Knowledgeable’s Score
Execs
- These audio system are notably spectacular in a house theater configuration
- The Monolith Audition T5 tower and B5 bookshelf audio system additionally make wonderful stereo pairs
- Off-the-hook low costs for loudspeakers of this high quality
Cons
- There aren’t any audio system within the Monolith Audition product line which have upfiring drivers for Dolby Atmos or DTS:X installations
- The mid-range drivers and woofers are the identical elements (they only have totally different crossover factors)
- Every speaker have to be hardwired to an A/V receiver or amplifier
Our Verdict
For the value of a high-end soundbar, you’ll be able to have a house theater array that delivers a really immersive and dependable listening expertise—offered you’ll be able to stay with out Dolby Atmos and DTS:X.
Monoprice—recognized for its value-based pricing mannequin—continues its transfer into high-end audio with its new Monolith Audition line of loudspeakers, which provide unbelievable bang for the buck and work equally effectively in stereo pairs for essential music listening or as a part of a encompass system in a house theater.
Monolith Audition audio system can be found in bookshelf, center-channel, and floor-standing tower configurations. We’ve been impressed with different merchandise in Monoprice’s Monolith line, together with its turntables, headphones, subwoofer, and residential theater amplifiers, and we discovered nothing to disappoint us right here.
We reviewed the Monolith Audition 5-series (B5 bookshelf, T5 tower, and C5 center) audio system, evaluating the bookshelf and tower fashions as stereo pairs along with together with them in a full home-theater setup with a Denon AVR-S660H A/V receiver (these audio system carried out equally effectively in both configuration).
Monoprice has as soon as once more defied expectations with a speaker sequence that performs at a stage far above its worth.
Every speaker options internally braced MDF cupboards coated with a black wood-grain PVC end. Monolith additionally provides a barely smaller and less-expensive Audition 4-series. Add one of many firm’s Monolith subwoofers (or another high quality sub, for that matter) and you may create your personal 5.1 residence theater setup together with your favourite amp or A/V receiver (Monoprice additionally has its personal line of amps and a extra restricted assortment of receivers).
Monoprice Monolith Audition B5 bookshelf audio system (pictured up prime with out their grilles) have 20mm silk material dome tweeters, 5.25-inch polypropylene cone woofers, and rear bass ports. They’re as nice as a stereo pair as they’re when deployed because the encompass channels in a house theater setup.
James Barber/Foundry
Monolith Audition T5 tower speaker
Monoprice Monolith Audition T5 tower audio system ($249.99 every) measure 35.4 x 6.5 x 9.8 inches (HxWxD) and weigh 23.4 kilos. There’s a single 20mm silk material dome tweeter with a waveguide and a neodymium magnet, a 1 x 5.25-inch polypropylene cone with an NBR (nitrile butadiene rubber) encompass mid woofer, and two woofers that share the identical traits because the midwoofer. The speaker enclosure has a rear bass port close to its backside. Monolith says the speaker’s frequency response is 48Hz ~ 20kHz and sensitivity is 86.9dB (2.83V@1m). The T5 tower speaker has a nominal impedance of 4 ohms and 5-way binding posts.
After I arrange the T5 as a stereo pair with my residence audio system, I’ll admit that I didn’t test my notes and spent a number of days listening beneath the mistaken impression that they have been $500 every as an alternative of $500 a pair. There’s a exceptional quantity of bass efficiency from these audio system and I used to be able to rave about them at $1,000. Monoprice has as soon as once more defied expectations with a product that performs at a stage far above its worth.
The Monoprice Monolith Audition T5 tower audio system use the identical woofers and tweeters because the B5 bookshelf and C5 middle channels, however the towers have totally different crossover factors such that one of many 5.25-inch polypropylene cones in every tower serves as a mid-range whereas the opposite two are deployed as bass drivers.
James Barber/Foundry
Monolith Audition B5 bookshelf speaker
Monoprice Monolith Audition B5 bookshelf audio system promote for $124.99 every. They’re designed for use as a stereo pair in an audio system or because the left- and right-hand encompass audio system in a house theater setup.
The B5 measures 13.6 x 6.3 x 7.1 inches (HxWxD) and weighs 7.3 kilos. It has the identical 20mm silk material dome tweeter and 5.25-inch polypropylene woofer that’s used within the Audition T5 tower speaker. It additionally has a rear-facing bass port. The frequency response is 61Hz ~ 20kHz and sensitivity is 84.3dB (2.83V@1m). Just like the floor-stander, this bookshelf mannequin has nominal impedance of 4 ohms and is outfitted with 5-way binding posts.
I examined the Audition B5 with Monoprice’s 32-inch Monolith cherrywood speaker stands, which have adjustable prime plates. The stands promote for $79.99 a pair and have been simple to assemble, that includes an adjustable spike choice on the bottom and top-plate screws for correct alignment. Monoprice additionally provides wall-mount brackets for its bookshelf audio system.
The B5 audio system are an much more spectacular stereo pair than the towers. In the event you’re in search of a smaller pair of audio system to pair with an amplifier in an workplace or a den, these ship spectacular element and a stunning quantity of bass for his or her dimension.
Monolith Audition C5 middle channel speaker
The Monolith Audition C5 middle channel speaker is likely to be a bit tall at 7.1 inches to make use of in entrance of a tv on a console. The B5 bookshelf audio system are proven behind the middle speaker.
James Barber/Foundry
The $159.99 Audition C5 middle channel speaker measures 7.1 x 18.7 x 6.3 inches (HxWxD) and weighs 10.8 lbs. That 7-inch peak specification will give pause to anybody contemplating placing this speaker in entrance of a TV that’s resting on a cupboard, since it’d block the underside of the TV’s display. In case your TV requires a direct line of sight for its distant management to work, you might need an issue. Additionally, there aren’t any built-in mount factors on the speaker’s enclosure, so that you may have to provide you with a inventive resolution in case you have a wall-mounted TV.
The C5 middle speaker has the identical tweeter and mid-range (two of the latter) because the Audition 5-series tower and bookshelf audio system, however its rated frequency response is 73Hz ~ 20kHz (due to a special crossover settings) and its sensitivity is 86.7dB (2.83V@1m). Like the opposite audio system within the household, it has nominal impedance of 4 ohms, and it’s outfitted with 5-way binding posts.
Monolith Audition audio system are strictly wired
As talked about earlier, I examined the Monolith Audition 5-series audio system in a house theater setup anchored by the superb Denon AVR-S660H receiver. That receiver helps the Dolby True HD and DTS-HD Grasp Audio 5.1 codecs utilized by Blu-ray discs, however it doesn’t supply Dolby Atmos or DTS:X processing. Since not one of the audio system on this assortment have up-firing drivers, the receiver’s limitation in that regard doesn’t come into play. I additionally used a Monolith by Monoprice M-10 V2 10in THX Certified Select 500-watt subwoofer ($649.99) after first testing the audio system with out it. That could be a huge sub, the largest I’ve ever used.
Most soundbar and subwoofer pairings in the marketplace tout their wi-fi setup, and so do increasingly encompass methods. Establishing this Monolith Audition 5-series system culminated in a thicket of speaker wires operating by way of my residence theater house. There are particular benefits to a wired setup, however you’ll need to run speaker wire beneath rugs for the encompass audio system, tape these wires to the ground, or—in an excellent scenario—run plenum-rated wires by way of your partitions (or drop them down inside your partitions from the ceiling).
Every of the audio system within the Monolith Audition B5 sequence has 5-way binding posts for speaker wire.
James Barber/Foundry
Utilizing wires to attach loudspeakers to an amplifier or receiver is a time-tested and foolproof option to get a rock-solid audio connection. When you hook every little thing up, there’ll by no means be an issue with a dodgy Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or different sort of radio-based connection. These speaker wires will work for many years till you determine to clip the ends off to reveal some recent (non-oxidized) naked wire. There are benefits to the previous methods, even when comfort isn’t one among them.
Watching films with Monoprice Monolith Audition 5-series audio system
Whereas there’s a whole lot of warmth about Dolby Atmos within the residence theater world, not everybody has the kind of ceiling conducive to that format. Some readers may assume a 5.1 system just like the one we’re discussing right here is likely to be outdated. They’d be unsuitable.
We evaluated the Monolith Audtion B5 bookshelf audio system utilizing Monoprice’s 32-inch cherrywood speaker stands ($79.99 every).
Monoprice
Watching a 4K stream of Black Panther: Wakanda Endlessly (with a Dolby Atmos combine) through iTunes was spectacular, particularly when in comparison with virtually each soundbar with Dolby Atmos DSP that I’ve tried. One of the best soundbars do a wonderful job of making an Atmos impact, however they’re nowhere close to as immersive because the expertise of getting wired rear audio system as a part of the system.
My Denon receiver translated the Atmos stream into a wonderful 5.1 combine, and the sense of motion and object placement through the audio system was excellent. Loads of encompass methods skimp on the precise speaker high quality, so it’s a little bit of a shock to listen to audio system this good employed in a house theater system.
Must you spend money on Monoprice Monolith Audition 5-series audio system?
In the event you’re simply in search of stereo playback, a pair of Monolith Audition T5 floor-standing audio system at $500, or a pair of B5 bookshelf audio system at $250, are wonderful and well-priced decisions. The B5 audio system are an particularly nice worth, however each the B5 and the T5 ship stunning element for the money. For lower than $2,000, you should purchase 5 Monolith Audition audio system, a subwoofer, and a high-performance A/V receiver that can ship much better sound than virtually any soundbar. You’ll have to decide to having speaker wires in your house and determining a option to hold them from getting underfoot, however the payoff shall be price it for anybody who isn’t dedicated to having a low-profile or wi-fi setup.
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