If you don't listen to dance or hip-hop, however, then the S1's performance is a little more mixed. Both Monster speakers were capable of punchier bass than the Samsung, which lost its way on Nathan East's staccato bass lines. Compared to the larger SoundStage S3, the S1 was able to better contain the treble and provide a more balanced sound.Ĭomparing both speakers to Samsung's excellent sounding M7 speaker using the same song, the Samsung didn't carry as much momentum as the Monsters but was easier to listen to. The S1 has oodles of bass, but it's surprisingly controlled despite the small size, and only a preponderance of treble can spoil things with the wrong track.ĭaft Punk's "Get Lucky" sounded great, with a plucky, bouncy bass, slightly recessed vocals and plenty of hi-hat sparkle. Looking for a party speaker with plenty of boom and lots of tish? That's the sound that informed the Beats range of headphones, and that's what the SoundStage S1 gives you. Monster says it will add the ability to set up speakers entirely within the Android app later this year. In our testing the iOS version worked OK, but the Android app required some circuitous setups via the Chrome browser. If your router doesn't support WPS, you'll have to use the manual setup routine. The easiest way to set up the system is to use the WPS button on your router if you have one. Strangely, the AllPlay Jukebox application doesn't allow you to add speakers to the system, so you'll need to start with the Monster SoundStage app. Monster says transmitting digital around the house in full quality (stereo) is planned for later in the year. Other connectivity options include dual USB, optical digital and line-in. There's no mention of native Pandora support at this stage, but Monster suggests using Bluetooth for unsupported apps. It also supports other services within the AllPlay app including DLNA, Rhapsody, Napster and iHeartRadio, with Tidal and SoundCloud forthcoming. The S1 will also play Spotify Connect for easy access to your music without leaving the Spotify app. Monster is also one of the first companies to combine multiroom and Bluetooth successfully: pair your phone to one AllPlay speaker and then stream it to all of the other speakers in the house. Its competitors include the other open standard, Play-Fi and Sonos' closed ecosystem. AllPlay is an open streaming standard which offers integration of numerous streaming apps as well as allowing users to play music from different devices within the home network. The S1 offers a number of different connectivity options, with the two big ones being Bluetooth and Qaulcomm AllPlay. (No pricing available yet for the UK, but its US prices convert to £145, £190 and £253, respectively.) Meanwhile, Australian pricing and availability is yet to be announced. Monster's speaker will be available in the UK and Canada in October 2015 as the StreamCast. That pricing in the US lines up closely with Sonos' Play:5, Play:3 and Play:1 series of speakers, which is pretty tough competition indeed. The larger S2 ($299) and S3 ($399) are also available. It generates a huge sound for its small size, and its connectivity options will ensure anyone will be able to hook it up. The Monster SoundStage S1 ($229) is Monster's smallest and least expensive multiroom speaker, but it's also potentially the best value. At the moment, the only AllPlay products on the US market are available from Monster and Fon, but more are promised. Monster is relatively late to the multiroom streaming game, trailing names like Sonos and Samsung, and it has wisely decided to partner with an open system - Qualcomm's AllPlay - rather than try to go it alone.
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