Normally reserved for our big-sexy-speaker pile, the Monitor Audio Platinum II ($29k) produced a commanding presence from the Rosemont 1 room at the Westin. Driven by a rack full of SimAudio including the 870A amp ($22k), 740P PreAmp ($9.5k) and 180 MiND streamer ($1k) the team let yours truly man the controls for a short time in what proved to be a wild ride for a traditionally Jazz-and-vocal oriented room.
The Monitor Audio room came to the show in partnership with Chicago-local retailer Saturday Audio Exchange which I had the pleasure of visiting on several occasions over the past few years. The system yielded a good impression of floating vocals suspended perfectly in-between the two loudspeakers. The image was sharp and the virtual effect felt very large – which is the expectation for loudspeakers of this size, but not always the case.
The hand-built column of drivers included a mix of the company’s RDT bass and mid drivers as well as a “Micro Pleated Diaphragm” high frequency transducer. The Platinum II stands atop the company’s product line as its flagship piece, a statement for the rest their diverse offerings of varying sizes and costs, as if to say “Yes, we can do it.” The sound from the burly setup was fairly immediate and on par with some of the high expectations associated with this price point. Pushing through a varied setlist of popular artists (including rock), the Platinum II had plenty of texture and that large center image around the vocals that felt impressive in the relatively largish suite on the 3rd floor. Many thanks to the Saturday Audio Exchange and Monitor Audio team for letting me haphazardly man the ship for a short time. I assure you no audiophile feathers were ruffled in the course of my visit. Apple-ish promotional video available below.
