complete in wall 5.1 setup advice

[tbracher]

Hello all,

I've been reading the forums for quite some time but thought it may be best to finally post to ask the experts!

My wife and I are looking for an ultra clean minmal look and setup. We have a vt50 plasma and want to get the 5.1 setup next however all 5 speakers to be mounted in the wall. (woofer external)

The space is about 20' square with a large 25' ceiling, but not sure that matters.

Firstly, we want quality over cost saving. I guess we would be willing to spend $2000-$2500 on the speakers (more or less) if they were really killer. To be clear, we do NOT want external cabinet speakers...

What speakers would you guys suggest... discreet looking as possible... minimal and thin. Ideally the center channel would be as thin as possible so I can position the TV at eye level when seated... if the center was not more than 8" wide would do it, but the thinner the better!)

Lastly... can I mount speakers horizontally, even though they always show them vertically? That may be helpful to know for the front speakers...

THANK YOU in advance. Apologies if I was not supposed to post this here... I'm a rookie.

 

[panteragstk]

If the speakers have to be in wall I'm curious as to what you are referring to when you say "if the center was not more than 8" wide would do it, but the thinner the better!". In wall speakers will literally be in the wall. They are made to be flush with the wall, so I'm not sure why they would need to be thin?

Why would you want to mount them horizontally? Vertical position is most always preferred. The following article is referring to center speakers, but the same applies to speakers in general.
Vertical vs Horizontal Center Speaker Designs — Reviews and News from Audioholics

When looking at in-wall speakers one of the things to look for is if they are enclosed or not. What I mean is that some in-wall speakers will have a completely enclosed cabinet while others will simply be the front part of a speaker and the back will be totally open. With the speaker being totally open it will have to use the wall cavity as the cabinet. That has the potential to drastically alter the way the speaker sounds.

HTD, Emotiva, Definitive Technology, Klipsch, and many many other brands make in-wall speakers. EmpTek makes on-wall speakers that are very thin, and by their reputation on here they should be pretty good.

Auditioning speakers is one of the best things you can do, but with this type that isn't going to be all that easy. Most dealers carry them, but from my experience don't demo them all that much.