Need advice selecting in wall and in ceiling speakers

[Lak]

Moved into a new home that came pre-wired for a 6.1 home theater setup. I need advice in selecting the speakers. The front left and right are set up for in wall and the rear speakers are setup for in ceiling speakers. The woofer will be placed on floor. The room size is 22'(length-viewing distance:20')x 18' width. One side of the living room where the home theater will be setup is open to the kitchen on the right side -so setting up in wall speakers for rears in ruled out.

My previous setup was a Morduant Short Avant Premiere Speaker System -5.1(4 MS302, 1MS304, 1MS909W ) -my purchase was based on an excellent review from this site. It served me well and I am ready to move on -have to sell this one. I used this system with a Denon AVR3805 reciever -not sure if I should sell it.

Looked for reviews -the speakers that had reviews(RBH,theil,etc) were way out of my range and the speakers in my price range(polk,audio source, etc) don't have any professional reviews.

My price range is $1000 -$1500 for the speakers. I hope to reuse the reciever. Wondering if I should mount the speakers myself(no prior experience) or hire a professional. I live in the San Ramon, California. If you can recommend someone local -I would appreciate that too.

Thanks for your help.

 

[annunaki]

Does you budget include your subwoofer(s) as well??


Niles, Sonance, Emphasys, NXG, MTX, and others would all be good choices with that type of budget.

Is the wiring sticking out of the wall at the speaker locations? Are the speaker locations marked? If they are, doing it yourself is not that difficult of a job if you are somewhat handy or decent with your hands.

The receiver should work fine for powering an in-wall setup. PM me and I can discuss some different options for the speakers in more detail as to how they compare with what you are used to.

I would do a search for dealers on the Niles and Sonance websites to find dealers near you who would be able to assist you.

 

[Lak]

Thanks for your input.
I am hearing all these names(Niles,....) for the first time.
I would like to use the existing MS909W subwoofer if possible.
Yes, the wires are sticking out of walls at speaker locations. It is not unsightly as it has a temporary cover. Looks like I can do this.

Is there a reason to chose Niles over Sonance or vice versa ? I watch mostly movies on HT and hardly any music.

 

[mazersteven]

Is there a reason to chose Niles over Sonance or vice versa ?

Yes, sound quality. Every speaker will sound different from one another. That is why it is recommended that you audition before you purchase if it's possible.

Another vote for Niles

www.nilesaudio.com

http://www.nilesaudio.com/product_detail.php?recordID=In-Wall Loudspeakers&categoryID=Speakers&catcdID=1

http://www.nilesaudio.com/product_detail.php?recordID=Ceiling Mount Loudspeakers&categoryID=Speakers&catcdID=1

 

[mazersteven]

Another excellent company would be Speakercraft.

Do a search for dealers on the Speakercraft websites to find dealers near you who would be able to assist you.

www.speakercraft.com

 

[ParadigmDawg]

Yes, sound quality. Every speaker will sound different from one another. That is why it is recommended that you audition before you purchase if it's possible.

Another vote for Niles

www.nilesaudio.com

http://www.nilesaudio.com/product_detail.php?recordID=In-Wall Loudspeakers&categoryID=Speakers&catcdID=1

http://www.nilesaudio.com/product_detail.php?recordID=Ceiling Mount Loudspeakers&categoryID=Speakers&catcdID=1

I found it difficult to audition in-walls and in-ceilings. I find myself telling people that speakercraft are the best but when I think about it; it's because you told me they are

 

[mazersteven]

I found it difficult to audition in-walls and in-ceilings. I find myself telling people that speakercraft are the best but when I think about it; it's because you told me they are

That is why your rig has Sonance Symphony.

In-walls and In-ceilings can be auditioned at most decent Boutique Audio/Video, Custom Installer stores.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

That is why your rig has Sonance Symphony.

In-walls and In-ceilings can be auditioned at most decent Boutique Audio/Video, Custom Installer stores.

I didnt say I believed you...

Actually I would buy Speakercraft if I ever need any more in-ceilings. The Sonance sound really good and I got a good deal on them so I went with it.

So give me an example of a decent Boutique Audio/Video, Custom Installer store that carries Speaker Craft.

 

[mazersteven]

So give me an example of a decent Boutique Audio/Video, Custom Installer store that carries Speaker Craft.

http://www.tropicalvideosystems.com/index2.htm

 

[ParadigmDawg]

http://www.tropicalvideosystems.com/index2.htm

So they have all the in-ceilings that they sale installed into ceiling so you can hear them. My dealer has Paradigm, Sonance and one other installed for auditioning but that's it although he carries more brands.

 

[annunaki]

Sonance and Speakercraft are great brands and similar to one another in terms of philosophy and performance. They have been in the in-wall business for quite a long time. For me it would be the flip of a coin between them on their higher end offerings. However, I would have to include Niles in there now too, as they are becoming a major player in the in-wall game. Especially with their new Stagefront series of speakers. Theree sided coin anyone?



A side note:

If you call tech support for Emphasys, you get the guys at Speakercraft. They claim to "handle the tech support for them" but nothing else. They say the don't build the speaker but just handle the technical support for them. Seems a bit fishy to me

 

[mazersteven]

So they have all the in-ceilings that they sale installed into ceiling so you can hear them.

Yes they do. I sat there switching between speakers when I was auditioning.

 

[annunaki]

The two reputable dealers for custom installation around here have nearly all of their in-wall/ceiling product hooked up and ready to listen. It is actually quite nice.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

I feel ripped off....lol...

 

[mazersteven]

I feel ripped off....lol...

 

[GG386]

Here's a few more for the mix:
Martin Logan
Klipsch
Triad
Energy
Bohlander Graebner (B&G)
Atlantic Technology
Personnaly I nixed ML & Klipsch. Polks, B&G and Triads were similar with the edge going to Polk. Have not heard the AT or Energy lineup so I have no comment on those. Most inwalls need a backbox, so you may have to get into those stud bays anyway. To be honest, I don't know that an inwall can perform as well as free standing speaker, just something to think about. Another thing, their not too bashful for what they want for the inwalls, so the free standers become a little more attractive. Happy hunting