MONITOR AUDIO GOLD 200 SPEAKERS: THE CRITICAL SPEC THAT'S TOO OFTEN IGNORED. NOW REVIEWED. PLUS! 

I used a pair of Icon Audio MB845 Mk.II monoblocks which offers both 8 Ohm and also 4 Ohm sockets.

Hi Paul. What I forgot to ask: which 8 ohm amplifier did you use in your original review? Thanks a lot!

Are you using the Marantz Model 30 with the Gold 300 5G's? If so how do you like the combo? I've had the Model 30 for a while & just bought the Gold 300's.

What did u use to power your gold 300 ? Bass ok?

Those screws are there simply to tighten up the drivers after shipping. They would have no effect on audio.

Hi Tim - well, I use high-end valve monoblocks from UK outfit, Icon Audio which have 4 Ohm sockets. I also know that the company's integrated amps, models like the Stereo 40 and Stereo 60 also use 4 Ohm sockets. I'd need to do a bit of research to see if other brands also use them.

These amplifiers all use valve technology , so require an output matching transformer to lower their output impedence. Solid state amplifiers wont have this additional transformer will they , it's not required.@@TheAudiophileMan

@@kenwoodward6975 Sure, I hear what you're saying, but...even so, I'd still like to listen to these via a solid state amp with 4 Ohm pots. I have a hunch it would make a difference.

@@TheAudiophileMan Well it may sound different if they used the same technique to produce a tap labelled 4ohm because a transformer would be in the way.

What is wrong with original jumpers?

There's nothing wrong with the original jumpers and they are probably better than the metal jumpers that some speaker manufacturers use. It was just that the Tellurium jumpers made a significant improvement in my system that surprised me. Maybe it was because the tellurium jumpers matched the speaker cables? @@JanJan-dd1wi

Probably nothing. But some people think cables do a whole lot. Probably the same cable is used inside the speaker so idk.

Also, most amplifiers don't need different terminal because they are not load dependent like tube amps or output transformer amps (mackintosh)

Hi Ross - I found the tweeters worked well just skimming past the ears.

@@TheAudiophileManthank you! Good to know.

result would be the same

I thought the audiophile thing was to plug it into the hf terminals so you don't send those subtle details through more connections. In reality it probably does not matter at all. Moving your head 3cm will make a bigger difference

Hi - I used a pair of the UK's Icon Audio monoblocks which offers 4 Ohm sockets. And yes there are a limited number of amps out there offering such sockets. Icon Audio does sell a range of integrated amplifiers which also include 4 Ohm taps and, as you say, McIntosh does too. As I said in the review, most amps provide a range setting to automatically track the Ohm setting but it's my contention that this should be changed. That's part of the point of this video. Amplifier design should be changed. Especially when large, broad-based companies like Monitor Audio are releasing 4 Ohm speaker designs. And then their customers are wasting their money by hearing only a portion of the design's true capabilities. I've reviewed 4 Ohm speaker designs in the past from smaller outfits and, again, heard a large difference when connecting them via specialist 4 Ohm taps but when a *mainstream* company like MA builds 4 Ohm speakers, *mainstream* amp designers need to look again at what they are doing and why. To my mind, again as I said in the video, 4 Ohm speakers perform better via 4 Ohm sockets. You can get away with 6 Ohm speakers, they just need more power to drive. But 4 Ohm? No. The sound quality changes fundamentally. A line is crossed at that point. So there's several points right there. Another point? The likes of McIntosh and Icon Audio include 4 Ohm taps for a reason. Adding these components costs them serious money in terms of the build budget. Don't forget, profit is king. Any successful design is specified for a reason. McIntosh and Icon Audio didn't add 4 Ohm taps, 'for a laugh'. They know these sockets are important. Which is why I have respect for both companies. They know amplifiers.

@@TheAudiophileMan Thanks for the very detailed answer! I still try to figure out what that 4 ohms thing means for solid state amp users. As I learned you use Icon Audio amps which seem to be tube amps - with tube amps there was (as far as I think I understood) the need to transform high valve output voltages with limited current delivery into lower voltages&higher currents. With solid state amps there is no urgent need to do so - transistors have high current delivery "by nature". In your use case choosing the 4 ohms tap on a tube amp instead of the 8 ohm tap should reduce maximum output voltage, and at the same time increase current delivery - thus: deliver more bass, more impact, maybe also positive changes in mid-range. With a solid state amp that features output transformers, a change in sound (regardless of speaker design) would also be very likely I assume - due to the shift up/down in voltage&current operating point of the semiconductors / transistors. For me it seems clear: Without output transformers in an amp the discussion about 4 ohms is moot - and I think your answer points into this direction.

A properly designed "normal" solid state amplifier would be load independent, not changing frequency response on load variation. It then comes down to how many amps it can output. Valve amps or autoformer, or specifically engineered amplifiers that have load dependencies may need such taps. On a regular amplifier perhaps such taps just allow protection circuit to measure allowed output better.

In sound terms? I find that 6 Ohm speakers are fine. There’s no appreciable difference in sound quality. The 6 Ohm figure impacts more on sensitivity so I find that 6 Ohm designs might result in you buying a more powerful amp (I’m generalising but that’s the broad conclusion) I find that moving from 6 to 4 Ohms though crosses a line in sound terms. I’ve heard this effect now on more than one occasion from more than one manufacturer.

Most amps play a range of Ohm figures and, incidentally, so do speakers. Even 8 Ohm-rated speakers won't just fix at 8 Ohms, they will wander about a bit. The stated rating is a guide, you might say. At the back of a lot of amps you'll actually see a 4-16 Ohm figure. Listening, they tend to perform best around 6-12 shall we say? Ish? I haven't heard 16 Ohm speakers (I think the old BBC designs were 16 Ohm?) so I can't comment on those. Amps play 4 Ohm speakers fine. Just not amazingly well. Which is why I like to see 4 Ohm sockets.

@@TheAudiophileMan thanks for that..

Hegel is solid state. It'll probably be fine, though some amplifiers are built to be more stable and higher current at lower impedances than others. Not usually a problem unless you exceed the current ratings.

Yes. Yes they are.

What amp did you use prior?

@@JPWinters roksan k3....mids and highs ok lows too slow. Musical fidelity M5si mids and highs too bright on higher volumes, bass fantastic.( dac chord quest) now hegel h90 internal dac.....ok but not for my speakers. Hegel sounds very good on l50. Transparency speed and timing of Densen is like music didn't been amplified just fantastic pairing. I don't want to say one is better from another...combination is important.

And? The build quality is exceptional.

I too would rather my money not be going to support that cancerous, murderous communist regime, but we consumers are offered little choice in the matter today, save for a very FEW companies returning manufacturing back to Britian. Just be prepared to pay about a 50% price premium if you go that route. At least the design of many speakers is still done in the U.S., Norway, Denmark, and the U.K. That's the best we can hope for. The Chinese people are great themselves and quite capable of beautiful work. Remember, before Mao, they were our allies in WWII.

We are all are made in China,but only few of us knows it@@Another_Audiophile