The Studio 89 is offered in a luxurious high-gloss black finish that perfectly complements the woofers’ gold finish. Optional matching stands made of extruded aluminum and featuring a die-cast aluminum base with adjustable rubber or spiked feet are available for $749/pair. For more information, visit monitoraudio.com.