Coming in at 13⅜ inches tall, 6 3/16 inches wide, and 14 3/16 inches deep, they're not obtrusive by any means and don't take up much space. Each speaker also only weighs 16 lbs and 12 ozs, making it easy to properly set them up in your listening space without having to worry about size limitations.
The Studio 89 is a two-way speaker and has dual 4¼" RDT III C-CAM drivers for the bass and the mids. For the highs, they utilize an MPD III high-frequency driver.
The cabinets come in a breathtakingly beautiful high gloss black and they also utilize an MTM design, originally introduced by Dr. Joseph D'Appolito sometime in the early '80s.
On the rear of the cabinets, there are Twin Velocity Reflex HiVe II slot ports, resulting in zero audible port noise. For connecting your system, they include a pair of extremely nice a pair of binding posts on each speaker, complemented with a gold terminal plate that's actually the same color as the drivers.
With a nominal impedance of 6 ohms and an in-room frequency response of 48-60 kHz, they're easy to drive and they cover a wide range of the audio spectrum, meaning smaller rooms and some medium ones might not even need a dedicated subwoofer.
I was thoroughly impressed by the thoughtful packaging of the Studio 89's upon opening the box, confirming that Monitor Audio goes above and beyond to ensure the safe arrival of their speakers.
After setting up the speakers on my stands, I appreciated the exquisite gloss black finish and how the gold-colored drivers effortlessly complemented it, especially with the front aluminum baffle plate.
Generally, with a bookshelf speaker, I'll start at roughly 8 inches from the wall, and slowly bring it deeper into my listening area and farther away from the wall. I found the Studio 89's sounded the most optimal sitting about 22 inches into my room, from the front wall, and with the speakers placed 6 feet apart.
I also made sure to do a toe-in to ensure I had an open and 3D soundstage. If there's not a proper toe-in, then your audio won't be perceived correctly, and due to stereo misalignment, you won't hear things properly or as the artist intended.
Since the speakers have a pair of binding posts, I opted to streamline the setup process by using my Rocket 33 banana plug cables. This decision ultimately saved time and reduced any potential difficulties.
Connected to the other end of my cables is the Rotel A12 Mkii, which I have found to be a perfect match for the bookshelf speakers I test. With its Class A/B amplification and impressive 120 watts at 4 ohms, it proves to be more than capable for my needs.
Another one of the design features I found quite intriguing is that the drivers are bolted into the cabinets, using a rod that screws into the back of the magnets on one side, with the other side of the rod going all the way to the rear of the cabinets.
Once I had everything set up, I immediately started listening and seeing what the Studio 89's had to offer. First impressions had me shocked; how did these sound so much bigger than their reasonable size?
Due to the RDT III C-CAM technology, the bass is full, agile, and tight. Not once during my usage did I find myself thinking about throwing a sub into the mix. I'm still perplexed on how Monitor Audio did it, but I'm not complaining in the slightest. As far as the mids go, you're greeted with a warm, natural presence, without any unnatural bloat or muddiness.
Technology has definitely come a long way, and the MPD III high-frequency driver backs that up. A smooth, accurate, but never overbearing treble is delivered, and gives enough to keep purists happy as you're not losing information in the audio due to the fact that these are well-designed and thought-out speakers.
While watching an episode from the TV show "Quantum Leap," I noticed how well the Studio 89's handled the missiles launching from the big warship and the mines exploding around it. Never once did I have to lower the volume to keep the speakers intact, and I never felt like I was overly stressing the drivers even with the louder volume I was putting through them.
For the music side of things, I tested a song called "Pretty Cashier" by Finding Hope. I could hear each note from the acoustic guitar playing as if it was in the room with me. I found the soundstage filled my listening space and enveloped me into the music with a clean and clear presentation, never once with a hint of harshness or too much top-end sparkle. I also noticed that each note slowly faded away as the artist intended. Some other speakers I've tested on this song had each note fade away much more drastically.
Throughout my experience with the Studio 89's, I consistently found myself smiling as I listened to their sound and eagerly anticipated my daily listening sessions.
The B&W 707's I had didn't have as much weight in the low end and, in my opinion, had a little too much up top for longer listening periods, while the Studio 89's have a much beefier bottom end and a more natural presentation from the highs.
In general, smaller drivers can't reproduce low frequencies as well, which can cause you to lose information from the music and not hear what the artist intended.
But that's where the Studio 89's are different. Although they have smaller drivers, they have a very well-designed motor structure on them, meaning they can still pick up on more of that information in the file and give you more data than other smaller drivers that can give a seemingly hollow soundstage and less accuracy across the spectrum.
Larger magnets also result in greater control over the drivers and more dynamic force when needed. Even the Klipsch RB81II I had with 8-inch drivers didn't have as much heft or bottom end as the Studio 89's do.
I can honestly say the performance of the Studio 89's is what impressed me the most. I've listened to quite a few different speakers with small drivers, and they never had the same heft in the low end, articulacy in the bass and mids, nor the ability to get loud enough to give the neighbors a reason to come knocking on my door.
Another area where the Studio 89's really shine is the ability to sound great even at lower volumes. I've had some speakers in the past where once the volume was turned down, so was the level of detail in the original recording. Those speakers almost require an optimal volume just to get a proper presentation of what the original producer intended.
Although I used these in a stereo setup, I can say they definitely gave me an immersive experience, sometimes making me feel as if my surround speakers had somehow come to life, something that not all speakers are capable of.
I really enjoyed my time with the Monitor Audio Studio 89's, whether I had music playing or was enjoying a movie night with some freshly buttered popcorn. I can assuredly say that I wouldn't mind having a pair of these for myself.
