In-Wall / In-Ceiling Speaker Advice

[lulubell]

I'm in the final stages of designing an addition on my house, family room & kitchen. Looking at HT in family room and wire two other rooms for sound as well as wire outside.

I have some restrictions on placement of TV (plasma) and speakers. As such I'm considering an in-wall or in-ceiling solution. I'm a bit "old school" in thinking that great sound only comes from floor standing speakers. I'm sure technology has come a long way since I was last in the market for some gear but not up to speed on the latest and greatest.

Any adivce on in-wall vs. in ceiling? My biggest restriction is going to be my center channel speaker. I plan on mounting the TV over the fireplace (only real place it can go in the new room). Fireplace mantle height is approximately 5' (I might be able to drop that a few inches, but not much more). With that height coupled with a center channel speaker below and a 42" plasma, by the time I am done the TV will have to be mounted on the ceiling! As such I'm looking to mount the TV as low as possible to get the best viewing angle I can and going with an in-wall or in-ceiling solution. Room size will be approximately 16' x 18'. Budget is an issue but I'm willing to spend what is needed to get a nice system. I LOVE listening to music as well...rock, jazz, classical, so I'm looking for a system that sounds great cranking some good tunes or while watching a great movie (guess I want the best of both worlds).

Only mfrs I have looked at so far is Boston Acoustic and Speakercraft.

Any thoughts or advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[jaxvon]

RBH makes some very nice in-wall speakers.

Have you thought about going for some out-of-wall speakers in the front? Leon Speakers makes some cool speakers that are custom painted and made to exactly match the depth and color of your plasma TV. Just more options.

 

[AVRat]

Other options?

I second Jaxvon's reco about on-walls. Many manufactures offer products that will compliment your plasma. Another option would be to forego a center channel altogether. Let the receiver and L/R speakers take care of that for you. There is a good discussion on a previous thread. http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11769&highlight=center+channel

KEF offers in-ceilings that swing down upon receiving power as well as on-walls.

http://www.kef.com/products/ciseries/ci200qt.html
http://www.kef.com/KHT/KHT6000ACE/home.htm

This Old House's latest barn project used in-ceilings in a similar configration that you're thinking with 3 in-ceilings over the plasma as well as for surrounds. I like the sound quality that you can get from good quality in-wall/ceiling speakers. BA & Speakercraft fit into that category. BA also offers on-walls.

Other manufacturers to consider for both types:

B&W
Definitive Technolgy (my preference)
Paradigm
Polk
RBH
PSB

The other thing to take into account is that you will probably need a subwoofer to fill in the low-end of the frequency spectrum that these speaker types don't cover.

 

[AVRat]

Rest of system?

Do you already have a receiver in mind and do you have a handle on your other area wiring issues. There have been many questions lately on these subjects. Read what you can and if you still have ???, don't hesitate to ask. I've planned and supervised an installation similar to yours fairly recently. You might check my posts since most of my replies have been on these issues. This will also give you some idea of what others issues and responses are.

 

[lulubell]

Have not selected other components. Good news/bad news is I'm starting from scratch. Sub woofer would be a must, I agree. So are you suggesting on-wall for L/R, in-wall or in-ceiling for center (if at all) sub woofer and surround? I've read numerous posts about speakers and agree with the general theme that you need to go out and listen. I'm just a bit concerned about the quality of sound from in-wall/in-ceiling but it sounds from what you say is that you can get decent sound. Don't know if SpeakerCraft has a corner on the "aim-able" in-wall/in-ceiling solutions but that makes logical sense if they are going to be mounted up high on the wall (as mine most likely will).

Planning on wiring the family room for 5.1, wiring the kitchen, dining room and patio outside for audio. Due to budget I will probably only wire dining room and outside for now and defer speaker selection there. I'd rather sink the money in a nice system for the family room where I'll spend most of my listening time.

 

[AVRat]

System planning

Been researching. I would not recommend mixing type of speakers for the fronts. You may find that the on-walls are just not feasible. A center on stand on mantel is about 7” high. I think a 42” plasma w/o stand is about 26” high. If you decide on in-ceilings, make sure your architect/builder are aware for placement purposes.

Many manufacturers offer some aim-ability. Speakercraft offers the most flexibility with 17 degrees plus additional 30 degrees for tweeter. They are also a quality speaker. The AIM line configurations are the same (8” woof, 1” tweet), just the materials change as well as pricing. The AIM 1, 2 or 3 ($425, $625, $825/pr.) should work very nicely for you.

As far as receivers go, most mid-fi ($800+) 7.1 receivers offer 3 “Zone”/source capability. Since you are planning a 5.1 HT, you are able to use the extra 2 rear channels to power Zone 2. Zone 3 requires its own totally separate power amp. Some Yamahas have an additional Zone 1-B configuration option. What sort of configuration you set up really depends on how flexible and independent you want the system. Basically, you are planning 4 areas with 3 zones. Are you willing to combine 2 areas using 1 Zone/source? Ex. I have 3 areas (2 bedrooms, 1 outside) with volume controls on Zone 2.

Hope this sheds a little more light.

 

[lulubell]

Thanks

Thanks for the advice. Not looking for max flexibility (Regarding zones) at this time. If I want to do that down the road I can, $$ permitting. Getting close on pulling the trigger on this whole project, can't wait for the finished product! I am a music fanatic, but unfortunately this room is a "family room", not "dads room for listening to great music". As such, need to make some compromises but think I'm on the right track for a well balanced system.

Yamaha vs. Denon receivers...thoughts? Willing to spend around $1,000 in this department.

Thanks again for the advice.

 

[av-man]

Want the best?
www.triadspeakers.com

 

[AVRat]

Personally, I have an affinity for Denon and an aversion towards Yamaha receivers. There are many members on this site who go the other way. The processing of both are excellent. The Yamahas provide a little more power for the $$$. Models to look at:

Denon AVR-3805 $1000 (cruthfield.com)
Yamaha RX-V2500 $1000
Yamaha HTR-5890 $ 800 (Best Buy)

 

[Tallcane]

I am going through this same thought process. Mounting a plasma on a fireplace where wall thickness will not allow for in wall. Only choice would be on wall or in ceiling. I dont really have a problem with on wall but I do admit that the plasma will look really cool just hung by itself. Will the speakercraft in ceilings sound really good? My ceiling height is just over 8 feet which I think lends itself to in ceilings. Anyone have experience in this situation?

 

[jaxvon]

Even the best in-ceiling speakers that can be aimed to the listening position can't compete with quality in-walls or on-walls.