yak
Enthusiast
Are their any other models you suggest I consider or none compare to these?Without a doubt.
Are their any other models you suggest I consider or none compare to these?Without a doubt.
these aren’t getting reviewed by professionals because in ceilings are the most difficult speaker to get reviewed. You can’t ask someone to cut a hole in their ceiling and then patch it.@gene I have to say that Perlisten Make some fine speakers. They also have a fine price tag. It's hard to find any reviews on these in-ceiling speakers. I have to question them however when I don't see any reviews anywhere about these makes me wonder why. Truly, if they were best in class we would see a lot more information about them.
I am not questioning measurements or the companies quality of speakers as they have a reputation that Is pretty incredible. That doesn't mean however that these speakers are best of best or best bag for buck, that's for sure.
I would have loved to have seen some more in-depth reviews and testing on them, even from independent YouTubers or websites as well. Maybe I am missing A few but trying to find owners or users that actually purchased these speakers is another thing.
As Gene already said. There is no equivalence. This is nothing more than a regular bookshelf design stuck in an angled box. No computer optimization was done. The design is fairly mediocre by today’s standards. It’s fine for $500. It’s not anywhere near the performance of the Perlisten.These InCeiling speakers from Triad have excellent dispersion and are angled at 45 degrees. At $497 MSRP each, they are far less expensive than Perlisten. Triad will also paint the speaker grill any color you like for free.
If Perlisten is in your price range. It’s as good as it gets. I’ve not seen anything better.Are their any other models you suggest I consider or none compare to these?
Thank you for such a detailed and honest assessment, Matthew. We always appreciate your insights, particularly on products like Perlisten that you've thoroughly tested.these aren’t getting reviewed by professionals because in ceilings are the most difficult speaker to get reviewed. You can’t ask someone to cut a hole in their ceiling and then patch it.
I think there have been some fine reviews of them on forums.
There isn’t much to say. They took the S4 and R4 and put it into a fully optimized in ceiling. The aiming is built in which is superior to mounting a bookshelf on the ceiling since it dramatically reduced diffraction effects. Otherwise the performance equals the S4 and R4. The measurements they show are honest. They come from a Klippel. Very good.
they cost what they cost because of the material costs. Aluminum enclosures with state of the art drivers and crossovers are expensive. If the bookshelf is $3500, why would the in-ceiling be any cheaper? Nothing changed to make it cheaper.
I’ve been planning to upgrade my in-ceilings to these to make a fully matching system in my room. Just competing priorities. Nobody is getting these for free.
I’ve put them into quite a few jobs and tuned a lot of systems using them.Thank you for such a detailed and honest assessment, Matthew. We always appreciate your insights, particularly on products like Perlisten that you've thoroughly tested.
The challenge of reviewing in-ceiling speakers makes perfect sense—it's not practical to expect reviewers to install and remove multiple ceiling speakers for testing. A dedicated testing facility would be ideal, but I understand why that's not commonly available.
What makes the research particularly challenging is that most user experiences are scattered across forum replies rather than dedicated reviews. Unlike traditional speakers, subwoofers, or amplifiers where we have extensive professional measurements and comparisons, Atmos ceiling speaker choices often come down to manufacturer specs and scattered user experiences.
I've thoroughly enjoyed your Perlisten reviews; their engineering approach is impressive. While their price point was beyond my initial home theater upgrade, I'm seriously considering their in-ceiling speakers for a future upgrade for atmos speakers.
Thanks again for sharing your expertise; it's invaluable when making these decisions.
Really appreciate the detailed breakdown, Matthew. Your insights about computer modeling and acoustic design really highlight why there's such a significant difference between price tiers. The point about Comsol modeling vs. intuition-based design is particularly enlightening.If Perlisten is in your price range. It’s as good as it gets. I’ve not seen anything better.
If it’s not, then you just have to find something else you like. The other stuff won’t be similar for less. There is not diminishing returns version for $500-$1000. A lot of the angled in ceilings are suboptimal. Trying to aim the main lobe without distorting it is hard. Intuition and experience doesn’t work. The top designs are done using sophisticated modeling software like Comsol. Most companies lack the expertise to do that and can’t afford or refuse to pay for an outside consultant to do that.
the cheaper options from Triad and Focal are ok. For $500-$1500, they are probably better options than some other similar priced speakers. But they aren’t Perlisten for less. They are substantially inferior…period.
I don’t think they have an aimed version. But a friend of mine who is a professional computer modeling expert in acoustics consulted for Sonance on their VXT series. It’s technically quite good. Their measurement’s that I saw looked compelling. The lower priced stuff isn’t as good sounding as the higher priced stuff. I have the older series bottom and top of the line. The top of the line is ok, not bad sounding. The bottom of the line is garbage.
my favorite in ceiling is Kef when I don’t spec Perlisten. The upper end models are quite good. Very good measured performance. Good sound. Again, the lower end series sounds inferior to the higher end stuff. Any of the THX stuff sounds quite good. A story was relayed to me that the 8” THX model was so favored by a studio director in Hollywood that he made his own monitors using those drivers. When Kef found out they made him custom monitors using that driver. He’s outfitted his Dolby Atmos studio with those. If the story is true, I suspect it’s a nearfield mixing room, they wouldn’t have the output for a farfield room. But it does speak to how good they are.
Your insights about Perlisten have been incredibly helpful. They were actually my first choice for the entire system, but budget realities pushed me toward my current setup (which I'm still very happy with). Sounds funny, but starting with their in-ceiling speakers might be my gateway into eventually going full Perlisten.I’ve put them into quite a few jobs and tuned a lot of systems using them.
I recently did a 9.4.6 system that was all Perlisten R series in walls. R5i LCRs, R4i wides and surrounds, and R3Ci for the ceiling speakers. The processor was a Trinnov Altitude 16. I did Waveforming for the bass and optimizer for the rest of the did a bit of fine tuning. But in the end the best sound involved stopping the Optimizer from correcting above 1khz. The natural response of the Perlistens was excellent and sounded great untouched.
I tune a lot of systems for Trinnov and it always amazes me how much better the rooms are using Perlisten. There are a set of brands that I find consistently lead to predictable excellent results. Others are often totally hit or Miss and can be a lot harder to fix.
if it can make any plea here to all of you reading it. Whoever started the trend of pushing the use of the Amazon Basics in ceiling speaker should be taken out back and shot. Those that followed, please upgrade. To anything else. They are complete garbage. They are so bad that when I calibrate the rooms that have them, they overload form the calibration signals. They not only measure terrible, they overload very easily. It would be one thing if you bought cheap Amazon basics speakers all around. But I’ve done sysyems with Revel, JBL Synthesis, Perlisten, and Kef for the LCRs and surrounds, but Amazon Basics for the tops. We need to get away from the old mindset that top speakers are for atmospherics. That isn’t true. Every channel in Atmos is a full bandwidth full dynamic range channel. If they want it to sound like a tank runs over you. Guess where the tank sounds go. It is true that the LCR will still take the bulk of the lift. But it isn’t true that the surrounds and tops produce bandwidth and dynamically limited content only. It’s full bandwidth. Every speaker in a home theater should sound the same and needs high output.
In general the biggest benefits come from a fully timbre matched system. Revel makes a decent speaker so I would do their in ceiling if I was trying to match what you have. It’s not the best in ceiling but it’s very good. I wish it was aimed.Really appreciate the detailed breakdown, Matthew. Your insights about computer modeling and acoustic design really highlight why there's such a significant difference between price tiers. The point about Comsol modeling vs. intuition-based design is particularly enlightening.
Your experience with KEF's higher-end models is especially intriguing given my current setup:
* Trinnov 16
* Buckeye 3ch NCx500
* Buckeye 6ch NC502MP
* Revel PerformaBe F328Be, 426be, M126
* 2x JTR Captivator RS2
* 4x RSL C34E MKII (temporary)
Given the quality of my Revel PerformaBe system, I definitely understand your point about not trying to find a "budget version" of top-tier performance. The Perlisten, higher-end KEF THX models, and the Sonance VXT series seem to be standing out as serious contenders that would complement my current system without compromising performance.
That Hollywood studio KEF story is fascinating - it really speaks to their engineering prowess, especially in the THX line. Between your experiences with KEF and Perlisten, which would you lean toward for a Revel PerformaBe-based system like mine? I'm particularly interested in timber matching considerations.
Thanks again for sharing such detailed technical insights - it's helping me narrow down my options with much more confidence.
Here was my initial list of starting points: I assume you probably would cross off most of the stuff in the premium tier.
Premium Tier ($1000-1999 per speaker)
- Bowers & Wilkins CCM7.5 S2: $1,000
- ELAC Vertex Series III IC-VJ63-W: $1,000
- JBL Synthesis SCL-8 2: $1,000
- KEF Ci200RR-THX: $1,000
- Focal 1000 ICA6: $1,050
- Martin Logan Motion XTC8-HT: $1,099
- Perlisten R2ic: $1,295
- Klipsch THX-5002-S: $1,499
- Revel C128Be: $1,500
- Sonance VX86R Visual Experience Series 8: $1,750
- Martin Logan Masterpiece CI Sistine 4XC: $1,999
Ultra Premium Tier ($2000+ per speaker)
- Bowers & Wilkins CCM7.3 S2: $2,100
- Perlisten R3ic: $2,195
- JBL Synthesis SCL-5: $2,200
- Focal 1000 ICLCR5: $2,000-2,500
- KEF Ci250RRM-THX Ci-R: $2,500
- Bowers & Wilkins CCM8.5 D: $3,200
- Perlisten S3ic: $3,495
Thank you Matt, I really appreciate you taking the time. Have yourself a great rest of the week and a holiday season and look forward to watching more of your videos!In general the biggest benefits come from a fully timbre matched system. Revel makes a decent speaker so I would do their in ceiling if I was trying to match what you have. It’s not the best in ceiling but it’s very good. I wish it was aimed.
the back story in the JBL synthesis was that they needed a ceiling speaker for their new demo room. It needed to be timbre matched. They wanted to minimize diffraction and SBIR problems. So they developed that in ceiling. It’s not perfect but it got the job done. I applaud the engineering that went into it. I’ve used it and talked to their engineering team for ways to optimize it. I am surprised that same thinking didn’t trickle over to Revel. It’s a different engineering team but there must be some institutional knowledge across Harman on this.
I’ve argued with Kef about aiming quite a bit. They believe that aiming is not needed when the dispersion is so wide and even. While I get their point. It’s still of value.
in your lowest price tier the KEF Ci200RR-THX is the best option for sure.
The Revels are a better timbre match but I do think the Kef is a better design. I’ve not heard the Revels and they may be a great in ceiling. If you can do the extra $500 each, do those.
yes the Perlisten R3ic is the best speaker in this group (and S3ic better yet) but I wouldn’t do those unless you plan a full Perlisten system.
Yes yes yes yes yesI’ve put them into quite a few jobs and tuned a lot of systems using them.
I recently did a 9.4.6 system that was all Perlisten R series in walls. R5i LCRs, R4i wides and surrounds, and R3Ci for the ceiling speakers. The processor was a Trinnov Altitude 16. I did Waveforming for the bass and optimizer for the rest of the did a bit of fine tuning. But in the end the best sound involved stopping the Optimizer from correcting above 1khz. The natural response of the Perlistens was excellent and sounded great untouched.
I tune a lot of systems for Trinnov and it always amazes me how much better the rooms are using Perlisten. There are a set of brands that I find consistently lead to predictable excellent results. Others are often totally hit or Miss and can be a lot harder to fix.
if it can make any plea here to all of you reading it. Whoever started the trend of pushing the use of the Amazon Basics in ceiling speaker should be taken out back and shot. Those that followed, please upgrade. To anything else. They are complete garbage. They are so bad that when I calibrate the rooms that have them, they overload form the calibration signals. They not only measure terrible, they overload very easily. It would be one thing if you bought cheap Amazon basics speakers all around. But I’ve done sysyems with Revel, JBL Synthesis, Perlisten, and Kef for the LCRs and surrounds, but Amazon Basics for the tops. We need to get away from the old mindset that top speakers are for atmospherics. That isn’t true. Every channel in Atmos is a full bandwidth full dynamic range channel. If they want it to sound like a tank runs over you. Guess where the tank sounds go. It is true that the LCR will still take the bulk of the lift. But it isn’t true that the surrounds and tops produce bandwidth and dynamically limited content only. It’s full bandwidth. Every speaker in a home theater should sound the same and needs high output.
Few in-ceiling speakers match the dynamic capabilities and low distortion of the Perlisten's but I do really like the Paradigm Elite 80-A. I use 6 of them in my family room system along with Perlisten S7ti mains and S5c center and the system blends incredibly well. I have the option of changing out the Paradigms to Perlisten but don't find the need to since I'm very happy with the results. I rarely stress the system to its limits but they've never let me down so far.Are their any other models you suggest I consider or none compare to these?
@gene I really like the Focal ICLCR5's both the 300 and the 1000 seriesFew in-ceiling speakers match the dynamic capabilities and low distortion of the Perlisten's but I do really like the Paradigm Elite 80-A. I use 6 of them in my family room system along with Perlisten S7ti mains and S5c center and the system blends incredibly well. I have the option of changing out the Paradigms to Perlisten but don't find the need to since I'm very happy with the results. I rarely stress the system to its limits but they've never let me down so far.
check them out: https://www.paradigm.com/en/in-ceiling-speakers/ci-elite-e80-a-v2
I've got 6 of the new 815/RL in-ceiling speakers in my primary theater room and found them to be a good upgrade to the 615 to better match the dynamics of their box speakers. You should check them out as well, though they are still not up to the best Perlisten in-ceiling speakers, IMO.@gene I really like the Focal ICLCR5's both the 300 and the 1000 series
Although they won't be able to keep up with the Perlistens what speakers really could? They do really well in my room with my RBH setup. About the only in ceiling speakers I found that could keep up with that RBH system and they blend in very well.
Thanks Gene and Matthew for the great advice on the Perlisten in-ceiling speakers! After our discussion, I'm definitely going to start my Perlisten journey here.I've got 6 of the new 815/RL in-ceiling speakers in my primary theater room and found them to be a good upgrade to the 615 to better match the dynamics of their box speakers. You should check them out as well, though they are still not up to the best Perlisten in-ceiling speakers, IMO.
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SI-815/RL
Signature 2-way in-ceiling speaker, Visage frameless design • 8" silver aluminum woofers; Reference AMT Tweeter (PRICE PER SINGLE)www.rbhsound.com
Those look very nice it would be great to have an all RBH system I will check them out for sure thanks for the link!I've got 6 of the new 815/RL in-ceiling speakers in my primary theater room and found them to be a good upgrade to the 615 to better match the dynamics of their box speakers. You should check them out as well, though they are still not up to the best Perlisten in-ceiling speakers, IMO.
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SI-815/RL
Signature 2-way in-ceiling speaker, Visage frameless design • 8" silver aluminum woofers; Reference AMT Tweeter (PRICE PER SINGLE)www.rbhsound.com