The company was founded in 1972 by Mo Iqbal. Monitor Audio started life in a factory in Teversham near Cambridge, England. In 1976, Monitor Audio brought its manufacturing process in-house, and moved to a factory in the heart of Essex. In 2000, it moved to a larger facility in nearby Rayleigh, where it resmains. In November 2016, Monitor Audio acquired British HiFi manufacturers Roksan Audio.

Technology

Since launch, Monitor Audio has operated with in-house design and technology teams.

Technologies brought to the market by Monitor Audio include:

• C-CAM Drivers: Conventional speaker cones are liable to flex in operation, which can result in a significant level of audible distortion. Using a material originally developed by the aerospace industry, Monitor Audio created loudspeaker cones, which have a high resistance to bending stress, resulting in a smooth transition of audio frequencies.
• DCF (Dynamic Coupling Filter): DCF replaces the customary rigid coupling of a driver and voice coil with a pliable unit. In doing so, DCF helps to dampen surplus energy produced by the driver, resulting in a more natural sound.
• Gold Dome C-CAM: First introduced in the latter half of 1980s, the Gold Dome Tweeter is built on its maker’s 1985 metal dome tweeter technology. Monitor Audio anodises its ceramic-coated aluminium/magnesium alloy, creating a thinner, lighter more rigid dome, one which is extremely efficient and less prone to audio distortion.
• HiveII Port: This proprietary speaker port technology accelerates air flow and reduces turbulence, resulting in fast, powerful bass coupled with superior transient response.
• IDC: The Inverted Dual Concentric midrange/tweeter module offers up to 18 degrees of play, enabling in-ceiling and in-wall speakers to be discreetly positioned, yet still direct sound towards the listening zone.
• RDTII: The second generation of Rigid Diaphragm Technology (RDT) bonds an ultra-thin composite structure to a honeycomb Nomex® core material. Using C-CAM for the front skin and woven carbon fibre for the rear, the RDTII structure reduces distortion by over 8dB above 300Hz, making RDTII the lowest distortion cone technology in Monitor Audio’s history. 
• RST: Rigid Surface Technology (RST), inspired by the Japanese art of Origami, strengthens the speaker cone, letting Monitor Audio speakers use thinner, lighted and more responsive C-CAM cones, meaning greater speed and accuracy, as well as greatly reduced distortion.
• Tri-Grip Dog Fixings: All current Monitor Audio custom install models use this fixing design. This three-position ‘dog’ style fix enables great contact surface area over other designs, whilst also saving installation time.