So I got them. Initial impressions are that these are a steal at $50 each. I can't believe how good they actually are. I go more in depth below.
So I got the box and in typical UPS fashion the box was in less than perfect condition. Considering how much Monoprice charges for shipping this is a little annoying.
Anyway I got the two boxes out and they were fine. Monoprice apparently is fully aware of their shipping partner and their ways. Solid packaging. There is another layer under that to protect the speaker.
Overall it is a nice solid unit and pretty heavy. Not unexpected due to the mid/woofer size of 8"
There is a switch for the crossover. Settings are 0db, -3db, -6db. This is not noted in the documentation anywhere.
Removing the grill and you have a paint shield underneath. Grill comes off with the provided hook.
Nice looking speaker. Ribbon and aluminum woofer.
Crappy testing conditions, but I was eager to get a sense of the tweeter. Whether the ribbon sounded as good as it should is the main reason for purchasing these. I unplugged the pioneers and sat the Monoprice in front. Initial impression was not enough bass, but that was expected. Tweeters sound very nice though.
Tried to simulate in-wall a bit more by putting them into the provided boxes. It helped quite a bit, but the sound was still oddly thin. The default position of the crossover switch is -3db. I moved it to 0db and noticed a large improvement. Not sure what is changing, but I did notice an improvement.
Full Specs
Speaker Type 2-way in-wall
Woofer 8" aluminum cone with rubber surround
Tweeter 4.5" x 3" ribbon
Frequency Response 50Hz ~ 20kHz
Crossover Frequency 3.7kHz
Nominal Impedance 8 ohms
Power Handling Capacity (RMS) 80 watts
Power Handling Capacity (Peak) 160 watts
Sensitivity (2.83V) 89dB
Overall Dimensions 14.1" x 10.0" x 4.0" (358 x 255 x 103 mm)
Cutout Dimensions 12.71" x 8.66" x 3.54" (323 x 220 x 90 mm)
Weight (each) 6.9 lbs. (3.15kg)
Listening impressions:
Well, I put on some of the tracks I usually use for this sort of thing and realized that these tweeters are much more revealing than anything I currently own.
I noticed a slight hiss that wasn't present before in my copy of
Best of Beethoven (FLAC). I listened to Fur Elise and excerpt from Symphony #7 which sound great, but now I'm fully aware of how bad that recording is with the annoying hiss. Great. I need a new Beethoven album.
I also listened to Reflection by Tool. This is a great recording (FLAC). It has a lot of emphasis on Danny Carey's drums, especially the symbols. His slight taps are nice and clean on these speakers. I've missed this clarity with my Pioneer towers (which I still really like). Sounds great.
I also listened to Hey You by Pink Floyd (FLAC) and again the clarity was very pleasant. Great track and the speakers sounded nice and full just as they did in the other recordings. This is very surprising since my ghetto way of testing is hampering the bass output considerably I'm sure.
I also listened to Shesmovedon and How is your life today? by Porcupine Tree (FLAC) and again they sounded fantastic. The stereo image on these tracks is wonderful. Some of the best I've got IMHO.
I also listened to some of the Radiohead and Sepultura (when Max was with the band) and it sounded a bit bright. Not sure if this is due to the MP3 (320kbps) or the tracks themselves. Radiohead's Paraniod Android was especially bright. The only track that sounded that way so I'm not sure if it really counts since it's an mp3. Sepultura's Roots Bloody Roots sounded like it should. Heavy. Not really a track for testing speakers, but I am and always will be a metalhead so it was a necessary inclusion.
I also listened to Black Sabbath's Solitude which is a very mellow track. It also had the hiss, but I'm not surprised as I've heard this track on multiple mediums and it has always been present. I like this one as a test because there is a background triangle, chime, thumb cymbal or something that has a very sparkly sound to it and it is a great test for tweeters. The speakers did not disappoint.
I played a few blu-rays with HD audio to get a sense of how they'll handle dialog since that is going to be a major part of their job and was satisfied. I'll have to get them in room and calibrated with the subs to get a full picture, but overall I'm pretty sure I'll be happy with them.
In conclusion I thin Monoprice has outdone themselves with these. I can't believe they sound as good as the do for $50 each. I now wish my Pioneer AJ speakers had tweeters this good.
I'll do another review (if you can call my ramblings above a review) when they get installed in the theater as that will be a much tougher test since they will be around 7 feet apart. I'm really eager to see how the bass/midrange sounds since it was only OK in my tests (shocking since they were sat in boxes). The stereo imaging is also something I'm eager to hear as well sine it is already very good.
I'll be outfitting my theater with these little guys since funds are tight and they are honestly better than anything I've ever heard in or above their price range up to $100 each. I really want the HSU in-walls, but that will wait till later.
Thanks for letting me drone on. Hope it wasn't too painful.