The U.K.-based manufacturer Monitor Audio has one of the more devoted followings in home audio. The company earned this following through its years of designing competitively priced loudspeakers that often perform at levels higher than their retail pricing indicate.
Continuing this tradition, Monitor Audio, which is distributed in the U.S. by Kevro, recently announced its latest outdoor loudspeakers, including the versatile CL2M. This new speaker is designed for use in outdoor environments, and serving as a multipurpose solution, the speaker can also be used indoors.
Sending me a pair of CL2Ms for review I ran the speakers with a Wiim Amp Ultra, along with a Toshiba disc player in an indoor environment.
CE Pro & Cons
Pros:
- The speakers deliver a warm, detailed sound with a nice stereo image
- Monitor Audio offers the speakers at a competitive price point
- Regardless of whether the speakers are indoors or outdoors, their style will complement a range of spaces
Cons:
- Some people may want to add a sub to support the reproduction of lower frequencies
- The CL2Ms are easy to drive, but for those that want to play the speakers loud in outdoor environments having a powerful amplifier will help to cleanly drive the speakers to higher volume levels due to the relatively low efficiency rating of the product
Monitor Audio CL2M Speaker Specifications
The company describes its new outdoor speaker as a mid-sized, two-way loudspeaker. Summarizing the speaker’s features for the review, the CL2M incorporates a Monitor Audio 1-inch C-CAM black-dome tweeter, as well as a Monitor Audio 6-inch C-CAM midrange driver that’s augmented by a bass radiator.
Helping the speaker to meet IP66 compliance, the CL2M also features an ABS cabinet, and aid the installation process for dealers, the speaker utilizes the company’s diecast Quik-Link bracket system.
Monitor Audio specifies the speaker is 85.5dB sensitive, and it points out the speaker has a nominal impedance rating of 6 ohms. The speaker is backed by a five-year warranty, and Monitor says the speaker provides a frequency response of 42Hz to 30kHz.
Summary of Features
- Two-way design that includes a bass radiator
- Internally the speaker employs a 1-inch tweeter and 6-inch midrange driver
- Monitor Audio states the speaker meets IP66 ratings for outdoor applications
- The 85.5dB sensitive speaker is rated to produce a frequency response of 42Hz to 30kHz
- Street price for the CL2M speakers is $999
Monitor Audio’s CL2M speakers include these mounting brackets that house internal speaker connections to hide the connections from the elements. Photo/Bob Archer – CE Pro
Setup
I’ll be honest, when I opened the box and didn’t see any obvious speaker connections, I became concerned about what it would take to setup the speakers. Well, my concerns about the installation of the CL2M speakers for the review turned out to be unfounded.
Pulling the speaker and the companion brackets from the packaging I see a rubber, flip-up door at the end of the speakers’ mounting brackets. Lifting the door up exposes the speaker’s cable termination. The bracket also includes a channel in which the speaker cable is fed up through to the cable terminals.
To protect speaker connections all dealers need to do is secure the rubberized covering located on the CL2M’s mounting brackets. Photo/Bob Archer – CE Pro
Feeding the Monster Cable 16/2 cable up through the brackets’ speaker cable channels I was able to easily make the connections and then close the rubber door back up to give the bracket a seamless, flush appearance. I finished the setup by securing the brackets to the speakers using the supplied star screwdriver, and in my system, I set the speakers on top of a pair of 24-inch speaker stands laying the speakers horizontally.
Once the speaker connections are made, the mounting bracket secures to the back of the speaker easily by using the supplied star screwdriver. Photo/Bob Archer – CE Pro
If I were mounting the speakers there would be more time involved in the setup process, but the basic setup of the speakers that includes attaching the speaker cables and brackets should not take long.
Performance
I have a warning for those looking at indoor/outdoor speakers: For those expecting a lo-fi listening experience from the Monitor Audio speakers: You better look elsewhere.
Using content that included CDs, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi wireless connections to my iPhone and my Apple Music account, I listened to lossless and high-resolution audio content, and I was really impressed by the new Monitor Audio speakers.
Listening to Living Colour’s Vivid CD I found the top end to be clean and well detailed, the record’s bass lines had a rich sponginess and within the sonic image there was enough room to let the drums breathe. Using Bluetooth connectivity from my phone to the Wiim amplifier, I also listened to a variety of rock, pop and country from artists that included AC/DC, Sugarland, and Alannah Myles.
The more I listened to the CL2M speakers for this review, the more impressed I became with them. The soundstage is nice and wide, and there’s a warmth to the speakers that adds a nice level of musicality. That warmth doesn’t color the sound—it adds textural richness. Musically the performance of the speakers allowed me to listen analytically in a fun way, which sometimes doesn’t happen with an analytical listening experience. On the song Black Velvet for example, I could hear key changes and a synthesizer and organ underneath the guitar and bass adding fullness to the song.
I’ll also point out the speakers are revealing in an audiophile-like way. What I mean more specifically is, that if the CL2M speakers are fed poorly recorded content or content that has been heavily compressed during mastering, the speakers will reveal those shortcomings. Conversely, feeding the speakers well recorded music and music with lots of dynamics and they will give users rewarding listening sessions.
Review in Summary of the Monitor Audio CL2M Speakers
The CL2M loudspeakers are impressive. The speakers are competitively priced to allow homeowners to invest into their other components, and the speakers look stylish regardless of where they are installed.
I like the fact that not only can the speakers be used as outdoor speakers installed under an eave, but the CL2M speakers can also be used indoors for applications such as height speakers in an immersive audio system to meet the requirements of homeowners that don’t want in-ceiling speakers but wants a more realistic immersive audio system.
The speakers also deliver a nice listening experience that can be augmented by the installation of subwoofer to add some bottom end to the CL2M’s sound.
It’s my opinion in this review that with the introduction of the CL2M speaker, Monitor Audio has raised the bar in the realm of indoor/outdoor speakers. For anyone interested in an outdoor loudspeaker, or a speaker that can serve as a retrofit-friendly height or surround speaker, the latest speaker from Monitor Audio is worth a look.
The Monitor Audio CL2M can also be used indoors for typical applications such as height or surround speakers in an immersive audio system. Photo/Bob Archer – CE Pro
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