Platin Audio Milan 5.1.4
MSRP $800.00
“The Milan 5.1.4 units new expectations for a compact residence theater system.”
Execs
- Accessible value
- Compact, minimal design
- 4 discrete up-firing drivers
- Numerous inputs and settings
- Very immersive sound
Cons
- No distant management
- No computerized room tuning
- Requires time and persistence for the very best sound
If you happen to’ve been looking for Dolby Atmos soundbars, you probably already know that there’s an insane quantity of selection. It appears nearly everyone seems to be promising Atmos’ immersive 3D sound, and but costs are everywhere in the map — from $230 to $3,200. The place do you begin, particularly if you must hold inside an inexpensive finances?
Platin Audio thinks its Milan 5.1.4 soundbar is the reply. It follows the identical method as its opponents, however the WiSA-enabled Milan packs 4 discrete up-firing drivers (a key ingredient within the Dolby Atmos recipe) and is available in at a lower cost than every other firm: $800.
Has this comparatively unknown model managed to outmaneuver the massive boys and pull off a Dolby Atmos upset? I spent every week with the Milan 5.1.4 to seek out out.
Platin Audio Milan 5.1.4: design
The Milan 5.1.4 comes with all the things you want in a really giant field. The bundle consists of the soundbar, two wi-fi encompass audio system, a wi-fi subwoofer, energy cords for every of these items, an HDMI cable, and two odd rubber ft. Oh, and a quick-start information and a so-called consumer’s guide. I say so-called as a result of there’s nearly no helpful details about methods to use the product. And also you don’t get a distant management, which is uncommon.
Design-wise, the parts are as nondescript because it will get. The soundbar and surrounds are largely wrapped in black acoustic material, and apart from the subwoofer, there’s no branding or badging to be discovered. It’s a system that’s meant to be heard, not seen, and I’m on board with that method.
The rubber ft I discussed get positioned below the soundbar. On the one hand, it is sensible. If you wish to wall-mount the bar, who wants ft? However then again, it’s additionally type of dumb: There’s no solution to safe the ft to the bar, so each time you progress the bar (to mud the world, for instance), the ft inevitably fall off, and you must pop them on once more.
Regardless of the presence of two keyhole slots on the again, there’s no mounting {hardware} or perhaps a mounting template — you’ll must improvise one thing if that’s the way in which you wish to go.
At 35.5 inches large and simply 2.75 inches tall, the soundbar is an effective match for many TVs and hopefully gained’t block your TV’s infrared receiver. If it does, that might be an issue — in contrast to soundbars from Sony and another manufacturers, there’s no IR repeater constructed into the again of the Milan. On the precise finish cap, you’ll discover the system’s controls: energy, supply, Bluetooth, and quantity. A top-mounted place would have made them simpler to make use of (and see).
A 3-character alphanumeric scrolling textual content show is constructed into the entrance of the soundbar, and it’s a much-needed characteristic. It exhibits your quantity degree and your present supply choice. However most significantly for people who wish to be reassured they’re getting a real Dolby Atmos sign, it would inform you precisely what’s being processed: from PCM 2.0 to Dolby Atmos in Dolby TrueHD and all the things in between. The companion app gained’t provide you with this important piece of suggestions.
The surrounds are very compact — stunning given that every hosts each a front-firing and an up-firing driver. It ought to be simple sufficient to discover a location for them. Wall mounting is as soon as once more an choice (every speaker has an ordinary threaded insert on the again), however you’ll must supply your individual mounts since Platin Audio doesn’t promote any.
The wi-fi sub can also be very small for a subwoofer, serving to you place it anyplace — probably below the furnishings. Sadly, at 5.3 inches in top, it was simply too tall to sneak below my couch.
Platin Audio Milan 5.1.4: ports and connections
Many soundbars concentrate on giving your TV higher sound, with the aspect impact that not a lot thought is given to creating it helpful to different units. You’re fortunate if you happen to get an analog enter.
The Milan 5.1.4 is rather more beneficiant. Along with an optical port that can be utilized as a substitute for HDMI or a connection for a CD participant, you additionally get a digital coaxial port and two varieties of analog enter (stereo RCA and a 3.5mm line-in) — plus Bluetooth.
The Milan doesn’t overlook about non-TV units.
In concept, you may join your TV, plus 4 different units, and nonetheless have a Bluetooth connection for wi-fi streaming. An HDMI enter (or two) would have been welcome, however this can be a rarity on soundbars that price lower than $1,000.
Remember the fact that if you happen to use the optical port along with your TV, you gained’t get Dolby Atmos.
One other consideration within the HDMI ARC versus optical selection: an HDMI ARC connection will let your TV’s distant management the Milan’s quantity, however that doesn’t work with the optical connection. That may not be an issue if the Milan shipped with its personal distant (or if it had an IR receiver that might be linked to your TV’s distant), however sadly, it doesn’t.
You could have learn that the Milan 5.1.4 makes use of WiSA, a wi-fi audio know-how for residence theater techniques. It makes use of WiSA to ship lossless audio from the soundbar to the wi-fi encompass and the subwoofer. I’ll speak about why which may matter in a bit.
Platin Audio Milan 5.1.4: Setup and configuration
Organising the Milan 5.1.4 is easy to do however simple to botch. The directions are clear: join the sub and surrounds to energy first, then join the soundbar to energy, then join the soundbar to your TV through the included (or your individual) HDMI cable (ensuring to make use of your TV’s HDMI ARC/eARC port), and end it up by double-clicking the Hyperlink button on the again of the soundbar. However do that out of order, and you could discover that the person audio system don’t discover one another wirelessly, and also you’ll have to start out once more.
Take care to arrange the audio system within the order you’re instructed.
If all goes effectively, you’re accomplished. As a result of the Milan 5.1.4 isn’t Wi-Fi enabled, you possibly can entry all of its fundamental features from the aspect controls. Nonetheless, you’ll nearly actually want the Milan Soundbar app (iOS/Android). As a result of there’s no distant, the app is the one solution to configure the system. And since the system doesn’t have room calibration built-in, some tweaking will probably be so as.
By tweaking, I imply adjusting the quantity ranges of the person channels. There are 10 of them, which generally is a bit daunting, however the app helps — you can also make the changes from a listing of the channels or use a visible map of the system.
It’s also possible to entry a collection of sound modes (auto, film, music, get together, night time, and stereo) plus there are particular person EQ settings for treble, mids, and bass. Lastly, you possibly can alter the system’s crossover frequency if you happen to’re feeling adventurous. That’s the invisible line separating the frequencies despatched to the primary audio system versus these shunted to the subwoofer. The upper the crossover frequency, the extra your sound will tackle a bass-forward profile.
Don’t count on to determine these out all of sudden. Preserve the app helpful whilst you begin watching motion pictures and exhibits, and pay attention to the place the sound feels prefer it’s not fairly maintaining (or is perhaps an excessive amount of). If the dialogue feels too quiet, enhance the soundbar’s heart channel. If the bass is overwhelming, flip down the subwoofer, and many others.
Platin Audio Milan 5.1.4: Sound high quality
General, the Milan 5.1.4 delivers excellent encompass sound, whether or not it’s full-fledged Dolby Atmos or just 5.1 Dolby Digital. Dialogue readability, a key characteristic of any soundbar, is great even with the middle channel’s degree adjustment set on the manufacturing facility default.
The diminutive wi-fi subwoofer does a surprisingly good job of offering that low-end oomph which we affiliate with Hollywood blockbusters. The opening scene of Mad Max: Fury Street — a superb take a look at of any residence theater sound system — was rendered with its hallmark combination of gravelly voice-over and sounds of V8 engines at full throttle.
The encompass audio system do what surrounds ought to do — they provide you that back-of-the-neck feeling as sounds creep up behind and beside you. Not like some techniques I’ve heard, these surrounds really feel like professional, full-range audio system, not simply little noise containers that present the occasional chirp.
There’s additionally no drawback getting the Milan 5.1.4 to dish out quantity. At 50%, I used to be fortunately immersed within the film expertise. At 60%, it began to tackle the punch of a movie show, and as I edged nearer to 80%, I used to be grateful our neighbors have been out for the night. They’d not have been happy.
Overhead sound results have been pleasant. However like many soundbar techniques that depend on up-firing drivers to replicate sound again at you from the ceiling, some changes have been so as. Maxing out the peak channels’ ranges was a should for my room, however nonetheless not sufficient by itself. To essentially hear these channels, the system quantity degree wanted to be at the least 50%. Something much less merely didn’t ship.
Listening place issues too: even leaning ahead versus leaning again on my sofa might considerably have an effect on the complete encompass expertise. That is the place a calibration system can be worthwhile. With out one, a whole lot of trial and error is required to get issues dialed in excellent.
The Milan additionally impressed me with its music expertise. Soundbars are typically tuned for film and TV soundtracks, emphasizing highs and lows. However the Milan’s midrange definition is on level. Much more stunning for a encompass sound system is how good its two-channel stereo mode proved to be. It doesn’t measure as much as a devoted hi-fi stereo system just like the Klipsch The Sevens, however so far as soundbars go, it’s an amazing expertise.
Higher but, these have been my observations whereas listening through Bluetooth — arguably the weakest of all the Milan’s sources when it comes to constancy. Taking part in Dolby Atmos Music through Tidal on an Apple TV 4K proved much more pleasant. If you happen to occur to be a Taylor Swift fan, you must take a look at the Dolby Atmos model of her 1989 (Taylor’s Model) album. Music on the Milan is so good that I’m a bit of depressed that Platin didn’t give it a Wi-Fi connection for wi-fi streaming of lossless audio with out the necessity for a wise TV or streaming system.
So, what about that WiSA stuff? WiSA has two most important benefits: It doesn’t add any extra compression to your audio, and it’s quick — there’s little or no latency. Provided that the soundbar’s connection to your TV makes use of HDMI or optical, the latency half is sort of irrelevant. In case your surrounds or sub have a barely longer delay, you’re unlikely to note. Dialogue is the place we’re most delicate to latency, and that half is dealt with by the primary soundbar.
That leaves compression. Once more, surrounds and subs are there to fill your house with the additional immersive elements of a soundtrack. They’re not the primary occasion. Furthermore, you’d should be taking part in a film on Extremely 4K Blu-ray in Dolby TrueHD for this to be a difficulty — just about all different encompass sound sources you’ll use are already compressed. Can WiSA be sure that you’re getting the absolute best audio? Completely. You simply won’t discover when utilizing the Milan.
The underside line? The Milan 5.1.4 is a really succesful Dolby Atmos soundbar system that’s simple to arrange and use. For motion pictures and TV exhibits, particularly with Dolby Atmos soundtracks, it would remodel even comparatively giant rooms into full residence theaters.
It has a beneficiant variety of inputs, and every speaker, from the soundbar to the subwoofer, has been sized to suit into a wide range of room configurations with out sacrificing sound high quality.
The absence of a distant management is annoying at instances. Until you’re strictly controlling TV quantity through HDMI, you’ll have to hold your cellphone available to entry the Milan app. That is very true throughout your first few weeks, one thing that would have been addressed with a room calibration characteristic.
Nonetheless, these minor gripes apart, the Milan 5.1.4 is a good way to improve your TV room with Dolby Atmos at a value that’s very aggressive with options from Vizio, LG, Samsung, and others.
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