Best flat box speakers that go ON-ceiling for Dolby Atmos

[DrJohnRead]

Does anyone have any experience meeting the following:

1. Nice full range speakers to support Dolby Atmos
2. Able to be secured ONTO the ceiling; I am thinking lugs that protrude outside of the box to secure it or a nice bracket
3. Side access for cabling by trunking across the ceiling (nice flat conduit)

I am currently looking at Bose Cubes using the brackets, or Outdoor speakers.

I don't own the ceiling and can't insert speakers into their ceiling.

Much appreciate any advice and especially installation experience you may have to share.

 

[BMXTRIX]

Almost any bookshelf speaker can be ceiling mounted with a mounting bracket into a stud.
Bose stuff is pretty well proven to be junk, so that's not where your money should go.

Depending on the height you can get away with, there is a long list of speakers which may fit your criteria, and I would go look at and listen to different models.

The Def-Tech Pro Cinema speakers have some nice diminutive models which may work well, and certainly are a cut above Bose.

 

[DrJohnRead]

Thanks. I'll take a look at your s

Almost any bookshelf speaker can be ceiling mounted with a mounting bracket into a stud.
Bose stuff is pretty well proven to be junk, so that's not where your money should go.

Depending on the height you can get away with, there is a long list of speakers which may fit your criteria, and I would go look at and listen to different models.

The Def-Tech Pro Cinema speakers have some nice diminutive models which may work well, and certainly are a cut above Bose.

Thanks I'll take a look at your
suggestions.

 

[SurvivalDad]

I dropped a simple bookshelf set in my ceiling. Works great. Just make sure the mount is sold and your golden.

 

[DrJohnRead]

I dropped a simple bookshelf set in my ceiling. Works great. Just make sure the mount is sold and your golden.

Key criteria mentioned you may have overlooked...
"I don't own the ceiling and can't insert speakers into their ceiling."

 

[witchdoctor]

I have the same issue and am looking at Gallo Micro's or Cambridge Minx.

 

[DrJohnRead]

I have the same issue and am looking at Gallo Micro's or Cambridge Minx.

Cool.

I checked out these and notice the following specs for the Cambridges:

Minx Min 11: 150Hz-20kHz
Minx Min 21: 120Hz-20kHz

One of the criteria by Dolby is full range speakers.

I found these:
Simplifi Audio flat box speakers
Mini: 70-25K
Which have mounting and cabling issues...

Or these that use a bracket that I don't like either...(fail to provide a sound and vibration free base for the speaker, like securing the speaker flat to the ceiling would)
See visualapex dot com.

I have been looking at another strategy, using surround speakers and even considering dipolar speakers.
See for example these:
Defitive Tech speakers
Again though, these have mounting and cabling issues as well.

I am also toying with simply having a local wood carpenter make up a bracket base that can serve as the secure foundation and provide the space behind for cable lugs. Frankly though I just don't understand why no speaker manufacturer or indeed Dolby themselves haven't engaged with speaker designers to address this requirement of the Dolby Atmos system.

Typical installations I've seen to date have either been by building a false ceiling to mount in-ceiling speakers or use brackets that look ugly and create a speaker that hangs off the ceiling like they do in a cinema setting. Neither of these account for our application requirements and meet anyone who lives in a rented property's (apartment, house, whatever) needs.

This site prevents me from inserting the actual website addresses.

 

[witchdoctor]

The 21's were rated 5 star http://www.soundandvision.com/content/cambridge-audio-minx-S325v2-speaker-system

and are on sale at Crutchfield for $99 (regular $179)
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-JfhXU69iX1D/p_779MINX21B/Cambridge-Audio-Minx-Min-21-Black.html

mounts are $25 a pair and you get a 60 day return policy.
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_779MPWM/Cambridge-Audio-Minx-400M-Black.html

 

[witchdoctor]

The key thing for ceiling speakers is dispersion to avoid hot spots and these are supposed to have excellent dispersion.

 

[DrJohnRead]

The key thing for ceiling speakers is dispersion to avoid hot spots and these are supposed to have excellent dispersion.

Yes maybe...then again maybe not. Point sources in the Dolby set up are fundamental to moving the sound around...so an array of point sources will likely achieve better results than a single wide dispersion unit, but it is hard to describe a 3D phenomena in words here. There are many factors at play, height, floor space - distance from front to back walls, surfaces, layout and so forth.

I'm still not resolved on the best layout in my apartment yet...one direction is narrow but provides a back wall, the other axis is open at the back, so it doesn't contain the sound but is much longer...and faces a window, so a drop down screen becomes doable...and none of this is mine, its a rental apartment.

You've caused me to reconsider my plans for layout and this has been useful. Imagine a shoebox rectangle. I can either project across the box at one end or shoot from the top one third to the far end, giving a longer screen throw and speaker space, allowing 4 rather than 2 atoms ceiling speakers, and I think I favour this design, because of the ability to move sound in the space.

Thanks for the reference.

 

[DrJohnRead]

here's the Dolby speaker configuration picture...so where can we buy speakers that look like the one's shown on (not in) the ceiling I wonder?? ;-)

Mmmm...I'm not seeing the pic I loaded here and guess you may see a blank graphic also...d'rat!

 

[Cos]

Goldeneye Supersat 3. Very small speaker, can be mounted easily to ceiling and then can be easily Angeles to the right listening position.

 

[witchdoctor]

I almost bought these yesterday to use as my Atmos ceiling speakers. Great price, great size and you can get the right mount's on Amazon for cheap. What held me back is I just don't want to run speaker cables along my ceiling and may have to use another solution:
https://app.audiogon.com/listings/monitors-tannoy-arena-lite-5-0-silver-nib-exceptional-for-music-cinema-2015-03-29-speakers-80108-castle-rock-co

 

[DrJohnRead]

I see these:

Tannoy Arena Lite 5.0 Silver NIB, exceptional for Music & Cinema
Read more at https://app.audiogon.com/listings/monitors-tannoy-arena-lite-5-0-silver-nib-exceptional-for-music-cinema-2015-03-29-speakers-80108-castle-rock-co#UqE8SliIiXWapjPU.99

And I found these:
SANUS WMS5
Tilt and Swivel Speaker Wall Mount for satellite speakers

The Tannoys above are cable fed so I don't understand your other solution...yet, please elaborate.

Bluetooth maybe?

I am still stuck on cables but find the flattest conduit and speaker cables probably flat cables - there are so many like this one:

http://www.nordost.com/products/speaker-cables/flatline/2-flat-speaker-cable.php

 

[witchdoctor]

I am going to have to mount larger bookshelf speakers on 7 ft tall stands high near the ceiling in front. I have a pair of $1800 Paradigm Active 20's already that match the rest of my other speakers. They are huge and heavy so I will be using the type of stands a DJ would use at a party.
http://www.audioholics.com/news/pmc-speakers-team-up-with-auro-3d-for-immersive-surround/image_view_fullscreen
I initially didn't want to go that route but it seems easier than running speaker cables across my ceiling plus I already have the other active Paradigm series in my system. As for the rear height channels I will likely use the upfiring kind.

As for cables the guys at www.partsexpress.com are pretty good at making recommendations for reasonably prices sugestion.

 

[DrJohnRead]

Mmmm interesting option. Good luck with it. Thanks for the cable suggestion too. So far the swivel mount and some full range as possible spkrs is one feasible option for me.

 

[James Martin II]

I was looking to ask the same question for Atmos on ceiling speakers. Great info. I am looking at thepolkaudio owm3 they look pretty thin and have a 2 key holes for
mounting flat.

 

[Irishman]

Does anyone have any experience meeting the following:

1. Nice full range speakers to support Dolby Atmos
2. Able to be secured ONTO the ceiling; I am thinking lugs that protrude outside of the box to secure it or a nice bracket
3. Side access for cabling by trunking across the ceiling (nice flat conduit)

I am currently looking at Bose Cubes using the brackets, or Outdoor speakers.

I don't own the ceiling and can't insert speakers into their ceiling.

Much appreciate any advice and especially installation experience you may have to share.

Do you own an Atmos receiver? How many Atmos speakers does it support?

When you say "full range", please tell me you don't mean a speaker that must play back 20-20,000hz? You can ignore the Dolby recommendation there, because to them, full range doesn't mean full range.

Brand wise, you can try the Emptek mini bookshelves. They're quite small.

So are the Ascend Acoustic HTM2000SEs, and NHT Superzeros. Inexpensive, and great sound.

But, ideally, you want to match the timbre of your existing speakers. What do you have?

 

[rojo]

here's the Dolby speaker configuration picture...so where can we buy speakers that look like the one's shown on (not in) the ceiling I wonder?? ;-)

Mmmm...I'm not seeing the pic I loaded here and guess you may see a blank graphic also...d'rat!

I think Dr. John meant to link this image:

Goldeneye Superstat 3. Very small speaker, can be mounted easily to ceiling and then can be easily Angeles to the right listening position.

I think Cos meant the Goldenear SuperSat, or possibly the Gold Gillette Superspeed? Golden calf sacrifice? Hard to tell.

These Klipsch flat panels look like they have some pretty interesting mount options -- key hole mount + threaded insert on the back (intended for brackets like these), and the base is removable. *shrug* I have very little idea of how they'd sound, though. I'm guessing it won't matter a whole lot, given that Atmos effects won't occur very frequently and that Dolby recommends a bank shot off the ceiling anyway. And when you get ready to move out, I'm sure you can mud the screw holes over in about ten minutes if it's a stark white ceiling.

 

[DrJohnRead]

I am also looking at the B&W mini's with the subwoofer and have asked B&W for advice on mounting to the ceiling. I auditioned the bass speaker recently and it was really good, a solid performer, the PV1D.