In Wall / Ceiling Speakers.. Suggestions needed

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mrhaboobi

165 posts

Master Geek

#99581 22-Mar-2012 10:46

Hi Guys

As part of the new house build im considering doing away with the traditional floor standing fronts and wall mounted rears, and heading to a enclosed set of wall/ ceiling speakers.

Currently use Polk Audio RT6 fronts , a polk center, and Mission Dipole rears, driven by a marantz amp. The amp needs to be replaced as its old and doesnt do any HDMI connectors..

Can anyone tell me what they think of in wall options, are these at a point where they are suitable for lounge rooms or are they still just used for music distribution to the bathroom and bedrooms?

Are inwall or in ceiling better? and if you have a suggestion on brand then that would be good. Lets play a fun game of money is no issue ( realistically its a huge issue ), im just interested to see what i need to spend to get a good quality 7.1 set up in the lounge.

Cheers

scotteffone

215 posts

Master Geek

#598579 22-Mar-2012 10:57

My personal opinion is more of an aesthetic one. I think in wall speakers look ugly compared to some nice floor standers. In wall/ceiling I think is perfect for smaller rooms where you want music distribution and can zone them.

I can't really answer your quality issue since I haven't heard enough in wall set ups.

On the plus side they are unlikely to be stolen!

Jaxson

8044 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#598614 22-Mar-2012 12:15

mrhaboobi: Can anyone tell me what they think of in wall options

There has been quite a bit on this, just have a look around, do a search.
eg
http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=34&topicid=98541
http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=34&topicid=22442
http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=34&topicid=30433

Dunnersfella

4086 posts

Uber Geek

#598877 22-Mar-2012 23:22

I would highly recommend NOT going cheap on in-wall speakers.
Put simply, they're not easy to replace if they're not up to the job - and the quality varies wildly.
There are definitely some cheapies out there, but they seldom sound any good.
Also, before you put in-wall or in-ceiling speakers in, make sure you / your significant other doesn't like re-arranging the room every few weeks / years. As the in-ceiling and in-wall varieties mean the TV / home theatre can only be positioned in one way.
My favourite (sound wise) would have to be from B&W, but what model, well I can't remember to be honest. But some of their in-wall subs give amazing bass, and with the amplifier outside of the wall (in your rack), it makes for a much easier to service unit if things go pear shaped!

As the thickness of a standard wall often won't allow for large speaker boxes - many designs will use a large chunk of the wall cavity to increase performance, please consider this prior to organising placement, as studs and dwangs can often get in the way.

Personally, I'd stick with floor standers, but that's just me.

richms

28192 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#599553 24-Mar-2012 19:06

Also check if you need 6" studs before buying, not all will fit into 4" and if you have an internal wall with 3" then forget it.

Richard rich.ms

Phexx

415 posts

Ultimate Geek

#599558 24-Mar-2012 19:24

Personally, I'd stick with floor standers, but that's just me.

As would I. We have ceiling speakers installed in our beach house.

Personally I really miss a traditional 5.1/7.1 setup, especially when watching movies. Music also sounds empty in terms of bass (I am used to plenty of it ;)).

I have no experience with embedded wall speakers, however I would imagine they would offer a better experience, just my 2c.

Camden

115 posts

Master Geek

#599626 24-Mar-2012 22:39

Our lounge system is a 5.1 unit and we have stand mount left and right speakers,a centre under the tv panel and a sub sits beside the tv cabinet.The rears are 250mm dia B&W in ceiling speakers.They are about 7 years old now and do the job for effects channels very well.We sometimes have the volume up a bit for films like Avatar and Star wars etc and the surround sound quality is extremly good.
I have a pair of 150mm B&W in wall speakers in the dining room for music. I use them for sky music channels,Cd's and concert programme during the day and though not as good as a decent pair of bookshelf speakers,they are more than adaquit for what I use them for.Because they are in wall mounted
they are unobtrusive,out of the way and no cables on show.
The games room has floor mounted left and right speakers,centre under the tv panel,sub sitting on floor beside the tv cabinet and two bookshelf speakers mounted on swivel wall brackets just under ceiling level.Ran all the wire before gib went up so no unsitely cables on view.
I am pleased with both systems and both were designed to fit the purpose of use and fit the decor.
I think that if you want the big dynamic sound with plenty of base and high volume settings,go for the free standing speaker system at least for the fronts and sub and use in wall or in ceiling for the rears if you want to keep the room less clutered with speakers.
If you decide to go in ceiling speakers check out the ones that have swivel tweeters so that the sound can be focused on the seating position.