Monoprice, assuming that you're acquainted with the name, it's reasonable not because of their speaker line, but instead their forcefully evaluated and very much respected A/V adornment line. They've been consistently adding to their item presenting since their commencement in 2002, and presently offer everything from tube amps, to 3D printers. I've been one of their clients for 11+ years, starting with the acquisition of a 100' part link and most as of late with a limiting post divider plate for my open air speakers; not riveting intel, however provides you with a feeling of the variety of their product offering.
Stone monument THX Certified Speakers
All the more as of late, they've directed their concentration toward home theater speakers and, as opposed to limping in, they've assaulted this portion of home theater. The subject of this audit is basically a 5.1.4 Atmos fit apparatus (the .4 coming from Atmos drivers in the pinnacles and encompasses) from their Monolith line: the THX-465T pinnacles, THX-365C focus channel, THX-265B encompasses and 15" THX Ultra Certified 1000-Watt Monolith subwoofer (model 24458).
Stone monument THX Certified Speakers
As you can envision, given the terminology, these speakers, and the whole Monolith line, are THX Ultra Certified. More or less, THX Certification guarantees exactness, wide scattering (for those sitting in the modest seats), and the capacity to play at high volume without contortion. The 465T pinnacles retail for $999 each (as of now at a bargain for $799) and include four 6.5" woofers, a 2" material arch midrange driver, and a 1" silk vault tweeter. The Atmos driver on the highest point of the speaker includes a 5.25" mash cone woofer and a .6" silk arch tweeter. They're likewise very enormous, estimating 55.3" high by 13.1" wide by 16.7" profound and they gauge a strong 55 pounds each. Recurrence reaction estimates 29 Hz – 24 kHz vented and 45 Hz – 24 kHz when fixed and responsiveness is appraised at 89.5dB. It's likewise significant that the cupboards in the Monolith line are all HDF (High-Density Fiberboard), not MDF, worth focusing on as this gives uniquely better damping and is a welcome touch, particularly at these sticker costs.
The THX-365C focus channel retails for $399 (as of now on special for $349) and highlights two 6.5" mash cone woofers, a 2" silk vault midrange driver, and a 1" silk arch tweeter. The 365C measures 9.7" high by 22.9" wide by 10.8" profound and tips the scales at 26.4 pounds. Recurrence reaction is 65 Hz – 24 kHz and responsiveness is evaluated at 89.5dB.
The THX-265B Atmos-empowered encompasses retail for $349 (at present on special for $269) and include one 6.5" mash cone woofer and a 1" silk vault tweeter, while the up-terminating Atmos speaker includes a 5.25" mash cone driver and a .6" silk arch tweeter. Recurrence reaction is 65 Hz – 24 kHz and awareness is appraised at 86.0dB. The 265B's action 15.4" high by 9.7" inches wide by 10.8" profound and they weigh 21.4 pounds each.
Finally, the Monolith 15" 1,000 Watt sub, which is an outrageous illustration of their excellent cost to execution proportion (favoring that later).
Hold tight to your caps as you read these specs, both those of structure, just as capacity. The sub retails for a truly sensible (given its presentation) $1,339 (right now at a bargain for $1,099) and highlights a 15" driver and 1,000-Watt Class D amp. The cone is made of a blend of fiber mash and fiberglass, said to give more prominent precision, result, and elements. It's additionally been planned with 3 ports, permitting you the adaptability to run it fixed or unlocked. Recurrence reaction is reliant upon whether you run it fixed: 15-200Hz, vented (2 ports): 14-200Hz, or vented (3 ports): 16-200Hz.
As a rule, a fixed sub will give more tight, more exact bass while a ported sub will be stronger and give you more blast, however you'll lose some exactness. It couldn't be a more emotional circumstance, henceforth Monoprice gives you the choice. I incline toward a fixed box and kept the sub as such all through basic tuning in. Likewise with any remaining Monolith speakers, the bureau is made of HDF and Monoprice gave specific consideration to the inner supporting of the bureau to guarantee appropriate damping.
In past subwoofer surveys, I've utilized the expression "monster" to portray them; those audits should be altered to reflect what currently hides in my theater – a genuine monster, both as far as bigness, just as execution. To place it in context, my 12-year-old child was too little to even think about aiding move it and my significant other was just excessively terrified. Along these lines, in a genuine Festivus Feat of Strength, I wrestled all 128.5 pounds of it first floor and into position in my theater without assistance. There would be no trying different things with situating. Fortunately, it fit, yet scarcely, into the subwoofer perfect balance in my theater.
Hookup
I started by associating the speakers to my Marantz SR7013 recipient, utilizing Solstice 8 speaker links from Wireworld. Grouped source parts incorporate my Macbook Pro, Arcam irDAC, and LG Ultra HD Blu-beam player. The main genuine kink with interfacing an arrangement of this kind is the way that, given the vertical terminating Atmos drivers in the front pinnacles and encompasses, a 5.1.4 framework. In that capacity, every one of those speakers needs an additional an arrangement of speaker wires. In certain frameworks, this is really direct, in my framework, because of the way that all of my source parts are in another room; it was somewhat of a bitch. All things considered, paying little heed to your specific arrangement, there's a strong possibility it will be more straightforward than cutting openings in your roof and directing links to them.
The main other kink I'll specify is the way that the pinnacle cupboards don't send encased, rather the base goes about as the last piece of the speaker bureau nook. So it's a piece perplexing to unpack one of these monsters, lay it on its side and understand that there's an open opening on the lower part of the bureau. All things considered, when the base is introduced, they seal pleasantly and, not to show my cards, perform honorably. This is logical an expense saving measure and one for which I have no grievance, just idea it worth focusing on. After a lot of hours of the break-in and running my beneficiary's auto-adjustment, the time had come to start basic tuning in with a few Atmos encoded Blu-beams and some Spatial Audio, civility of Apple Music.
Execution
Out of the entryway, I needed to get a feeling of how the vertical terminating Atmos drivers would contrast with my devoted in-roof Atmos arrangement. I'll concede, having just heard demos (quite often in profoundly controlled conditions), I was wary with regards to how they may perform and, truly, had never genuinely viewed as such an arrangement for my theater.
Along these lines, with a lot of assumptions, for which I'm not glad, I started up my handy dandy Dolby Atmos demo circle, given to me at CES quite a long while prior. I began with this Blu-beam as there are a few all around recorded Atmos cuts with which I'm exceptionally natural. I'll say without overstatement, I was genuinely staggered. Might it be said that there are contrasts in a devoted down-terminating Atmos roof speaker versus one that is starting up and off the roof? Obviously. Would it trouble an undeveloped ear with the right arrangement? I question it. A valid example – during easygoing listening meetings, neither my significant other nor my 12-year-old child saw any distinction as far as strong quality, drenching, and so on
Did it settle on me re-think my choice to destroy my roof, remove a portion of my hair and burn through a poo ton of cash on my current in-roof arrangement? Indeed. At the end of the day, on the off chance that you're going back and forth about in-roof versus up terminating Atmos speakers, I can say that except if you're genuinely knowing with regards to sound quality and need just the most vivid arrangement, you ought to firmly think about the two suggestions.
Subsequent to shooting the demo circle, it was on to John Wick 3 – Parabellum (Lionsgate). In the start of part 8, during the gunfight with Keanu and Halle Berry, I noticed the Monoliths delivered a large portion of the authenticity and force that I'm utilized to from my reference framework, while additionally keeping their levelheadedness through the chaos. There are a lot of projectile effects and stabbings in this scene and this is the place where the sub sparkled splendidly.
Truly, I'd say basically as far as watching an activity film, it's as strong an entertainer as I've had in my listening room. With music, wherein you may need more precision, speed, nuance, and so forth you can improve, but at the same time you will spend significantly in excess of a stupendous to arrive. However, back to the film, I noticed that while as yet convincing, the vertical terminating Atmos speakers will generally put off somewhat to a greater degree a produced sound rather than what you get with devoted in-roof Atmos speakers, which is normal. All things considered, the Monoliths actually gave a convincing feeling of authenticity and, particularly with the sub, made me miss the cinema a bit less.
Next up in the signal was the Diamond Luxe Edition of Gravity, the main Blu-beam arrival of the film that has an Atmos encoded soundtrack. So uncommon is this plate that it's going for $300 on eBay, which is more than I'll make for composing this article, yet I diverge. In the initial scene, as NASA speaks with the space explorers, the discourse comes from surrounding you, a genuine grandstand for Atmos and one that will uncover a lesser Atmos rig. For this situation, you'd never realize that the Monolith Atmos drivers were starting up and off the roof, rather than hanging up in the air. Additionally, in this and with different movies, I noticed how understandable and straightforward the middle station is with exchange.
While these are purpose-built speakers, it’s worth noting that they are, at least with respect to the towers and sub, exceedingly large. While this is not a negative per se, it’s simply a reminder to do your homework on your theater’s size and what level of performance you’re looking for before ordering.
All of that said, sonically speaking, which is obviously the most critical component with a set of speakers; I found no critical fault with the Monoliths, at least none that would stop me from buying them.
Competition and Comparison
In the interest of trying to keep this as fair as possible, let’s consider this particular system’s total current sale price of $3,584 since that’s today’s pricing. Typically, when writing this section in a review, I have a couple of comps that pop right into my head. In this case, I’m somewhat loath to admit, I had to resort to research. Though to my credit, many of the major speaker manufacturers are limping into the Atmos realm as they’ve been waiting to see if this new technology is here to stay. 3D anyone?
Given the proliferation of films being released in Atmos, coupled with Apple embracing the technology, it’s now a pretty strong bet that it’s here to stay. Anyway, there simply isn’t anything out there, at least that I’m aware of, that delivers this much bang for the buck; they’re sort of the Bayliner of the speaker realm. Anyway, after some digging, I did come up with a couple of options – one dedicated rig, with the Atmos drivers built-in, and the other using Atmos add-ons. Anyway, without further preamble, here are a couple of other options worth a look at. I’ll start with Klipsch, as it’s one of the rare brands in which quality and consistency run from their least expensive offerings, all the way up to their reference line.
The rub with Klipsch is in trying to navigate their product offering, as it’s a mess; too many products and a website in desperate need of an overhaul. That said, a comparable Atmos capable Klipsch system would be their R-625FA 5.1.4 Dolby Atmos Home Theater System. While you’ll save some money with the Klipsch system, you’ll also lose out markedly on bass as this system is paired with an anemic (compared to the Monolith) sub featuring a 12” driver and 400-Watt amp. If you want a Klipsch subwoofer comparable to the Monolith, you’ll want to look at the THX-1200-SW, but that’s also going to cost you roughly $500 more and drop you from a 15” driver down to a 12”. On the upside, that also translates to a smaller cabinet that’s almost 50 pounds lighter than the Monolith. Another option, for those who might not be aware, is Dolby Atmos add-on speakers. These are designed to sit atop an existing tower or surround and basically make them Atmos capable. There are a host of manufacturers offering them – Klipsch, Monitor Audio, ELAC, etc. If your budget doesn’t allow for a dedicated Atmos rig, upgrading your current system is worth considering, especially if you want to test the water before doing a deep Atmos dive.
Conclusion
This is, by far, the longest review I’ve ever written… though we’ll see what happens once my editor gets ahold of it. The reason? I had a blast with the Monoliths and truly enjoyed what I was hearing. Monoprice offers a 5-year replacement warranty and a 30-day money-back guarantee, both critical components when selling direct to consumers. Monoprice is a company (unlike say, Elite Screens) that strives to put the customer first. As such, if you place an order and decide after setup that you want more bass, or maybe want to go smaller on your front towers, just reach out and they’ll be happy to help.
Monoprice is a rare company, especially in 2021, that is willing to put the customer first. While Monoprice has priced their speakers aggressively, putting together a high-performance Atmos system is still costly. So do your research, then create your own real-world demo in your own home, but do it with the right company, which is to say one that not only makes a solid product but does their utmost to ensure their customers are able to enjoy it.
They’re on sale and it’s the holiday season – a great time to get off the fence, get into Dolby Atmos and do it right. Monoprice touts their Monolith line as “the best value in high-end audio” – they’re making one hell of a case
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