Monoprice 5.1 Channel Home Theater Satellite Speakers And Subwoofer - Black

I'll start this by destroying my credibility. I am not an audiophile, and this is my first surround sound system worth the name. I did, however, do a massive amount of research before buying these. This is going to be long, so the TLDR on this is: These are great speakers for the price, and will probably be more than adequate for the needs of anyone who is not an audiophile. They are also better than many $600-$800 sets in terms of frequency response curve and general sound reproduction. They will not have the same build quality or design aesthetic as these premium sets, but look fine, and are made well. You won't regret buying these unless you have much more exacting standards than the average person, and even an audiophile would be satisfied with these as a second room/vacation home setup. So, the rest: I was originally settled on the Energy Take Classic 5.1 set. (which has become the long standing gold standard of affordable 5.1 speaker sets) Energy 5.1 Take Classic Home Theater System (Set of Six, Black) But, a price bump on those right when I decided on them led me to do some re-shopping. After reading and watching the CNET review on these, I started looking in to them seriously. I suggest you check out that review. These speakers are actually the replacements to the Monoprice 9774 5.1 system. The reason those were replaced was due to a patent lawsuit because they were exact clones of the Energy Take Classic 5.1 speakers. Nearly identical form factor, Identical internal components, and most interestingly, identical performance and frequency response curve. But over $100 cheaper than the average price of the Energy speakers. So that wasn't going to last, and it didn't. For a while there, they were hands down the best speaker per dollar that could be purchased. These Monoprice speakers are just enough different to dodge another lawsuit. The surprise is that in some respects, they are better than the speakers they replaced. The consensus seems to be that they provide a more satisfying over-all sound than the Energy Take Classic. I can't speak to this because I'm not in a position to directly compare them. But everybody that has seems to agree that these are either equivalent or better. The fact that they're cheaper doesn't hurt one bit. Another advantage is that if you want to add two speakers and make this a 7.1, Monoprice actually sells you two more matching speakers for about $80. Monoprice Premium Home Theater Satellite Speaker - Black (110800) Energy only sells the satellite speakers for their set as a package. And though exactly matched speakers in a 7.1 isn't mandatory, it certainly makes it easier for your receiver to blend. These are a recent purchase, so I can't speak to how long they will last. I can say they sounded great to me right out of the box, and the spring connectors were super easy to use. Important notes: Break in Period: Don't blast these things full volume until you've been using them for quite a good little while. A couple of weeks of regular TV watching should do it. This type of speaker needs time to loosen up and mellow out. Skipping this step is a really good way to permanently damage your sound quality. They're actually supposed to sound even better after being broken in, as well. Subwoofer Cable: if you order these, you need to get a shielded RCA splitter subwoofer cable. (one male connection that splits to two male connections) It will actually run ok off of a single RCA into the white input, but spend the extra $6 and do it right. They're all over amazon. I almost took off a star for them not including this, but I just couldn't make myself do it. The speakers themselves are just too solid. Speaker stands: A lot of people make the obvious (and incorrect) assumption that the Monoprice speaker stands will fit these Monoprice speakers perfectly. (go figure!) They don't. They work, but only if you mount the speakers upside down. I ordered some that are on the way. If those work out, I will edit this review. Edit: They didn't really work out. I'm using them, but they aren't ideal. Anyway, you should just go on and buy these unless the Energy Take Classic set is at one of the periodic low dips to $250 range. At that point they become a serious contender because of a 3 year warranty vs the 1 year that Monoprice offers. (or if you have a fascination with gloss black finishes) But that's about the only things that distinguish them from these. AND they might actually not sound as good. FYI - there are some known problems with the dust covers tending to have the little plastic bits break off inside the speaker when you try to remove them. So, if you want to use these without the dust covers, slow and steady wins the race. I intend to leave mine on, but it is something to be aware of.

Been meaning to do a review of this system for a while. Had the 10565 system since Oct '18 in the upstairs gameroom where its main duty is being connected to the xbox. Additionally, I stream music via bluetooth to the AVR and it does a great job for that as well (receiver is only putting out about 80-90W/ch, and over about 50W/ch it starts to break up, so no sense pushing it anyway). It's 200.00, or was when I got it... for a 5.1, powered-sub system. It sounds perfectly fine at that price point. You're not expecting to top a $1500 Klipschissplittlixblah-blah system for this price-point. Accept that, enjoy the great sound this puts out at reasonable volume levels, and carry on. I wouldn't crank this up to '11' for a party and expect it to survive... but I wouldn't do that for any stereo I have either... I have sympathy for my stuff I guess. I've had it at 50% volume for hours playing music though.. plenty loud (rock, metal, etc...).. though 'plenty' is of course subjective. In the 20x12 room it sits in, it will give pretty decent thump for sound-effects and movies w/in reason. Again.. price-point here. I paid at least $100 more than this 20 years ago (so, really, like ~$400 in today's money) for something way less 'good'... w/just a passive subwoofer, and less power-handling ability and it sounded like empty wooden boxes being klonked on by a swarm of agitated beavers vs. some pretty nice sound out of the monoprice setup. I don't know if I would push these speakers to the 'rated' power.. but surely they could hang with 50'ish nice, clean watts per-ch (you know, before your $300 receiver really starts to push out a lot of distortion anyway). I suspect the target buyer is someone in an apartment where noise-levels have to be rational. I think it'll do a great job filling an apartment living room with nice sound and the sub isn't so crazy that your neighbors will kill you (it has adjustments to set the levels and so on.. if you tick off your neighbors, that's on you). I'm saying all this stuff about 'bang for buck' and so on b/c I'm assuming anyone looking at this is on a budget and isn't packing a $2000 tube-amp at home waiting to connx to this thing. You're like a lot of us,.. got a budget AVR rated to somewhere between 70 and 100'ish Watts/ch for movies/music and want something that will at least compliment that setup. This will do that. Remember your budget AVR(eceiver) may be rated to 100W/ch, but it'll really give up doing that job distortion-free/low somewhere ~30W south that of that number (on a continual basis). Finish Quality: Again.. price-point-wise... it's exactly what I expected.. not fancy in the least, but clean. Some small imperfections in the finish.. nothing I can spot from more than a foot or two away that makes me upset. These are not 'lookers'.. though they look nice enough w/the grills off vs some other offerings in this price range I think. They actually disappear visually pretty well honestly... and I would think that has a different kind of appeal to the folks that don't -want- a showy, in-your-face system. Use/Assembly: Easy peasy... 5.1 systems have been around a while now... this is no different than the vast majority. You plug the wires from the appropriate channels off your AV Receiver into the various speakers, and your sub-out to the sub's inputs. Four of the speakers are identical, makes no difference which of those four goes where (front L/R vs rear L/R). The center channel is specifically made/intended to be such.. it's obvious, can't mess it up. The powered sub does not have the '5' outs itself.. it just takes either RCA inputs or speaker-level left/right from stereo. So, it won't necessarily turn an old-school 2-channel stereo into a 5.1 system... not in any easy plug/play way that I am aware of anyway.. but I'm hardly an expert. Seek YouTube Gurus for that kind of info. There's instructions in the box.. read those, I may be completely lying about the 2->5.1 thing... I did not read them, but my setup was blindingly-easy, even for me. So, there's my 5-or-so month update... still quite pleased, don't have any regrets for the type of use I've put it through.

A little story: A very nice set! My previous set was an RCA box set of receiver with 5.1 speakers purchased in the 90s. Speakers still work to this day but the receiver is starting to die. I purchased a Sony STR-DH750 with 7.2 capabilities to bring the speakers to life, but realized that my old subwoofer was powered by my old receiver. Rather than invest in an amp for 20-year-old speakers decided to invest in a new system. After extensive research, reading many reviews, feedback and ratings, I decided that Monoprice was the best bang for the buck. It was between the 108247 and this set, the 10565. While I'm a cheapo who tries to get the best for as little as possible, I made the decision that spending nearly double for the next step up was best, especially after the lroce dropped 40 bucks! The one downside to this transaction that it was backordered. What was to be a month's wait ended up being 10 weeks or so. I wasn't in a rush, amazon wasn't pulling my leg and even asked if I wanted to cancel my order, but I was hoping that the speakers would be worth the wait- especially since I wasn't yet finished making my entertainment center (that's a discussion for yet another forum). Shipment I finally received a ship date, and it arrived 3 days earlier! I was a bit disappointed because the box had visible damage. I took pictures to document it. Upon unboxing, it was only the outer box that had damage- fault of the carrier, not amazon or Monoprice. In fact, kudos to them because that outer box was essential protection! Unboxing The speakers have a nice, sleek, modern feel to them. Nothing extravagant, clear simple design; less is more, in my book. The sub is slightly bigger than what I thought; a little taller than expected due to the small legs. Setup I've hooked up several systems before, so as a man, decided not look at the directions. I do love the wire attachements on the back! Very simple: push, insert wire, release! No screwing or turning like the back of my receiver. Indeed, no mounting holes, just the speaker which is perfect for my setup as I have them sitting on wall-mounted shelves and a mantle around the tv. Setup took about an hour because I tried using old, used wire and realized I didn't have enough so had to use a new spool so that all the wires would look the same. Otherwise, should have taken 15 minutes or so. I added an old pair of bose dual cubes to these speakers and set them up for rear surround. The set does come with red/white combo RCA cable. Many reviewers have problems with this not working on their receiver so had to order an adapter or different cable. Both the sub and my receiver have stereo inputs so this worked perfect. I use the included the mic and run the auto setup. Piece of cake. However, afterpowering up my ps3, my screen would flicker every few seconds. I swapped out the included RCA cable to use a heavier duty set I picked up from RadioShack a few years ago. The flickering stopped! I pop in Iron Man on bluray to give the speakers a run. The surround worked beautifully! Bullets wizzing by startled my two cats. Yet... no real boom. I felt like the bass was missing. I unplug the front speakers and put my ear to the sub, and notice nothing. Is the sub THAT bad?? I hook up the receiver to my phone via Bluetooth and play a 10 minute video of the THX intro. Nothing impressive. I look at the back and crank the bass all the way up. Still nothing. I google my problem and find a small suggestion. I dive into the receiver's on-screen speaker setup to go to Speaker Configuration which was set to "3/4". No idea what that fraction stands for. The online diagnosis said to ensure the configuration number ended in ".1". So I scrolled through the setup options and 3/4.1 was an option, so I selected it. BOOOOOOOOOOOOM! A deep, heavy, bass sweeped across the house, rattled some wood shelving, sent my cats running and scared the crap out of my dog. Yup. Subwoofer works. Perhaps a little too well. After several movies, I finally adjusted the bass to my liking. It is VERY powerful, perhaps a bit too much. Even my neighbor thinks so. Conclusion: An easy setup that may require some fiddling and fine-tuning. The subwoofer may take some fenangling, but it is definitely worth it. If you're the kind of person to decide to purchase your own set of speakers, you're likely knowledgeable enough to figure all of this out like I was. End of the matter: just buy this, already. Look no further, don't waste your time reading anymore reviews. You won't be disappointed. These ARE the speakers you're looking for.

I just purchased these a few days ago and they arrived very nicely in the mail. I got them for lower as it was a warehouse deal, but it was well worth it. I was aware that they do not come with speaker wire as the suggestion came up when I was ordering to add speaker wire to the order so I did just that. It would definitely come in handy. For the speaker wire, I bought the RCA 16 gauge 100 foot package. This worked out perfectly and I had some left over speaker wire that will come in handy since I have a cat who likes to chew (odd, I know). It took me a little while to get everything setup. Make sure that if you don't have already precut speaker wires that you get a wire cutter which will cut off the ends of the speaker wire so you can twist them. This will make it a lot easier to cut through the wire and thread them through the holes. One thing that is different about the speakers was the fact that you have to push down on these little brackets on the back of the speaker to then thread the wire though. I read some reviews where people said this was hard, I found it quite easy to thread them through. I have a Sony receiver which you have to thread the other end of the wire and then twist the knob to keep the wire tight. I liked the press and release much better. Additionally, they come with mounts! When I first opened the package I was thinking, how in the world am I going to mount this like my older speakers? Sure enough, there were mounts. They were very easy to mount to the wall also. If you don't have any extra screws lying around, you will need to order some when you get this package or you can run to Home Depot. After wiring and setting everything up, I recalibrated my surround sound system (to each their own, some systems do not do this) and tested it out. I have to say, I LOVE the sound of the speakers! I feel like I am immersed in sound within my living room. I had co-workers trying to convince me to get rid of my surround sound and get a soundbar, they have no idea! Surround sound is the way to go! As for the quality of the speakers, they are a little on the heavy side, but not too heavy. They are very good qualify outside and sound great hooked up to my Sony 5.1 Surround Sound System (receiver is NOT included in the package, these are most likely replacement speakers or for those that bought the receiver and not the speakers). Overall, I am so very happy with my purchase and would recommend these to anyone! Even the woofer sounds great with the surround sound, which I didn't have before!

I'd give it more stars, but based on how much time I've had to waste, I can't. The system sounds nice and functions well, but I've had it for nearly two weeks of it sitting on the floor because I cannot find the oddly specific mounting bolt that is needed to mount these sepkers to anything. I've now ordered 3 different sets of "universal 1/4 threaded insert mounting bolts" and NONE of them have worked. Now I have to spend my time off going to a hardware store, manually trying bolts just so I can mount these things. Lastly, I ordered the mounts from Monoprice, and they are incompatible, so don't waste you're money there. I used to really recommend this brand, but now they're starting to make me realize that trying to save money was a mistake, and I should have just hired an installer to do it instead. Buyer beware!

I am less than impressed with this system. That being said, I am extremely impressed with Monoprice the company. My speakers arrived and the subwoofer did not work. So I emailed the company and they were very responsive. I promptly received another subwoofer, which wouldn't power on unless you jiggled the power wire and then held it in a certain position. So, they once again sent me out another subwoofer. That one worked, but like many others have said, dont expect too much. There is no "boom" or punch to the sound in movies. The did not want the other two subwoofers back, so they sit in my garage.. This is a very inexpensive system and probably fine for a dorm room, apartment or an entry home theater system All of the components require standard wiring and connections which make future upgrades or piecemealing an option. After my experience with this, i woudnt order this package again, but I think Monoprice is a solid company and very responsive.

UPDATE!!!! So I used my surround sound for about 6 months before I ran into my first problem. Like with any electrical component, sometimes stuff happens. In my case, the subwoofer failed. I figured I was going to have to by a new one. I decided for the heck of it I would write Monoprice, so I did. All I told them was the subwoofer failed and asked what they could do. They shipped me a brand new one, free of charge!!! THEY GET A+++ CUSTOMER SERVICE!!! My respect for this company just went up big time! ORIGINAL REVIEW I want to start off by saying that prior to buying this system, I had never even heard of the speaker brand "Monoprice". Also, one thing you need to know about me is that I am very particular about sound. I am that guy that will tweek and retweek all the settings of bass and treble until I get it just right. Unfortunately, getting things just right can only go as far as the speakers you are using. I have always invested in aftermarket speakers for car audio, and this was my first opportunity to invest in a full surround sound system for my home - not just a couple of speakers and a sub. Le me just say, I have listened to Bose, I have listened to Klipsch, as well as others, which are highly priced by the way, and neither one can touch this Monoprice system. The problem I had with Bose, and especially Klipsch, was that they were almost too clear - or trebally. Kind of like when smooth motion came out on TVs and it was almost too Soap Opera-y, and people didn't know how to get rid of that setting. Well, I am a person that loves a very full sound. You know the speakers Beats by Dre - listen to music the way the artist intended. These speakers are like - listen to movies the way the director intended. These speakers hit any range with perfection! They have an excellent weight to them as well. They feel very high quality. I have my surround in a room that is 17' X 25' feet. I have spaced my speakers out in four corners exactly 15 feet apart to make a square if you will. The center speaker I placed right under my TV. You guys, I am telling you, you have never heard better sound in something this size. (Keep in mind I am not comparing against big tower speakers). Anyone who comes over are always blown away when I put the surround on. Just make sure your receiver is put on a setting like Dolby Digital so that speaking for example only comes out of the center speaker. Speaking of the center speaker - it's perfect. You really just have to watch 1 movie with this system, and you will be sold. Also, let me just tell you about the subwoofer on this thing, I have it in a basement on a cement floor and I still feel it shake my couch. This 8 inch sub is very comparable to 10's and 12's no problem. I could not be more impressed with the quality of the sound. What makes Monoprice's sound unique is two parts. 1st as mentioned earlier, the sound is SO FULL! Not too high, not too low, but just right. Also the subwoofer you get is a 200 watt sub! Most that come in this price range are only 100 Watt and those always distort out too soon when pushed by heavy bass. I am taking the time to write this review so you will know that you are getting a great system. The only negatives are 1. No wires supplied with the surround 2. No speaker mounts Both of these are no big deal because you can either go to Monoprice's website and pick them up cheap, or get them on Amazon when you order. Trust me when I say, you will not be disappointed.

Honestly, you can't go wrong with these if you are working towards a budget system with quality sound - which is what I was doing. I had a very old HT in a Box system that was in dire need of an upgrade for a few years now. I managed to upgrade with an Onkyo TX-SR313 5.1-Channel Home Theater A/V Receiver(Black) and these speakers for under $300, and I am very pleased. Our TV room is not very big, and our landlord lives above us, so these speakers are perfect for that situation. The rest of my family could really care less about audio fidelity and loudness is not the goal really. With that said, I have yet to even attempt to crank these speakers. There has been no need. I get a lot of sound with the amp dial at 50, and it is normally sitting around 30-35. What I like: 1. Subwoofer! It is worth the $100 alone! It has a very thick, warm and punchy sound (no artificial boominess). It's powered and has cross-over and level dials, and a handful of extra inputs/outputs that I didn't need. If you like realistic bass, you will like this. If you like tiles and windows vibrating in the neighbor's house, you won't like this. 2. Mounting Brackets: Can't mention enough how great these are as an inclusion. 3. Packaging: Monoprice packaged everything well...no damage during shipping. Tinkering with the sub is imperative to find the right balance in sound. The other 5 speakers don't offer much versatility in range. They are mostly stuck in the flat mid-high range. But they produce good stereo separation. I really don't have much to compare them to beyond my previous system which was crap. So yeah, I am very pleased. If only Amazon and Monoprice could work out an arrangement to truly knock off the shipping charge and sell these at list...you would have pure budget home theater gold. If you are looking at these, then you are probably looking for quality on the cheap. These don't disappoint.