Our mission
Phenomenal audio is more than the sum of its parts. Yes, it’s about the finest metals and craftsmanship, but it’s also about the warmth: the flesh and blood of the listener. The connection. That’s why, at Monitor Audio, our mission is to make audio human.
Who we are
We’re Monitor Audio.
The people who make audio human.
We’re smart, ingenious, genuine.
Serious about sound, but never stuffy.
Seekers of excellence, but never narrow-minded or snobbish.
Premium, but never cold.
We’re a world away from the endless din of the small techy cliques.
And the white noise of the big faceless corporations.
We have a voice all of our own.
We’re a bunch of passionate people.
Who put our heart and soul into everything we do.
From product design right through to the shop floor.
We’re finely tuned to the people we serve.
And we have a single vision.
To become the accessible audio brand.
For all those who seek excellence in sound.
How we act
We’re passionate audiophiles who really know their stuff. That’s why we don’t need to blind you with science or deafen you with jargon. Instead, we make our words crystal clear: crisp, meaningful, expressing smart ideas in simple, human ways.
We’re big on the nerdy little details, because they make great sound possible – but we know the details aren’t the point. More often than not, they get in the way, or even alienate people. We aren’t some secret club with its own language, where you have to know your woofers from your tweeters. We believe that amazing audio is for everyone, so ours is a shared, welcoming space (with some pretty awesome acoustics) where we’ll help you create the perfect set-up.
Whether you’re an expert or a beginner, we’ll encourage you to set the bar high – and then we’ll help you reach it. Yes, we have more technical knowledge than you can shake a stick at. But you don’t need to hear all about it. You just need to hear, and then you’ll understand.
What we believe
We believe great sound is about listeners as much as speakers.
So our mission is to make audio human.
That’s why we work day-in, day-out.
Crafting speakers that will move you.
Make your hair stand on end.
And take your breath away.
We don’t take the easy option.
We craft our driver domes from metal because we know it creates more lifelike sound.
Others may use cheaper paper or plastic, but that’s just not who we are.
We start with metal – but in our hands, it becomes much more than metal.
We heat it, making it warm, flexible and versatile.
We mould it until it’s capable of extraordinary things.
We take cold, lifeless metal and make it sing.
In other words, we use all our know-how to make audio human.
Where we’ve come from
Mo Iqbal founded Monitor Audio in 1972. From a small base near Cambridge, Mo worked with a tight-knit team of engineers, assembling loudspeakers by hand – with quality, precision and a near-maddening perfectionism which is still with Monitor Audio today. From the very first speaker, the iconic MA1, the brand developed, innovated, designed and refined, with a pioneering approach that saw patent after patent filed. It’s an ethos that hasn’t changed at all. In fact, Monitor Audio is one of very few high-end audio brands still developing new, cutting-edge technologies today.