MONITOR AUDIO PLATINUM PL500 II

Pre owned. In excellent condition. Free from visible signs of wear. Supplied with original packaging.

The Platinum 500 II are imposing floorstanding speakers with a vertical height of 1803 mm, yet they remain surprisingly manageable thanks to a well-proportioned footprint of 504 x 626 mm, making them easier to position even in large domestic environments. They rest on a wide, stable base made from a combination of metal and rigid plastic, offering excellent structural stability, which can be further enhanced with height-adjustable chrome steel feet or standard spikes, with the option to use sliding supports to simplify placement before final setup.

The cabinet, entirely handcrafted, stands out for its elegant rounded side panels and the refined finish achieved with eleven layers of lacquer, a process that not only enhances the aesthetics but also significantly contributes to vibration damping, reminiscent of the construction techniques used in high-end musical instruments. The driver layout is perfectly symmetrical along the horizontal axis of the tweeter, following a double D’Appolito configuration centered on the MPD ribbon tweeter positioned at ear height, flanked above and below by two 4-inch C-Cam midwoofers and complemented by two pairs of 8-inch C-Cam woofers dedicated to the low frequencies. The MPD tweeter, an evolution of the Micro Pleated Diaphragm, uses a pleated diaphragm that provides an exceptionally large radiating surface—up to eight times greater than a conventional dome tweeter—ensuring outstanding response speed, minimal moving mass, and an operating range extending up to 100 kHz without audible distortion, delivering harmonics of extraordinary naturalness. All drivers are designed using finite element analysis to minimize structural distortion of the diaphragms during operation, and employ RDT II technology, combining an external C-Cam skin, an internal Nomex honeycomb structure, and a woven carbon fiber layer, which reduces distortion by up to 8 dB above 300 Hz and achieves the best performance Monitor Audio has ever delivered.

The diaphragm’s special geometry, with a shallow concave shape and no central hole, together with a completely redesigned motor assembly, optimized suspension, and the DCF system—a nylon ring acting as a dynamic coupling and physical high-frequency filter—allows for faster, more controlled, and pistonic movement, while improving coil cooling and the naturalness of the sound. All motor assembly components, from coils to supports and magnetic structures, are black anodized to maximize heat dissipation and reduce power compression even at high volumes, while the robust die-cast baskets are shaped to optimize airflow and prevent turbulence. A sophisticated system of threaded rods connects the drivers to the cabinet’s rear panel via damping elements, decoupling them from the front baffle and further stiffening the structure. Internally, the cabinet is reinforced with a dense network of shaped braces and lined with bituminous material on the side panels to absorb vibrations, while the midrange drivers are housed in a sealed TLE (Tapered Line Enclosure) made from ARC (Anti Resonance Composite) to minimize internal reflections and standing waves. The four HiVe II bass reflex ports, two for each low-frequency section, feature internal grooves designed to accelerate and straighten airflow, reducing turbulence and improving bass response. The crossover section uses audiophile-grade components, with air-core inductors for the midrange and tweeter, laminated steel cores for the woofers, and metallized polypropylene capacitors with 1% tolerance, hand-selected for consistent performance.

The design is completed with solid copper, rhodium-plated binding posts with screw terminals, internal Pure Flow OFC silver-plated copper wiring, and intelligently positioned connections on the top of the rear plinth for easy access, exemplifying a speaker that combines extreme engineering, artisanal craftsmanship, and absolute elegance.

Technical specifications:

• Project type: 3-way floorstanding speaker; 4 HiVe II bass reflex ports
• Nominal impedance: 4 ohms (minimum 4.2 ohms @ 120 Hz); Sensitivity: 91 dB
• Frequency response: 22 Hz – 100 kHz
• Recommended power handling: 150 – 400 W @ 4 ohms RMS; Maximum power handling: 400 W
• Maximum sound pressure for a pair in a closed room: 120 dBA
• Driver type: 4 x 8" long-throw woofers RDT II in C-CAM/Nomex/carbon fiber sandwich; 2 x 4" mid-range RDT II; 1 x MPD ribbon tweeter
• Driver mounting: decoupled from front baffle and anchored to cabinet via rear threaded rod; DCF (Dynamic Coupling Filter) on all drivers; midrange housed in individual TLE ARC composite chamber
• Crossover: audiophile-grade components; crossover points at 460 Hz and 3.6 kHz
• Internal wiring: Pureflow silver-plated OFC copper
• Connectors: proprietary bi-wire / bi-amp rhodium-plated copper
• Construction: fully handcrafted
• Cabinet: rigid, multi-layered, acoustically inert; curved surfaces; internal reinforcements and damping to suppress standing waves, modal resonances, and vibrations; finished with eleven layers of lacquer
• Grilles: individual magnetic for each driver
• Dimensions (H x W x D): 1803 x 504 x 626 mm
• Weight: 99.1 kg