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Monitor Audio Group Tour

For those that don’t know Monitor Audio Group, they’re a British company that specialises in designing and manufacturing loudspeakers and sound systems. The group consists of Monitor Audio (Hi-Fi & cinema speakers), Roksan (reputation for producing high-quality turntables, amplifiers, and other audio components), and Blok (forefront of British high-fidelity furniture design).

Last Monday, our installation team and sales staff headed to the Monitor Audio Group headquarters in Essex – a stone’s throw from our Rayleigh store in the high street. We were invited not just for a tour of the premises and to see the new demonstration room development but to also check out some exciting new and refreshed products on the horizon!

Our tour stared with a session in the listening booth where we listened to 3 new loudspeaker products in a variety of scenarios, as well as something else from a completely new, competitively priced, product line. All products performed really well on the numerous Hi-Fi and cinema demonstrations, and then we selected a few of our own tracks to really push the system. London Grammar – Kind Of Man (to test vocal range), Infected Mushroom – Bliss on Mushrooms (to test low end responsiveness), Bob Dylan – Man in the Long Black Coat (to test mid range vocal and recreation of stringed instruments).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After our listening session, we were shown around the compact Roksan production line and service area which was adjacent to where the £70,000 Hyphn loud speakers are built. Due to the speakers size, weight, and value; a pair are built over ~3 days, utilising an electric powered medical grade bed upholstered in carpet, to carefully manoeuvre the speaker around. Continuing on along the hallway, we passed the Roksan Turntable service department as well as the massive collection of spare parts for both Monitor Audio and Roksan.

Monitor Audio Group always keep spare parts for all their ranges for servicing and replacement purposes and their collection goes back over 10+ years. If there’s a heritage part which is obsolete, they also have a catalogue of compatible third-party components. On from this, we had a brief look at their anechoic chamber – a virtually silent environment for acoustic testing and research, and also their internal and extremely strict quality control department, which every single item produced passes through.

For the second half of our tour, we got to check out the Create Suite which is where every Monitor Audio product is designed. They use a mixture of methods such as CAD and to-scale foam models, and there is a large library of materials, finished and veneers. When we were here, we spoke to the chief designer who explained a little bit more about the new products and the design process up to manufacturing. We got hands on with the finished articles and saw a few of the finishes which will be available at launch.

Back on the ground floor, we looked at the massive amount of boxed stock in the warehouse. We are frequently collecting stock from Monitor Audio, being so close, but hadn’t ventured into the depths of the warehouse before. Everything was extremely neat and organized, and also off the floor for protection and avoid potential water damage, showing all the teams dedication to perfect products. It was great so see so many items in stock as well as the variety of products – giving us a sense of knowing that we can always supply our customers in a short time frame, even as quick as same day!

The final part of the day, we were shown around a large area which is being redeveloped into an exciting demonstration area with all Monitor Audio’s custom install ranges, bar and reception area, Heritage museum area which will show of components which they have been collecting and reacquiring, and also a high end Cinergy cinema room.

 

The installation team had been most excited for the end of the day, not to go home, but the listen to Monitor Audio’s top level Cinergy products. A very temporary cinema room had been put up whilst the main development was only just starting. Their setup when we visited consisted of 3x Cinergy 200s for the front L/C/R along with 2x Sub15. For the surrounds and surround backs, the smaller Cinergy 100s were used, with another 2x Sub15 along the back wall. Lastly for the overhead Atmos channels, 4x Tier 3 Creator Sieres were used which pair best with the Cinergy range as shown by the same subtle green design. The in-ceilings were not paired with any back boxes (CML-BOX / CSM-BOX) due to the temorary setup but the final room will be a further step up in performance with full room acoustic treatment.