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Monoprice 10565 (pictures): Superb-sounding speakers a little short on style

The Monoprice 10565 speaker system tops our longtime-favorite Energy Take Classic speakers in sound quality, but lacks their stylish look.

Matthew Moskovciak
Covering home audio and video, Matthew Moskovciak helps CNET readers find the best sights and sounds for their home theaters. E-mail Matthew or follow him on Twitter @cnetmoskovciak.
Matthew Moskovciak
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Monoprice 10565

Monoprice's last home theater speaker system was literally too good to be true: a near-clone of the outstanding Energy Take Classic 5.1 speakers ($350 street) for a fraction of the cost. The copycat 9774 speakers ended up as the subject of a lawsuit from Energy's parent company, Klipsch. The proceedings were settled out of court, and the 9774 speakers were discontinued.

Now the company is back with the 10565 speaker system ($249), with the same price, but a different look. The new speakers still share many of the same specs as the Energy speakers, but there are just enough differences that the two systems don't feel identical.

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Monoprice satellite speakers

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Monoprice satellite speakers

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Monoprice (left), Energy (right)

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Monoprice (left), Energy (right)

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Monoprice (left), Energy (right)

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Energy (left), Monoprice (right)

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Energy (left), Monoprice (right)

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Monoprice (left), Energy (right)

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Monoprice center channel

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Energy (top), Monoprice (bottom)

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Monoprice subwoofer

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Monoprice subwoofer

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Monoprice subwoofer

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Monoprice (left), Energy (right)

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Monoprice (left), Energy (right)

For more information, read the full review of the Monoprice 10565.

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