35 years after their Studio 15 model hit the market, Monitor Audio have taken that heritage and infused it with a hint of technical learnings from their cutting-edge Hyphn range. Has the attempt resulted in a Studio(us) standmount, or a Frankenstein’s Monitor?
If you think that intro was terse then check this out: in 1989, right around the time that Monitor Audio released their Studio 15 model, Pet Shop Boys embarked on their first tour, called MCMLXXXIX, generally considered to have capped the decade with one of the landmark moments in synth pop. Fast forward to February 2025, when a colleague blindsided me by asking “what’s the point of the Pet Shop Boys?” Whether this comment was a momentary madness or the trauma of an accident in 1982 involving a Fairlight CMI we may never know, but it hurt me deeply. Ultimately I forgave this colleague** because his taste in speakers is better than his taste in music, evidenced by his purchase of a pair of Monitor Audio Studio 89s later that week.
Headline: the Studio 89s are currently the best standmount speakers I’ve heard under £2,000. I know some folks would point to the Neat Petite Classics, and for a while there I had a real soft spot for the Wharfedale Super Dentons, especially considering they come in at half the price. The fact is, though, I haven’t heard anything else this lively, beautifully balanced and downright fun to listen to, and that’s including Monitor’s own Gold 100s.
Discover just how capable compact speakers can sound, with the talented Monitor Audio Studio 89.
As soon as the packaging comes off you know you’re holding something special; slimmer than the average standmount, but also taller and deeper, the 89s are satisfyingly heavy, beautifully built and immaculately finished in a deep gloss black. The gold anodised drivers are complimented by a matching aluminium honeycomb tweeter mesh and discrete branding tabs at the bottom outside edges. The impression is somehow both brash and understated at the same time; these speakers would be equally at home in either your lounge or Tony Montana’s office.
That balancing act isn’t just external either, because the sound profile of the Studio 89s is even more impressive. I’ve had the chance to spend time with these speakers paired with a number of amps, including the Evo 150 and EXA100 from Cambridge, Arcam’s Radia range, and best of all an Emotiva power amp with a WiiM Ultra on input duties. With each system I’ve used a variety of sources including vinyl, hi-res digital files and common or garden streaming services, and every time I’ve been brilliantly entertained by the Monitors’ performance without ever feeling fatigued.
Usually a speaker that resolves this kind of detail would wear me out over a prolonged listening session, but the Studio 89s have made me recalibrate my expectations. The arrangement of dual mid/bass drivers above and below Monitor’s in-house “Air Motion Transfer” tweeter creates a level of quality I can’t quite get my head around when I hear it coming from a box this size, and I’ve yet to be bored by this particular magic act. If you close your eyes you’d be forgiven for thinking you were listening to a similarly priced floorstanding speaker, with a frankly baffling sound stage, detailed highs, bold-yet-tight bass and wonderful clarity in the mid range that you might otherwise expect to be swamped.
So far in my testing these speakers are also pleasingly indifferent as to what genre you’re listening to; in a single session I went through Brian Eno, Battles, Kate Bush, Tame Impala and Brahms, and I genuinely could not find a reason to suggest the Studio 89s preferred any one over the others.
”As for Monitor Audio’s Studio 89, they are talented and engaging performers that excel in clarity, precision and resolution.” ’What Hi-Fi?’ – 5 Star review.
If you put a gun to my head and demanded a word of caution it would be this: if your decision to go with a standmount speaker over a floorstander is a function of available space then you should know that to get the best out of the Stuidio 89s they’ll want a decent amount of space within which to flourish. These are at their happiest purposed as living space units, not “second system in the study” backup speakers, and it’d be an awful state of affairs to buy them then keep them caged in a smaller room. Hook these up to an amp with a bit of power behind it, treat them to some great cable (may I suggest Chord EpicX), set them loose in your living space and never look back.
The icing on the cake of all this? The matching stands (available separately) which are beautifully engineered, every bit as stylish as the speakers they compliment, and which I heartily recommend as the perfect finishing touch.
As always, if you don’t believe me then give your local Richer Sounds store a ring and ask for a demonstration. If it’s Chester I’ll treat you to a free cup of tea and a biscuit, and if you bring some Pet Shop Boys on vinyl for us to listen to I’ll even upgrade you to my Bacon Roll Executive Experience. Be aware that the quality of refreshments may vary by shop, but the excellence of the Monitor Studio 89s will not.
**The universe was not so forgiving: shortly after denigrating the Pet Shop Boys my colleague’s car caught fire on the M1 and melted into oblivion on the grass verge. Coincidence? You decide.
Author: Ewan, Chester Store
