2. home-theater
  3. 127084-82136

In wall vs regular speakers?

Hi, I am designing a new HT room in the basement, and I am thinking of trying in wall speakers this time.  I have never had in wall speakers always preferred the usual tower/bookshelf speakers.

Can someone who has tried both tell me what to expect from in wall if compared to regular speakers.  Should I even go with in wall or stick with regular speakers.


Thanks!
stas12345
elevick
2,636 posts
 
The only in wall speakers I would consider are ones that are fully enclosed.  The Thiels sound great and even the QSC's that I have in ceiling only work because of their aluminum enclosures that leave nothing to your contractors to ruin.  They still can't match free standing speakers...in my opinion.
shadorne's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
shadorne
7,477 posts
 
+1 elevick

Check out PSB Custom Sound - these are fully enclosed in-walls and will compete with mid level audiophile setups and will look architecturally great!

I agree that non enclosed in-walls are not the best way to go.
auxinput
2,920 posts
 

Technically speaking, good points are that there won’t really be any tweeter refraction on the edges of a cabinet, since you are using the entire wall as a front panel. On the bad sad, there is little or no toe-in capability, which is critical to proper speaker alignment/beaming and can seriously affect imaging quality.

You can also look at the B&W CI 800 series. They do come with a black box that is, essentially, a sealed unit. However, it will require you to remove/replace drywall as the boxes are 42-65 inches in height (taller than the actual speaker/frame to give you more box volume). The positive side is that the B&W 800 series are vented woofer designs, which will have a better bass response.

auxinput
2,920 posts
 
My opinion is that in-wall speakers are a way to address convenience/space/cosmetic issues. You will always get better results with a standard cabinet speaker.
stas12345 OP
6 posts
 
Thanks everyone I think I will keep the regular speakers, I take it people use in wall to save space, in my case I think I have enough room, but will know for sure when I actually move in.
More to discover