CE Pro March 2023 - 68

CE Products
FIELD TEST | EDITOR'S PICK | NEW PRODUCTS
Platin Monaco WiSA
System Makes
Surround Sound
Simple & Sharp
By Andrew Nichols
NOW THAT consumer
electronics buying power
has swung towards a new
generation of buyers, it has
become a new challenge
for audio manufacturers
to combine convenience
and performance into an
attractive, affordable package.
While some companies
have begun to forge a path
toward wireless high-performance
audio, Danish-American
audio company Platin
Audio's latest update to its
WiSA-powered Monaco
surround-sound system has
hit the sweet spot.
Combining a competitive
price, in-app customization,
wireless connectivity, and
Dolby Atmos into one package,
Platin's Monaco 5.1.2
system (MSRP $1,499) is an
excellent Goldilocks solution
for a new, younger demographic
wanting to dip its
toes into the world of highend
audio without some of
the high-end hassles.
Features & Setup
After taking delivery of the
Platin Monaco 5.1.2 system,
both the unboxing and
setup of the product were
straightforward and relatively
headache-free.
The system arrives in
Everything including
speakers and their power
cables comes in the
home-theater-in-a-box
Monaco 5.1.2 system.
a large padded box that
contains the SoundSend
connector, a center speaker,
a front-left and front-right
speaker, two rear speakers,
and a subwoofer. To cover
the latest immersive audio
demand, the front-left and
front-right speakers are also
equipped with one upfiring
driver apiece that can
enable Dolby Atmos audio
capabilities.
Once the speakers are
68 | CE Pro March 2023
The Platin Monaco 5.1.2 system employs upfiring drivers in
the front satellites for Atmos effects.
unpacked and plugged
into a wall outlet ( " wireless
audio " does not encompass
each speaker's power
cable, so accommodate for
that), all that is required to
fully set up the system is to
download the WiSA SoundSend
app, which is available
on iOS and Android devices.
After the app is paired with
the system, users can adjust
a wide array of aspects including
speaker trim levels,
audio levels, EQ, and more.
Users can also pair multiple
SoundSend devices to one
smartphone, making it easy
to install more than one
system in the same home.
The only issue I encountered
during setup was getting
all of the speakers to
recognize and pair with the
SoundSend. I encountered
similar issues with the original
Monaco 5.1, but after
20 minutes of unplugging,
re-plugging, and re-pairing
the speakers to the SoundSend
I was able to use the
system for several months
without any issues with
speaker disconnections.
Thanks to the Monaco's
use of WiSA to pair the
speakers together, there's
no need to hide long runs
of wiring and power cables,
which makes the system ideal
for both larger and smaller
living rooms/dens. However,
each speaker is powered
individually, so integrators
will need to make sure the
customer's room can accommodate
six outlets.
Performance &
Final Thoughts
After spending over 500
hours watching films and
200 hours listening to music
on the Monaco 5.1.2 system,
it's genuinely difficult to find
a fault in the package Platin
has created.
The system's inclusion of
two Dolby Atmos upfiring
drivers does a solid job of
elevating the home theater
experience. While it won't
hit the same levels of immersion
as a higher-performance
Atmos system, it does
improve the movie-watching
experience significantly.
For example, when watching
2013's " Gravity " via a
4K Blu-ray, it was mesmerizing
to hear the alerts and
sirens coming from Dr. Ryan
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CE Pro March 2023

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