Aluminum speakers, such as the Mon Acoustic monitors at the 2023 Florida Audio Expo, seem to be gaining a foothold in the audiophile world. Stenheim has been around for a while, and the Alumine Two has been lauded and very favorably reviewed by PTA.
This time around in Tampa, I was exposed to yet another brand with which I was not familiar–the previously mentioned Mon Acoustic from South Korea. The guys from Mon brought along the super cute and super impressive SuperMon Mini, a desktop sized monitor. I didn’t get to hear that model, because when I was in the room they were displaying the brand new SuperMon Isobaric, a proper bookshelf sized monitor retailing for 25k.
Words and Photos by Matthew Partrick
The Mon Acoustic SuperMon Isobaric features a 7mm thick solid aluminum enclosure supporting a T35 SEAS tweeter, an Audiotechnology mid-woofer, and an Eton bass woofer mounted in the aforementioned isobaric configuration. Specs are listed as 37 Hz-25000 Hz, with a 4 Ohm load rated at 89 dB.
The Mon Acoustic SuperMon Isobaric speakers were powered by a bevy of Chord Electronics components including the awesome Dave DAC, the CPA5000 reference preamplifier, and the SPM MkII power amplifier. Streaming was provided by an Aurender server and cabling was from Sanctus–another audio company from South Korea.
The sound of this system was really breathtaking. I was particularly impressed by the imaging
and ability to fill the room with sound, especially off axis. I heard “Differently” by Marian Hill,
and the bass coming off these “bookshelf” speakers was just spooky. Not too tubby, although I
suspect with the rear-firing ports they might require careful room placement. The guys at Mon Acoustic clearly know what they are doing, because they did not seem to mind the room restrictions
from which most audio shows suffer. This is the sort of room that makes me understand that
$25,000 may not be that crazy for a pair of speakers. They’re that good.
Maybe there is something about aluminum enclosures. It certainly isn’t a gimmick, and I urge
you to check out Mon Acoustic at the next audio show.
If you would like to hear even more coverage from FLAX 2023, check out our recap report and highlights from our audiophile-oriented show The Occasional Podcast. You can stream the episode direct from the embed below, or from your favorite podcast platform including iTunes, Android, Google, Deezer, Spotify, iHeartRadio and more.
