The supremely versatile A40 can be used vertically or horizontally to provide electrifying audio realism characterised by soaring dynamics and low distortion. Equipped with twin Apex bass drivers, the A40 excels at low frequency depth and mid-band evenness over a wide listening area. It radiates with the full force of a single 8” bass driver, but has the advantage of superior power handling and a wonderfully smooth audio consistency. What’s more, the single bolt fixings for its drivers give the longer A40 cabinet an especially rigid structure, banishing any hint of boxy colouration, especially from on-wall positions. The A40’s slender profile and glossy lacquer finishes make it a match for super-thin video displays: its beautifully engineered bracket allows for forward and backward adjustment to align the speaker with the front of the screen but also allows the A40 to tilt 22.5º upwards and downwards for optimum setup.
Perfect for high quality sound where space is at a premium, and devastating when teamed with the explosive AW-12 subwoofer in a 5.1 channel configuration, the A40 will deliver simply breath-taking audio: discreet but oh so devastating.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Frequency Response +/- 3dB: | 50Hz - 35KHz |
| Sensitivity (1W@1M): | 90dB |
| Driver Compliment: | 2 x 140mm (5 1/2") C-CAM® mid/bass driver with RST® technology. 1 x 25mm (1") C-CAM® gold dome tweeter. |
| Nominal Impedance: | 8 ohms |
| Maximum SPL (each): | 116.8 dBA |
| Recommended Amplifier Requirements (RMS): | 50 - 200W |
| Bass Alignment: | Bass reflex - twin front mounted Dual HiVE®II ports |
| Power Handling (RMS): | 200W |
| Crossover Frequency: | 600Hz & 3.0kHz |
| External Dimensions: (H x W x D) |
610 x 140 x 100 mm 24 x 5 1/2 x 3 15/16 inch |
| Weight (Individual): | 6.85kg (15 1/8lbs) |
Metallic Black High Gloss
Metallic Pearl White High Gloss
The gold dome tweeter is formed from a ceramic-coated aluminium/magnesium alloy, gold anodised to a specific thickness for ideal stiffness and damping characteristics. Its new profile and surround geometry have been developed using advanced modelling tools, to provide the optimum qualities for accurate sound reproduction. The new design moves the first order of breakup to beyond 35kHz, producing a linear response way beyond audibility, which matches the wide frequency bandwidth available from HD music and cinema sound formats.
The gold dome is thinner, lighter, more rigid and therefore more efficient than domes made from other materials which are prone to distortion in the audio band.
A new type of port technology which uses a straight rifled design to accelerate air flow and reduce turbulence. HiVe II technology has the ability to move air in and out much quicker than a conventional port, the result is fast powerful bass coupled with superior transient response.
The RST cone profile comprises a radial pattern of surface dimples. Our simulations and listening tests have proved that the dimples significantly increase cone rigidity allowing C-CAM/RST cones to resist mechanical bending forces, which can twist the shape of lesser cones and produce distorted sound. The strengthening effect of the RST dimples means that we can use thinner, lighter more responsive C-CAM cones, providing speed and accuracy but offering greatly reduced distortion. The RST dimples also help to displace standing waves that can propagate on the cone's surface.

October 2011
Apex - What Hi-Fi? Award Winner 2011
Best style speaker package £2000+, Awards 2011. An expensive style system, to be sure, but also a fabulous one.

February 2011
BEST STYLE SPEAKER PACKAGE £2000+
"You certainly can't buy a better made, better finished or (to our eyes, at least) better looking package at the price."
February 2011
Apex has the pecs
"...High-frequencies are smooth as silk, speech couldn't be clearer if the actors were in the room and the rear soundstage is willfully expansive. And with music, this system nailed the emotion and energy of any recording I threw at it. Clean, full bodied vocals, metronomic timing and wonderful detail reproduction make for a spine-tingling listen and reveal it to be a fantastic all-rounder."
August 2010
The holy grail of style speaker systems
"It offers the sort of powerful, insightful audiophile sound that you don’t automatically associate with satellite speakers, a result of the astonishing build quality and clever technology that lies within each unit."
June 2010
Monitor Audio raises the style bar
"It's muscular when called upon, but articulate and beautifully integrated too, with little audible sign of the crossover from speakers to subwoofer."27 May 2011 Ricky Degnell
Just complemented my A10's with this well-crafted speaker, making up a complete 7.2 Apex multichannel system. At first I wanted to run A40's all round, but my installation prevented me from having such a set-up. I'm normally very sensitive to not using completely idential speakers all way around, since that can easily break up the uniformity of the audio, and since the A40 uses additional drivers with a different layout and cabinet volume compared to the smaller A10's I was concerned there would be discernible audible differences when using it for centerchannel duties. But very soon after installation it became clear to me I had no reason to be concerned. The A40 harmonizes very well with the A10 for a near perfect unified whole. Naturally, there are differences, but during listening there is nothing that distracts. The audio simply passes from speaker to speaker wonderfully. Though only having had about 30hrs of running-in when writing this review, it's easy to pick out the strong points so far. Musicality and feeling of presence is top-notch, especially for a speaker this compact. Dialogue is pure pleasure, and small, delicate details are rendered in 'space' - creating a thrilling soundfield. Together with the rest of the A10's this speaker delivers what I would like to call a very "complete" sound. I don't feel as though anything is missing. Naturally I'm looking forward to more positives as the speakers get run-in completely. But so far, I'm very impressed. I've owned several speakersystems of good quality in my day, but this one definitely raises the bar. Downsides would possibly be the recessed speakerconnection which is rather tiny to work with, especially if you (like me) have thick quality cables, but using banana plugs makes this a mute issue. Also, there is no table-top stand (like the one for the A10's) which is a big let-down. For those of us who want to place it ontop a tv-cabinet alongside the A10's there is no way to integrate it well by tilting and directing the speaker upwards towards the listeningspot. Every user is not going to wall-mount this speaker, but would still like to be able to tilt it as desired. Just like my front pair of A10's I have instead placed the speaker ontop 3 flat spikes of good quality to isolate it from the tv-cabinet, but other than that the speakers sadly cannot be tilted.
29 May 2011 Jacob Anderzen
In a word, 'AWESOME' - the Apex series is my first ever experience with Monitor Audio speakers and I can't imagine needing another compact 5.1 set than these. Auditioned KEF KHT and T-series, Focal Dome and M&K, but the Apex are brilliant with music and movies alike in a way the others were not.
15 June 2011 Geoff Waters
I have chosen to run two wall mounted A40s as a stereo pair. For me they fit the bill exactly - mount using clever strong adjustable brackets provided, compact, non intrusive, all beautifully engineered and finished. They sound great!
Developed for Monitor Audio by Autoglym, the world-renowned expert in high quality car care and valeting products, SheerBrilliance Lacquer Polish is scientifically and specifically formulated to restore the deep rich lustre of all high gloss lacquer speaker finishes with a single easy application. By using SheerBrilliance Lacquer Polish, you'll experience the sumptuous 'as new' brilliance of your beloved speakers all over again!
Custom-developed for Monitor Audio and utilising advanced simulation technology, the new De-Tox CD will help you to run-in your speakers in less time and more comprehensively than is possible with music or other burn-in signals.