One of my favorite 1950’s “B” sci-fi films is Monolith Monsters. The gist of the story is that a meteor crashes to earth and its fragments start growing when exposed to water – as the fragments grow, they become skyscraper-size Monoliths. As a result, they topple and shatter, causing a multiplying effect where new Monoliths grow that could cover the world.
So what does a 1950’s movie have to do with this article? In an analogous fashion, Monoprice has its own Monolith strategy…to dominate the A/V space.
The Monoprice/Monolith Brand
Monoprice landed in the AV space several years ago and emerged as a popular maker of low-priced, but high-quality HDMI cables. Since then it has expanded exponentially by branching out into many other product categories. With its Monolith brand, it is making a big impact on audio and home theater fans. From turntables, amplifiers, speakers, subwoofers, and speaker systems, consumers, press, and competitors have taken notice.
With that in mind, Monoprice is following up on the previous release of their already affordable Monolith Encore 6 and 5-series home theater speaker lines, with a new Audition speaker line that is designed to provide good sound quality at even more affordable price points.
Monoprice Monolith Audition Speakers
The Audition series includes T5 and T4 Tower, B5 and B4 Bookshelf, and C5 and C4 Center Channel speakers (six speakers total).
The speakers are sold individually which allows for flexible setup configurations.
- Just as with the Encore series, you can use the Audition T5 or T4 tower speakers as front speakers in combination with the audition B5 or B4 bookshelfs as surrounds and the center channel.
- You can use the audition towers for both front and surround speakers combined with the audition center channel speakers.
- You can use the audition bookshelfs as both your front and surround speakers combined with the audition center channel speaker.
- For a complete home theater setup, you can add one or more subwoofers, such as the Monoprice Monolith M-10 V2, which we previously featured in a Preview and Affordable Subwoofer Shootout articles.
- You can assemble a 2-channel stereo setup with just a pair of Audition T5/T4 towers or B5/B4 bookshelfs.
What All Six Audition Series Speakers Have in Common
Cabinet Design: Rectangular MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard) cabinets with internal bracing.
Bass Reflex: All the speakers include rear-mounted ports (aka vents) for an extended low-frequency response.
Impedance: 4 ohms
Tweeter Waveguide: Each speaker has a 20mm silk or cloth dome tweeter with a neodymium magnet that sits inside a large waveguide for better dispersion, a wider sweet spot for stereo listening, and more precise imaging.
Midrange and Woofer Driver Material: Polypropylene cones with NBR surrounds.
Connections: 5-Way Binding Posts (The T5 and T4 include two sets to support Bi-amping/Bi-Wiring).
Finish: Black PVC
Monolith Audition T5/T4 Tower Speakers
Specifications | Audition T5 | Audition T4 |
Product Number | 43155 | 43158 |
Speaker Type | 3-Way | 3-Way |
Main Woofers | Two 5.25-inch | Two 4-inch |
Mid-Woofer | One 5.25-inch | One 4-inch |
Tweeter | One 20mm Silk Dome | One 20mm Cloth Dome |
Sensitivity | 86.9dB | 85.5dB |
Frequency Response | 48Hz ~ 20kHz | 56Hz ~ 20kHz |
Low-Frequency Crossover (6dB/Octave) | 220Hz | 250Hz |
Mid-Frequency Crossover (12dB/Octave) | 2.4kHz | 2.5kHz |
High-Frequency Crossover (18dB/Octave) | 2.4kHz | 2.5kHz |
Dimensions (LWH) | 9.8 x 6.5 x 35.4-inches (250 x 165 x 900 mm) | 7.0 x 5.5 x 31.5-inches (180 x 140 x 800 mm) |
Weight | 23.4 lbs. (10.6 kg) | 17.86 lbs. (8.1 kg) |
Price at Monoprice.com | $249.99 | $199.99 |
Monolith Audition B5/B4 Bookshelf Speakers
Specifications | Audition B5 | Audition B4 |
Product Number | 43156 | 43159 |
Speaker Type | 2-Way | 2-Way |
Woofer | One 5.25-inch | One 4-inch |
Tweeter | One 20mm Silk Dome | One 20mm Cloth Dome |
Sensitivity | 84.3dB | 83.7dB |
Frequency Response | 61Hz ~ 20kHz | 57Hz ~ 20kHz |
Low-Frequency Crossover (6dB/Octave) | 3.4kHz | 4.4kHz |
High-Frequency Crossover (12dB/Octave) | 3.4kHz | 4.4kHz |
Dimensions (LWH) | 7.1 x 6.3 x 13.6-nches (180 x 160 x 345 mm) | 5.5 x 5.5 x 11.0-inches (140 x 140 x 280 mm) |
Weight | 7.3 lbs. (3.3 kg) | 5.5 lbs. (2.5 kg) |
Price at Monoprice.com | $124.99 | $99.99 |
Monolith Audition C5/C4 Center Channel Speakers
Specifications | Audition C5 | Audition C4 |
Product Number | 43157 | 43160 |
Speaker Type | Two-Way | Two – Way |
Woofer | Two 5.25-inch | Two 4-inch |
Tweeter | One 20mm silk dome | One 20mm cloth dome |
Sensitivity | 86.7dB | 85.4dB |
Frequency Response | 73Hz ~ 20kHz | 81Hz ~ 20kHz |
Low-Frequency Crossover (6dB/Octave) | 2.4Hz | 2.5kHz |
High-Frequency Crossover (12dB/Octave) | 2.4Hz | 2.5kHz |
Dimensions (LWH) | 7.1 x 18.7 x 6.3-inches (180 x 476 x 160 mm) | 5.5 x 14.96 x 5.5-inches (140 x 380 x 140 mm) |
Weight | 10.8 lbs. (4.9 kg) | 8.2 lbs. (3.7 kg) |
Price at Monoprice.com | $159.99 | $129.99 |
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