Ceiling and Wall Mounted Surround Sound System

[snpiee]

Hi,

I'm very new to the home audio stuff and was hoping to get some advice from some experienced people on here.

I'm trying to set up a surround sound system. I got a projector that I want the sound system to go with for watching movies/etc. Since this is in a room that is also used for other things like playing air hockey, etc, I'm thinking about using the in-wall and/or ceiling mount speakers so that they are not in the way.

What I'm wondering is if the in-wall speakers are just as good? Reading some stuff online it seems like the speaker cabinet design plays a big role in sound quality of the speaker so how does the space between studs in the wall and drywall affects the speaker sound quality? Or are the in-wall speakers designed somehow so that the wall material/space doesn't really matter?

Also I've seen some examples of sound systems with most speakers mounted in the ceiling. Wouldn't it seem like the sound is coming from above and sound weird?

By the way, I'm planing on using an existing receiver that i have: Onkyo TX-SR506 for a 5.1 or 7.1 system. I don't have speakers yet. I'm not looking for something fancy just decent sound.

Thanks in advance!

 

[WaynePflughaupt]

No, in-wall speakers are not as good as comparably-priced free-standing speakers.

You’ve heard right that the speaker cabinet plays in important role in a speaker’s design, specifically the cabinet’s rigidity. If the cabinet is not rigid enough if will resonate at certain frequencies (i.e. the ones that “exite” that particular cabinet), and the sound quality will be colored at those frequencies.

As you can surely imagine, sheetrock does not exactly make for a rigid enclosure. These issues can be overcome with proper design, but that comes at a price. Take a given good-sounding normal speaker, an in-wall of comparable sound quality will probably cost twice as much, if not more.

And yes in-ceiling is generally a bad idea, especially for the front three speakers. However, they can work okay for the rear speakers, if they are situated reasonably close to the seating.

One thing to keep in mind with in-wall speakers: You better get it right the first time, because there is no re-arranging the room or “tweaking” their respective locations once they’re in (e.g. higher or lower, further apart or closer together).

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[snpiee]

OK, so I picked up a pair of Infinity Composition Overture 3 speakers from a local craigslist seller for $150. I thought it was a decent deal no? Haven't tested them yet but really looking forward to doing so. Do you guys think these are good speakers for a home theater when paired with a center and surrounds? Speaking of center and surrounds can someone please recommend what would work well with these speakers? Or it doesn't matter much? Do I have to match certain spec? Thanks!

 

[snpiee]

So, I finally hooked up the Infinity Overture 3 speakers to my Onkyo TX-SR506 and played some music. Honestly, I don't see much difference from my Creative Inspire 6600 system which has 6 tiny speakers and small sub. Infinities do have more bass that's for sure. I'm surprised that Creative speakers that were less than $200 new are pretty close to speakers that were over $2k new!