Monolith THX In Wall Questions

[Golfer474]

Regarding the front stage, what do you all think about using the Monoprice THX-365IW for the L/R and the Monoprice THX-265IW for the center channel? Would this setup sound good (2-way for the center, and 3-way for the L/R)? I can go into the reasons why I'm leaning this direction if folks want to hear it, but wanted to keep this post brief and to the point. Finally, does anyone have pictures of the grilles for the 365IW and 265IW. I'm curious if the differences in grille style will look bad.

 

[TLS Guy]

Regarding the front stage, what do you all think about using the Monoprice THX-365IW for the L/R and the Monoprice THX-265IW for the center channel? Would this setup sound good (2-way for the center, and 3-way for the L/R)? I can go into the reasons why I'm leaning this direction if folks want to hear it, but wanted to keep this post brief and to the point. Finally, does anyone have pictures of the grilles for the 365IW and 265IW. I'm curious if the differences in grille style will look bad.

That center is going to have lobing issues, and not have good dispersion throughout the room. Those Morel mid/HF units are superb units. So I would go with this one for the center. That will be a better speaker.

Having said all that I'm not a fan of in wall speakers that are not enclosed. There is no restoring force to the woofers except their suspensions. So there is no bass loading whatsoever. If you look at the graphs those speaker are rolling off at 150 Hz, so you will need a good sub that can be driven to 150 Hz. It will have to be placed close to the speakers, or there will be localization issues.

 

[Golfer474]

Thanks. I went ahead and ordered the THX-LCR. I was hesitant to get it due to the size and reviews stating that barely fits in a normal stud cavity. I have some existing in-walls that I'm replacing and the cutout for the center channel is already 14.5"W x 7.75"H, so the THX-LCR is just barely going to span it. The existing cutout also runs right to the edge of one of the studs, so the dog ears will not be able to latch on to anything on that one side. From what I've read, this should be ok as the speaker is made from MDF, so it's rigid enough.

I have a HSU VTF-3 MK5 HP, which I think can handle the 150Hz cutover if I need to drive it that high.

 

[everettT]

That center is going to have lobing issues, and not have good dispersion throughout the room. Those Morel mid/HF units are superb units. So I would go with this one for the center. That will be a better speaker.

Having said all that I'm not a fan of in wall speakers that are not enclosed. There is no restoring force to the woofers except their suspensions. So there is no bass loading whatsoever. If you look at the graphs those speaker are rolling off at 150 Hz, so you will need a good sub that can be driven to 150 Hz. It will have to be placed close to the speakers, or there will be localization issues.

I agree with back boxes but this (and most all THX inwall speakers) was designed as for open baffle and that is how it recieved the THX certification. I'm not a big fan of inwalls either and I'm not sure how they achieve all of this for such a low price, but appears to the best value for performance CI speakers.

 

[everettT]

Thanks. I went ahead and ordered the THX-LCR. I was hesitant to get it due to the size and reviews stating that barely fits in a normal stud cavity. I have some existing in-walls that I'm replacing and the cutout for the center channel is already 14.5"W x 7.75"H, so the THX-LCR is just barely going to span it. The existing cutout also runs right to the edge of one of the studs, so the dog ears will not be able to latch on to anything on that one side. From what I've read, this should be ok as the speaker is made from MDF, so it's rigid enough.

I have a HSU VTF-3 MK5 HP, which I think can handle the 150Hz cutover if I need to drive it that high.

Make sure your AVR can handle the crossover as well. Your sub looks to have smooth extension out to 500hz and in sealed mode its slightly rising.. Enjoy the new system!