“How can a loudspeaker be made to sound
more natural? This is the question that drives
our endeavour day-in, day-out. We’re motivated
by the quest to eliminate distortion from the
most important element in your audio system.
How far we’ve come can be measured by the
sound of Platinum II: the most accurate and
beautiful loudspeakers Monitor Audio has ever
made. Supported by painstaking analysis and a
lifetime of listening, their evolution has rened
our technologies, inspired new discoveries and
achieved advances in every area of design electrical, mechanical, magnetic, acoustic
and aesthetic. The result is a speaker range of
exceptional quality, dedicated to raising your
emotional contact with music and lm sound
in all its natural glory. Built by audio lovers, for
audio lovers, Platinum II provides our answer to
the primary challenge of speaker design. To the
big question we simply reply “like this”!”
Dean Hartley
Technical Director
If a pin drops, you’ll hear it. When the orchestra
plays, it plays for you, so vividly and with such
eortless scale you’ll believe you’re ten rows
from the stage. This is the magic of high-end
audio as experienced through the Platinum II
speakers. Whether it’s a power chord exploding
from a towering backline, the majesty of a choir
soaring in union or the spell-binding gravity of
a solo performance, you’ll sense the chemistry
of music and musician more than ever before.
Play lms and re-live the drama as if they’d
written you into the script. As soon as you
discover the sheer authenticity of Platinum II,
everything will become clear.
That moment will be our reward as well,
because we love to share the excitement of
creating sound, bursting with natural energy
and dynamics. For over forty years our work
as engineers and audio enthusiasts has been
dedicated to this unveiling. With our most
advanced driver, crossover and acoustic
systems set within luxurious cabinets, we’ve
tuned the virtues that have won Monitor Audio
worldwide acclaim to a new intensity, allowing
rareed audio transparency to be revealed and
enjoyed. Platinum II is our magnum opus, as
inspirational and satisfying to us as we hope it
will be to you.
The Platinum II cabinets are a statement of
immaculate craftsmanship. Each is hand-built
with the expert precision of the nest furniture
makers, employing multiple laminations of
veneer that are formed into a curved rigid shell.
For the nish, natural wood veneers in Santos
Rosewood or Natural Ebony are pair-matched,
applied and hand-coated with 11 layers of clear
gloss piano lacquer, then polished to reveal the
glowing lustre in the grain. Platinum II models
are also available in a penetrating piano black
gloss lacquer, which will oer a luxurious
contrast with room décor.
The front baes are hand-upholstered with the
very highest quality Inglestone leather supplied
by Andrew Muirhead and used to distinguish
many luxury British brands. Such is the level
of care lavished on the Platinum II enclosures
that each requires as many as 144 hours to
complete.
Platinum II oers you genuine audiophile
performance with stunning design and
materials specication. In the pursuit of
ever lower distortion, no detail has been
overlooked. Through meticulous FEA modelling
we’ve optimised the operation of electrical,
mechanical, magnetic and acoustic systems,
introducing new discoveries to meet ambitious
performance goals. The Platinum II range
deploys an enhanced generation of RDT®
bass and mid drivers, and for the rst time
in a Monitor Audio product, the MPD (Micro
Pleated Diaphragm) high frequency transducer.
Including improved crossover and speaker
terminal designs together with proprietary
ARC®, TLE, HiVe®II technologies, Platinum II
builds on the award-winning advances of over
forty years to create a high-end speaker range
that is utterly faithful to the source.
MPD (MICRO PLEATED DIAPHRAGM) HIGH
FREQUENCY TRANSDUCER: Developed over
many months of intensive testing and listening,
the MPD High Frequency Transducer is a
landmark achievement by the engineering team
for Platinum II. It represents an imaginative reworking of an existing technology, transforming
a successful idea into an audiophile super-
driver, having greater accuracy and eciency
than ever before. Using a new, proprietary lowmass pleated diaphragm with a surface area
eight times larger than that of a traditional
dome tweeter, the MPD transducer works like a
super-fast accordion by rapidly squeezing the
pleats to produce a smooth, wide, naturally fast
response up to 100kHz. As a result it sounds
more lifelike, releasing the high harmonic
spectrum of every note without the distortion
that blurs denition.
RDT II (RIGID DIAPHRAGM TECHNOLOGY
2ND GENERATION): A composite ‘sandwich’
structure made from ultra-thin low mass skins,
bonded to a honeycomb Nomex® core material.
It is very light and very strong, meaning that it
can respond with great speed without bending just like a perfect piston. RDT II uses C-CAM® for
the front skin, while the rear skin is made from
a woven carbon bre material. We discovered
that the new structure reduces distortion by
over 8dB above 300Hz, which makes RDT II
the lowest distortion cone technology in
Monitor Audio’s history.
IMPROVED CONE GEOMETRY AND SUSPENSION:
The new RDT II diaphragms have a shallower
‘dished’ pro le formed without a centre hole
to create a continuous radiating surface with
greater strength and structural integrity. A
more e cient drive motor sits behind the cone
to produce faster and more responsive driver
excursions, lower distortion and sound which is
closer to nature.
CROSSOVER DESIGN: Unsurprisingly we have
re-designed the crossover networks with
best possible components, utilising air core
inductors in all mid-range and tweeter sections,
and laminated steel cores for bass sections.
Audiophile grade metallised polypropylene
capacitors have been custom made and handpicked within a 1% tolerance for the best
possible sound quality and consistency.
NEW PATENTED ‘DCF’ MECHANISM: A new
innovation in every driver replaces the usual
rigid coupling of driver and voice coil with a
pliable one. This ‘Dynamic Coupling Filter’ is
a nylon ring ingeniously calibrated to be rigid
up to the crossover frequency, and to act like
a spring above it. In so doing the DCF helps
to dampen surplus high frequency energy
produced by the driver. It’s also perforated to
encourage voice coil cooling and release air
pressure from behind the cone for maximum
driver e ciency. Result: more natural sound.
UNDERHUNG, EDGE-WOUND VOICE COILS:
All Platinum II drivers have been designed
using ‘underhung’ voice coils, which ensure that
even during extreme driver excursions, the coil
remains within the magnetic gap, converting
all the electrical energy into movement.
What’s more we use rectangular instead of
round wire in the voice coil to get more copper
in the gap for greater drive energy from the
motor. Outcome: greater driver e ciency, more
piston-like motion, less distortion and more
lifelike dynamics.
THERMAL OPTIMISATION: When a voice coil
becomes too hot, the driver starts to lose
e ciency. This is called power compression. For
Platinum II, the drivers, the magnetic structures,
voice coil formers and even the voice-coil itself
have been anodised black to draw heat away
from the coil during high-drive conditions,
maintaining e ciency and improving power
handling. Result: true-to-life dynamics and
greater delity.
BOLT-THOUGH DRIVERS: Each Platinum II driver is xed to the cabinet from
the back using a long bolt tightened to a specic torque during production.
The bolt serves to provide the driver with an equal clamping force around
the periphery, avoiding the need for front xings while ensuring that the
motor system is properly braced. The bolts also act to further brace the
entire speaker for enhanced structural rigidity. Result: reduced cabinet
vibration for clearer sound and also cleaner aesthetics.
CURVED AND BRACED CABINET CONSTRUCTION: Curved surfaces are
inherently stronger than at surfaces, and since the internal sides
are non-regular, standing wave formation is suppressed. New internal
bracing structures have been developed to ensure the ultimate in structural
integrity, and bitumastic damping material applied to all internal cabinet
walls to ensure that all cabinet vibration is absorbed. Result: a supremely
rigid, acoustically inert enclosure for natural, true-to-life delity.
ANTI-RESONANCE COMPOSITE (ARC): A cast thermo-set polymer loaded
with minerals to provide very inert, optimally damped components. ARC is
used for Platinum II’s mid-range housings and bae components. Result:
reduced cabinet vibration for purer sound quality.
TLE (TAPERED LINE ENCLOSURE): The tapered and sealed internal
enclosure for Platinum II’s mid-range drivers is cast from ARC material and
designed to stop the formation of standing waves (internal sound wave
reections) in the cabinet. Result: greater midrange accuracy and reduced
cabinet vibration for more accurate sound.
HIVE II (HI-VELOCITY VENT, 2ND GENERATION): A rened port technology
which uses a straight ried design to accelerate air ow and reduce
turbulence. HiVe II technology has the ability to move air in and out
much more rapidly than a conventional port. Result: naturally fast bass
enhancement to complement the drivers.
Platinum II speakers are internally wired using our ‘Pureow’ silver-plated
OFC copper cable, selected for its audio purity and high conductivity.
INDIVIDUAL DRIVER GRILLES: Drivers are
protected by individual grilles, designed to
provide excellent acoustic transparency. This
means the speaker will deliver the audio
superlatives with grilles in place or removed.
It’s up to you.
BESPOKE SPEAKER TERMINALS AND FOOTINGS:
Platinum II’s terminal design is precision
milled from solid copper with Rhodium plated
conductor parts. Rhodium has been selected
for its excellent electrical conductivity and
resistance to oxidisation. Terminals are
designed to accept a spade, 4mm banana plug
or bare wire, up to 4mm in diameter (7AWG).
The adjustable spiked feet supplied with the
PL200 II, PL300 II, PL500 II, PLW215 II and the
PL100 II and Centre oor-stands are machined
from high-grade alloy and anodised to the most
exacting quality standards. Alternative ‘bullet’
spikes are milled from high-tensile steel and
chrome plated to the nest mirror nish. For
hard or solid wood ooring, a non-slip rubber
pad is integrated with the foot design. To aid
the initial positioning of the PL500 II its plinth
incorporates easy-slide, surface-sensitive feet,
which can be replaced with the spiked ttings
when the speaker’s nal location is determined.
All the wonder of Platinum II’s crystal clear
tonal precision is concentrated by this beautiful
little two-way speaker comprising a single 6.5”
RDT II mid-bass driver and MPD tweeter. Easy
to place in-room the PL100 II will nevertheless
belie its compact dimensions with a wide
open soundstage punctuated by breath-taking
dynamics and imaging so stable you can almost
touch it. A bespoke oor stand (available
separately) will position the PL100 II at the
perfect listening height.
It’s unlikely you’ll discover a more persuasive
speaker than the PL100 II in its price class, but
compare the oor-standing PL200 II with its
smaller sibling and immediately you’ll notice
the eect of four drivers in a larger cabinet.
Such is the quality of Platinum II’s engineering
that the character of the sound remains
powerfully consistent and expressive, but with
the addition of a second 6.5” RDT II driver,
the PL200 II’s bass has more weight, while
its dedicated 4” RDT II midrange driver brings
further denition to vocals and strings. Through
the PL200 II, subtle textures are more vividly
described and every note rendered with greater
authority. It’s a factor of scale. Platinum II’s
class-leading accuracy is a given, you simply
need to match it with the size of your room.
A further leap in dimension brings still greater
rewards in the form of the outstanding PL300 II.
Standing at over a metre in height and designed
to move the air in larger listening environments,
the PL300 II will energise your listening across
an enormous sound stage, magically studded
with an abundance of natural detail. Its four
driver system involving twin 8” RDT II drivers,
4” TLE loaded midrange and MPD tweeter,
captures all the uid tonal complexity and
dynamic richness of each performance on a
truly orchestral scale. Explore the depths and
climb to the heights of your music and lm
favourites with an eortlessness that conrms
an inescapable truth: the bigger the Platinum,
the more precious the prize.
Measured against its peers, there is no ner
audio ambassador than the majestic PL500 II.
Here you’ll discover the essence of Platinum II
engineering: silken layers of the nest high
frequency denition suspended on an explicit
midrange, seamlessly underpinned by a
deep, clean and responsive bass foundation.
More than ever the sound has a physical
authority, conveying the ‘live’ character of
instruments, voices and atmospheres as if
they had materialised three-dimensionally
in the air around you. This is delity in the
raw, magnicent in stature, seductive for its
rhythmic subtlety and utterly captivating in the
sheer magnitude of its dynamic impact. Our
most sophisticated system of no fewer than four
8” RDT II bass drivers, twin 4” RDT II midrange
transducers and MPD tweeter will render the
entire harmonic sweep of every work with pin
sharp timing and accuracy. Your music and lm
sound alive, immersive and uncompromised.
Now the soundstage is complete, the drama
can begin. Between PL200 IIs or PL100 IIs
in a multichannel AV system, the PLC150 II
will imbue dialogue with a natural intimacy
while pans and eects remain stable and
supremely consistent. Equipped with a driver
conguration of 6.5” RDT II bass driver, 6.5”
RDT II bass/mid and MPD tweeter, the
PLC150 II will complement its left and right
channel counterparts to create a seamless
unity of sound, which weaves your senses
with every scene. Film action and music is
charged with a new emotional gravity that will
prove irresistible.
Experience the dierence in a heartbeat.
Surrounded by the natural audio transparency
of the astonishing PLC350 II in concert with the
PL300 II, or PL500 II, you’ll be lifted to the stage
and compelled to take part. This is theatre on
a professional scale but with the authentic
presence, detail and texture that only very
nest high-end audio design can conjure. The
PLC350 II’s system of twin 8” RDT II bass drivers,
4” RDT II midrange and MPD high frequency
transducer will personalise the nuance of each
whisper. When at least sixty per cent of the
lm’s emotional content is directed through
the centre channel, the PLC350 II provides
the extraordinary focus that transports you,
exhilarated, to the end of every performance.
NATURAL EBONY SANTOS ROSEWOODPIANO BLACK
We’re asking you to recall your last encounter
with the awe-inspiring power of thunder;
how its enormous natural presence is able to
translate the experience of low frequency sound
into a shock wave. The PLW215 II will help you
to re-live the air-bending eect of Mother
Nature’s own subwoofer within your listening
room. Twin 15” C-CAM drivers, triple-suspended
for a full 4cm of excursion and individually
powered by DSP-controlled ampliers, will
deliver clean frequencies down to 16Hz. At this
level, bass arrives with a percussive impact that
you feel from head to toe, seamlessly extending
even the PL500 II to deliver breath-taking audio
resolution beyond the limits of your audible
range, but with a physical dimension that
absorbs the senses. Put simply, it’s the sound of
nature, vividly re-created.
Even so, all this explosive audio potency would
be wasted without control. Adjust the in-room
response of the PLW215 II on the top panel or
via laptop using our proprietary ‘SubConnect’
software. Within this global setting, the
24bit DSP oers four fully congurable user
presets per input, including pre-set modes for
Flat/Music/Movie/Impact EQ settings. If you
wish to ne-tune, you can adjust frequency,
slope, trim and EQ lters for each preset.
There’s also a Night Mode, which actively
reduces the dynamic range of louder sections
according to the level you desire. The PLW215 II
is the most powerful, sophisticated and natural
sounding bass engine we have ever built, and so
complements the agship Platinum II range with
impeccable precision.
PLW215 II
PL100 II PL200 II PL300 II PL500 II PLC150 II PLC350 II
System Format 2 Way - 2 Driver 3 Way - 4 Driver 3 Way - 4 Driver 3 Way - 7 Driver 2
Frequency Response
(-6dB - IEC 268-13)
40Hz – 100kHz 35Hz – 100kHz 28Hz – 100kHz 22Hz – 100kHz 45Hz – 100kHz 32Hz – 100kHz
Sensitivity 1W@1m 88dB 90dB 90dB 91dB 89dB 90dB
Maximum S.P.L.
(1dBA @ 1m - each)
Nominal Impedance
Power Handling -
111.8dBA (pair) 117dBA (pair) 117.8dBA (pair) 120dBA (pair) 112dBA 114dBA
6Ω (4.5Ω min. @
160Hz)
120W 250W 300W 400W 200W 250W
R.M.S.
4Ω (4.0Ω min. @ 135Hz) 4Ω (4.2Ω min. @ 111Hz) 4Ω (4.2Ω min. @ 120Hz) 6Ω (4.5Ω min. @ 170Hz) 4Ω (4.0Ω min. @ 115Hz)
1/2
Way - 3 Driver 3 Way - 4 Driver
System Format Sealed Cabinet with vibration cancelling driver conguration, 25mm M.D.F. construction with internal bracing and sealed amplier compartment
Low Frequency Limit
(-6dB - IEC 268-13)
-3dB @ 23Hz / -10dB @ 18Hz (Free Field) default preset: Music, -3dB @ 19Hz / -10dB @ 16Hz (In Room) default preset: Music,
Limited by low frequency protection lter (-3dB @ 12Hz)
Upper Frequency Limit -3dB @ 150Hz
2 x 15” C-CAM® sub-woofer driver featuring inverted surround and triple suspension for increase support at high excursions,
Driver Complement
Black single layer edge wound 3” voice coil with vented pole, vented coil and black CED coated motor unit to reduce power compression and increase thermal dissipation,
FEA optimised cone, magnetics and suspensions for optimal performance and increased linearity
Linear Driver Excursion 42mm Peak to Peak, Total displacement 6.4 Litres
Amplier Power Output
Dual Amplier design with a single amplier powering each driver,
Combined 1400W RMS, 2000W Peak (Burst Ratio 1:4 Continuous, Measured into two non-reactive 4 Ohm Loads)
Amplier Classication 2x Class-D ampliers, Balanced Dierential Input, Dierentially loaded Power Supply, DSP controlled. High current Switch mode power supply (SMPSU)
DSP 172MHz DSP Core with 3500 instructions per sample, 139dB of dynamic range and 56-bit double precision processing, dynamically updated by an 80MHz MCU
Digital Conversion Wolfson Microelectronics (Cirrus Logic) ADC & DAC @ 24bit/48KHz. (WM8786 ADC & WM8740 DAC)
LED UI Control Panel Adjustable brightness 0% - 100%, congurable auto o feature. Quick access to menu items: Trim, LPF, Phase, Preset Select
Global Settings
(via SubConnect)
User Presets
(via SubConnect)
User Equalisation
(via SubConnect)
Display Brightness (0-100%), Dim (to 50% or to O), Default Preset, Mute Link Outputs, 12V Trigger Assignment (Power on/o or Preset select), Input gain (Master -80 to +20dB,
Trim -6 to +6dB, Mute), Phase (0-360 in 15 degree steps), Night Mode Threshold (-2dB to -20dB), Auto On / OFF (Enable Signal Sense, Always On, Time to o 5-240mins)
4 fully congurable user Presets including, Preset Name, LPF Frequency (5Hz Steps from 20-135Hz), LPF Slope Order (-12 or -24dB/Oct), Input (Stereo, LFE or Both),
Trim Oset (-6 to +6dB), EQ mode (Impact, Music, Movie or Default), User EQ (6 adjustable lters applied on top of EQ mode), Room EQ (On/OFF), Night Mode (On/OFF)
6 fully controllable EQ lters and 6 default lters with gain oset per preset,
Default settings: Flat / Music / Movie / Impact
Recommended Amp
Requirements
Cabinet Design
Drive Unit Complement
Crossover Frequency 3.0kHz
External Dimensions
(Inc. plinth where
applicable)
(H x W x D)
External Dimensions
(Inc. feet & spikes
where applicable)
(H x W x D)
60 - 120W 100 - 250W 100 - 300W 150 - 400W 60 - 200W 100 - 250W
®
Single rear HiVe
II
port
1/2
” RDT®II
1 x 6
bass / mid driver,
1 x MPD high
frequency transducer
370 x 225 x 285mm
9/16
7/8
1/4
x 8
x 11
(14
”)
N/A
Two HiVe II ports,
Sealed mid-range TLE
enclosure
1/2
2 x 6
” long-throw RDT II
bass drivers, 1 x 4” RDT II
mid-range driver, 1 x MPD
high frequency transducer
MF/HF: 3.9kHz
LF/MF: 750Hz
998 x 360 x 375mm
5/16
3/16
x 14
x 14
3/4
x 14
”)
3/16
3/4
x 14
”)
(39
1043 x 360 x 375mm
1/16
(41
Two HiVe II ports,
Sealed mid-range TLE
enclosure
2 x 8” long-throw RDT II
bass drivers, 1 x 4” RDT II
mid-range driver, 1 x MPD
high frequency transducer
MF/HF: 3.4kHz
LF/MF: 500Hz
1113 x 410 x 470mm
13/16
1/8
x 16
x 16
1/2
x 18
”)
1/8
1/2
x 18
”)
(43
1158 x 410 x 470mm
9/16
(45
Four HiVe II ports,
Sealed mid-range TLE
enclosure
4 x 8” long-throw RDT II
bass drivers, 2 x 4” RDT II
mid-range driver, 1 x MPD
high frequency transducer
MF/HF: 3.6kHz
LF/MF: 460Hz
1803 x 504 x 626mm
13/16
x 19
13/16
x 24
x 24
5/8
”)
5/8
”)
(71 x 19
1848 x 504 x 626mm
3/4
(72
Two HiVe II ports,
Single rear HiVe II port
Sealed mid-range TLE
enclosure
1/2
1 x 6
” RDT II bass driver,
1/2
1 x 6
” RDT II bass /
mid driver, 1 x MPD high
frequency transducer
MF/HF: 3.0kHz
LF/MF: 600Hz (-6dB LF)
225 x 583 x 291.2mm
15/16
7/8
x 8
x 11
7/16
(22
2 x 8” long-throw RDT II bass
drivers, 1 x 4” RDT II midrange driver, 1 x MPD high
frequency transducer
MF/HF: 3.3kHz
LF/MF: 780Hz
288 x 800 x 368mm
”)
(11
N/A N/A
5/16
x 31
Room Correction EQ
6 System controlled parametric EQ lters set using advanced detection algorithm. Measurement can be initiated from the control panel or the SubConnect with up to microphone
6 positions (default 2)
Night Mode Night mode, assignable (on or o) per Preset with global threshold (-2dB to -20dB). Introduces dynamic range reduction lowering the level of loud sections
Phase control 0-360 degrees, Increments of 15 degrees with a pure invert at 180 degrees
Low pass lter 2nd or 4th order (12 or 24 dB/Octave), Increments of 5Hz from 35Hz to 135Hz
Auto Sensing input
Line Level >1mV on unbalanced and balanced inputs. Auto Standby feature, adjustable between 5-240 minutes in increments of 5mins
level requirements
Digital Volume Control -11 to +11dB in 1dB increments, Via the control panel. -80 to +20 in 1dB increments, via SubConnect application
IR Remote control code Supplied IR remote. Front facing IR receiver with red LED response. Additional discrete IR codes for automation available in the manual
SubConnect
(PC Application)
Windows (7 onwards) (32/64bit) compatible setup application available from the Monitor Audio website and on the supplied USB stick in the Platinum II Tool Kit
Allows the user to control advanced subwoofer setup features. Settings can be saved while not connected to the subwoofer for o sight setup
Audio Input Connection LFE Input with Balanced (XLR) and Unbalanced (RCA) inputs, Stereo Input with unbalanced (RCA) inputs. Inputs individually assignable to any Preset
Control Connections/
interfaces
1/2
1/2
x 14
”)
Electrical Certications CE / CB/ ETL / Fcc / ErP (Energy saving compliant)
12v Trigger in (3.5mm mono mini-jack, 6v threshold), assignable to On/O or Preset change, 3.5mm Microphone input jack (mic supplied), RJ45 connector supporting RS232 (EIA/TIA
- 561, Tx Pin 6, Rx Pin 5, Gnd Pin 4), IR repeater – Output (3.5mm mono mini-jack), USB – Type B, for connecting to SubConnect PC application and Firmware update
Mains input voltage 100 - 120 Vac / 220 - 240 Vac 50/60Hz (Manually selected)
Power consumption Maximum 1200W, Standby <0.5W (ErP compliance)
Fuse Type 20mm T12.5AL 250VAC
Weight (each) 14.94kg (32lb 14oz) 36.08kg (79lb 6oz) 54.52kg (120lb) 99.1kg (218lb) 23.98kg (52lb 12oz) 43.02kg (94lb 10oz)
Weight (unpacked) 57.54kg (126lb 10oz)
Dimensions (H x W x D)
(Inc. amp, drivers & feet)
546.3 x 504 x 512mm (21
1/2
13/16
x 20
3/16
”)
x 19
As acoustic engineers we’re proud of the
ground-breaking technology within Platinum II.
As audio enthusiasts we’re condent it brings
our work closer to the ultimate objective:
natural sound. We commend Platinum II to your
listening pleasure in the hope that, like us, you
discover more reasons to love the experience.
MONITOR AUDIO LTD
24 Brook Road, Rayleigh
Essex, SS6 7XJ
England
Tel: + 44 (0)1268 740580
Fax: + 44 (0)1268 740589
Email: info@monitoraudio.co.uk
monitoraudio.com
Designed in the United Kingdom
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