In Wall Speakers vs. Floorstanding Speakers

S

sdave16

Audiophyte
Hello all. I am new to the forum and have a basic question. I am in the early phases of designing my home theater and I am facing the decision to use In Wall Speakers vs. Floorstanding speakers.

Now I'd rather have in wall speakers due to floor space. But I consider my self a "prosumer" kind of audiophile and sound quality is important to me. The searches I have done here indicate a negative opinion of in walls, and I was wondering if you fine people could give me specifics as to why you don't like them.

I am having trouble finding reviews for in wall speakers and would like some feedback on the Paradigm AMS-LCR and AMS-150R series speakers or comparable (price and performance) speakers from other companies.

I Currently have a Marantz 7200 Reciever with the Energy Take 5 sound system and love it considering the price I paid. I have auditioned Paradigm and B&W and consider the B&W to have a higher quality sound, but not sure it is worth the premium price. Paradigm seems to have it locked in for me from a price/performance point of view.

My Project:
Room Dimensions: 9ft W x 18ft L x 9ft H
Speaker Budget: $4000 ~ $4500 (3 Front, 4 Surr, & 2 Subs)
Surround Setup Proposed: 7.2
Reciever: Marantz 7200 or may upgrade to a 6006.
Proposed Speakers to Use:
Paradigm AMS-LCRx3 for Fronts
Paradigm AMS-150Rx4 for Rear and Surrounds
Paradigm DSP-3200 for Subs

Thank you.
-David
 
S

sdave16

Audiophyte
Thanks Johnnythan

Space is a basement with a dedicated room for a home theater. Usage is primarily for Movies.
 
jonnythan

jonnythan

Audioholic Ninja
In-walls are difficult because they are used with varying materials, insulations, and enclosure volumes. The only in-walls probably worth looking at are really the ones that have enclosed backs, like the Atlantic Technology IWCB-52. They tend to be pretty pricey though.

Your options are so wide open you really need to look at all the available options and figure out what kind of form factor you really want.
 
zieglj01

zieglj01

Audioholic Spartan
Look at the Focal Sib XL, on wall speakers
http://www.dedicatedaudio.com/inc/sdetail/25554

For me, I like the placement options you get, with bookshelf
and tower speakers. I also prefer the imaging and sound-
stage with the sense of depth, from these type speakers.
 
Last edited:
DD66000

DD66000

Senior Audioholic
Unless you go with something like JBL Synthesis in-walls, you're better off using quality on-wall speakers. My preference would be JBL Studio L820, or LC2.
 
Pyrrho

Pyrrho

Audioholic Ninja
There are quite a few problems with in-wall speakers. First, unless they have an enclosed back, the effective enclosure will be completely variable from one place to the next, and will not be something designed to be a good speaker cabinet. Speaker cabinets affect the sound.

Also, once a speaker is installed, it is extremely difficult to move it. Sometimes, moving a speaker just a couple of inches can significantly affect the sound. So with an installed speaker, you need to get it right the first time, or it will just always be bad, unless you go to quite a lot of trouble.

Furthermore, you cannot rearrange the room with in-walls, without tearing out your speakers and reinstalling them elsewhere. With a dedicated home theater room, that may not be an issue, but you had better figure out the exact arrangement you want before installing the speakers. This includes seating height as well as location.

And, of course, the choices are fewer with in-wall speakers, and they are not usually aimed at the audiophile market, so one typically can get better speakers that are not in-wall units.

Most speakers sound their best away from the walls, which you obviously cannot do with in-walls. Of course, any decent in-wall speaker will be designed with its installation in mind.

Now, if I were buying from scratch, and if I owned a house with a dedicated home theater room, and if I did not plan on ever moving, I would look into in-wall speakers myself. But I doubt I would end up getting them.


What I recommend that you do is go out to all of the local audio shops, and listen to all that they have in your price range. Try to find some shops with in-wall speakers and listen to them. After listening to everything you can find, then decide what you want.

This process is time consuming and quite a lot of trouble. But it will help avoid making mistakes about what to buy.
 
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