In-wall speaker suggestions

Forums › Home Theatre (including HTPC and EPG Collector) › In-wall speaker suggestions

athor

125 posts

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#280669 2-Jan-2021 09:58

I've moved into a new house which is wired for 5.1 surround. I'm wanting to install speakers that are in-wall/in-ceiling.

Ideally I'd like to spend $1000-$1500 on speakers (excl sub) total. Does anyone have any recommendations?

Also looking for receiver recommendations (around $1000 mark).

Thanks in advance!

rogercruse

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#2629175 2-Jan-2021 10:03

Sonos

athor

125 posts

Master Geek

#2629220 2-Jan-2021 10:08

Sonos would be a bit out of my price range I think (from what I can see it would be about $3k for all 5 speakers).

A few I'm looking at:

Wharfedale: https://www.jbhifi.co.nz/headphones-speakers-audio/wharfedale/wharfedale-wws-65-6-in-wall-custom-installation-speakers-pair/338961/

Klipsch: https://www.harveynorman.co.nz/tv-and-audio/audio/blu-ray-and-home-theatre/speakers/klipsch-professional-reference-6.5-in-wall-speaker.html

KEF: https://www.mightyape.co.nz/product/kef-ultra-thin-bezel-6-5-rectangular-in-wall-speaker/31429401

chevrolux

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#2629222 2-Jan-2021 10:11

Watching this with interest.

Anyone have thoughts on Klipsch? This range....
https://soundhub.co.nz/products/klipsch-ds160w?_pos=80&_sid=c54b88c67&_ss=r

Goosey

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#2629237 2-Jan-2021 10:45

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8yrBGjx8ok&feature=youtu.be

might help you?

ilovemusic

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#2629276 2-Jan-2021 12:49

Does it have to be in-wall ?

None of them sound any good compared to stand alone speakers.

The old Thiel Points were OK but expensive and no longer in production.

Sidestep

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#2629277 2-Jan-2021 12:52

chevrolux: Watching this with interest.

Anyone have thoughts on Klipsch? This range....
https://soundhub.co.nz/products/klipsch-ds160w?_pos=80&_sid=c54b88c67&_ss=r

I've got Klipsch in-wall 5.1 system that we've had for a couple of months - since we got them on Black Friday sale - and we're very happy so far.
We went with a basic set of speakers, slightly different range to the ones at your link, but not the Pro's, we had to fit a budget of $1500 (Canadian) for everything - including sub.

I've never had (or even heard!) in-wall speakers before but, due to a minimalist room design, freestanding speakers were out so the wife and I checked out different manufacturer's ranges installed.
We did like the general sound of the Klipsch speakers more overall but I'm not enough of an audiophile to notice a difference worth the extra $$ between their high end speakers and their more budget range.
Within the different manufacturers at our budget (also looked at Polk etc) we agreed there was a noticeable difference.

We mixed & matched a R-5502-W II as a centre, R-5650-W II's L & R and a pair of CDT-3650-C II in-Ceiling Speakers as rears.. not sure if Klipsch recommends this mix, but as I said I'm happy with how it sounds.
After checking out some in-wall subwoofers we went with a R-120SW freestanding one, which can hide in a corner of the room.

Mounting the speakers was super easy, cut the hole to the included template, insert speakers, twist screws, snap on magnetic covers.
Depth of the wall might be an issue for some, we'd double-gibbed the room which added another inch to the studs 3-1/2" so even the rears (4-1/2" depth) fitted in nicely.
Since the fronts are mounted on an external wall we also had to deal with insulation but figured that out...

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Dunnersfella

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#2630280 4-Jan-2021 17:40

rogercruse:

Sonos

🤣

In regards to the speaker you mentioned, the Klipsch are great, super easy to install (as per previous post) as they don't need to be screwed in and they are nice and efficient - so they won't tax an amplifier.

Make sure you consider speaker placement (a diagram of your room / TV height / viewing position will help).

Regarding an amplifier, this will come down to what your use-case is.

Are you a gamer?

Are you into TV / movies / music etc?

What devices do you want to plug in? XBox / Sky / Apple TV / Chromecast?

Basically, make sure the amplifier has enough inputs and can handle the resolution / frame rates to match your display (is it a TV or projector)?

Also, prepping the walls will help you. If you can put dynamat in the wall to stop sound leakage and run decent oxygen free copper cable (no super cheap alloy/copper hybrids).

tieke

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#2630286 4-Jan-2021 17:53

Not quite in-wall but I bought a set of white KEF T205 speakers when they dropped to under $1250 and they sound good and are very minimalist - would definitely recommend.