The Monaco system is absolutely great!!!! I want to give this more of a review and will do so when I have more time. I just ordered a set of the Milan speakers for Atmos and when I get them installed I will give a more comprehensive review. Buy these now..on sale for $799 is a steal. DON'T WAIT..THIS IS A REAL DEAL!!!
Update: 10/8/2022
I have everything done, installed and working for a 5.1.2 system with Dolby Atmos using the Platin system.
Here is a write up I did for another review which may give some insight to this wonderful system and my layout.
I have a Platin Monaco 5.1 system with 2 added Milan speakers I use for the Dolby Atmos. It works amazing with the Soundsend transmitter as my "Height speakers" as I can adjust the trim, distance, etc. from the app.
The layout is center channel facing me angled up from the floor, subwoofer off to the side (adjusted on the subwoofer to 8), front left and right speakers wide (not spaced proportionately due to room limitations), rear speakers about 2 feet above my head and 30 degrees behind me due to the wall immediately behind my chair. The rear speakers face directly over my head at each other, one is on the wall to my right (again 30 degrees to my rear) and the left speaker is bolted to a decorative metal bar ( it sticks out just enough to face the right speaker}. The Monaco speakers only have mounting holes on the bottom of the speaker which make it difficult. My method is really overkill, but it works.
The Milan (Atmos or Height) speakers are mounted near the top of a 8 foot ceiling facing directly at me halfway between the front left and right speakers and the rear left and right speakers. The right Height speaker is mounted to the wall and the left Height speaker is mounted against the brick of the chimney. These use different mounting brackets that can be angled down because the Milan speaker have mounting holes on the back.
You will need extension cords in some cases, but that is the cheapest part of this whole project!
Everything is adjusted for sound with the Soundsend app using the Zone measurements (distance to my chair), trim, loudness due to distance, etc.
The mounting brackets were difficult due to the mounts of the Monaco speakers. I had to buy 4 large speaker units, which of course were too big for these smaller speakers, and just use the large bars which mounted to the wall. Then I used a mm bolt to secure them to the speaker which sat on the bar. The decorative metal had to be drilled to accept the one mounting bar. One mounting bar had to have a hole drilled through it to mount the speaker so it wouldn't stick out to far.
The Soundsend has a few "quirks" as it is a work in progress. It will stop communicating on occasion and you have to unplug it from the transmitter (hockey puck) for 5 or 6 seconds and then plug it back in to get it talking again. You may also have to push the locate speakers if you can't get one of them to "beep" when setting them up or if one is unplugged for a time. IN ADDITION YOU MAY HAVE TO PUSH A LITTLE BUTTON ON THE BACK OF THE SPEAKER UNTIL THE LITTLE LED TURNS GREEN. IT WILL BE RED IF THE SPEAKER IS NOT CONNECTED. (IF THE SPEAKER IS NOT CONNECTED, IT WILL SHOW AS "GREY" ON THE SCHEMATIC OF SPEAKERS ON THE APP). Also if you set up for the Height speakers, on the app they will sometimes sit slightly on top of the front left and right speaker icons in the Zone adjustment portion of the app. You have to push on the icon and move it slightly to see the Height icon. You can then push on the Height icon and move it to the top of the layout to see the full 5.1.2 setup on the screen of the app. It won't be in the right position if you mount them where I did, but it still works right.
This system is just amazing. The sound is great, the product is very sturdy, it's really really loud if you want it to be. It makes any soundbar I have heard just...inadequate. The ability to wide space and position the speakers based upon your room layout no matter how oddly shaped or how many openings there are, just makes everything work due to the Soundsend app. With the distance adjustment in the Zone portion of the app and the Trim adjustment for loudness for each individual speaker, you get a THEATER sound for movies, live sports, television shows etc., and when Dolby Atmos kicks in you can really be enveloped in sound.
I have an LG OLED 65 CX television. I had an old LG SJ9 soundbar that I gave to my daughter along with my LG OLED 55 tv for all the help she gave me in getting this system and helping me set it up. Without her I would not have managed to get it all done. Thanks!
So, pick a movie that you have seen a lot to set everything up. I used The Highwaymen on Netflix to set up the original 5.1 system and then again when I set up the 5.1.2 system. I know all the nuances of the movie and can tell when something is right or wrong.
Finally, just go listen to Formula One series.....you won't be disappointed at even the slow parts.
UPDATE: 7/5/2024 I'm still very happy with this system. No problems as described by others. No more cutouts it was all user error.
By the way, it does NOT use Bluetooth, it uses a special 5 Gz spectrum to communicate from the WISA transmitter (small hockey puck unit) to all the speakers so there is no interference from anything in your house...nothing operates in this frequency band.....all ex-military and similar kicked off long ago.
It DOES use Bluetooth and requires location "on" when you use the phone app to make adjustments to "FINE TUNE" the sound when you have an imperfect room (not perfectly square or rectangular). After that you can use your TV remote to turn the sound up and down.
I fiddle with it on occasion to fine tune if I get a new app that doesn't do a good job of right/left sound...just enough to keep the voices where they are supposed to be. It's an amazing system. Peacock is really good right now with The Tour De France and hopefully the Olympics will be the same. Anything in 5.1 Dolby and especially Dolby Atmos is also just great!
Pricing is very competitive.
| Brand Name | Platin |
|---|---|
| Item Weight | 42.5 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 16.7 x 14.8 x 18 inches |
| Country of Origin | USA |
| Item model number | FBAPLMONACOWISA |
| Color Name | Black |
| Special Features | Wireless Speaker Connectivity; Dedicated Center Channel; Subwoofer with Under-Sofa Design |
