Need ceiling speaker recommendation for HT

[btm99]

I'm a newbie and struggling trying to figure out the most appropriate in-ceiling speakers, even though I know that in-ceilings are not the best sound.

I have an 11x16 room behind the garage, we are turning into a family room/TV room. Pre-teenage kids will probably monopolize the stereo and TV so music will range across the spectrum. The sheet rock just went up and the wires are set for 4 in-ceiling speakers in the front and back, one in-wall center speaker just below a plasma TV and I am planning to get a sub-woofer hidden in a corner. The TV will be on the shorter 11 foot wall.

It's hard to find a place to listen to ceiling speakers. I have heard Speakercraft at Magnolia in a nice room and the Niles in a wall at Good Guys, hard to tell the difference and with Speakercraft there are 5 different levels of speaker quality. Given that I just redid the room, I want the audio to be high quality, but I also don't want to break the bank.

Any input on ceiling speakers and an in-wall center speaker would be highly appreciated.

Needless to say I have to buy a receiver and Plasma as well.

Thanks for the help.

 

[cropduster1]

btm99,

I have a brand new set of Jamo 10" 4-way speakers for sale in the classified section. I bought them to go on my rear porch but we are now moving so I have no need for them. Here are the specs:
For sale is a pair of Jamo 10.5K3 4 way speakers, these are new in the box. I purchased them to install in my home, but we are moving again and want to sell them.These are the specs:

28-22 kHz
4 or 8 ohm switchable
92 db sensitivity
these are nice 4 way speakers

asking $400.00 obo (paid $619 @ local dealer) I know, I paid too much!

I am willing to take less. Check out there web site...jamo.com...then click on products at the top...then the box on bottom left go to "custom assortment"..then download the catalog and you will see all their in wall and ceiling speakers.

Hope this helps.

 

[hootie10]

Paradigm Reference SA-Series

Hi Btm99,

You may want to give the Paradigm Reference SA-Series of inwall/inceiling speakers a try. Go to a local Paradigm dealer and have a demo if at all possible. I have heard these speakers at a friends house and they are probably the best in-walls I've ever heard. They would really rock with both your music and movies.

I beleive you can get them around $600 a pair. I highly recommend these speakers.

Good luck with your search.

 

[BMXTRIX]

Don't forget Sonance who also makes some of the best in-wall speakers on the planet. A lot of different quality ranges from them and a lot of price ranges. So, you can pick up crap from them, or pay more to get better sound. Their price runs the spectrum and matches the quality you get.

Some are more designed for surround use than others though, so read up on their website and try to find a local dealer to give them a listen.

 

[farscaper]

I agree with BMXTRIX. Of all the ceiling speaker setups I have heard, nothing compares to the Sonance system I heard at a friend's office. He is an installer and he put a Sonance ceiling system into his larger-then-average office (about 24x14). What a sound!
He had his system attached to a Marantz 7400 and a external amp. Most of the speakers were the bipolar style. He was also using a Velodyne sub. Nothing too special about the room except that his walls are double-layered drywall and 6" thick.

 

[hootie10]

I agree, sonance are very good also. I think the paradigms or the sonance would be a good buy IMHO.

 

[btm99]

Still deciding

Thanks for the input so far. The room has a short ceiling 7.5 feet tall and therefore I think I need directional woofers as well as tweeters, which seems to then limit me to Speakercraft and Niles from what I have seen so far. I am leaning towards Speakercraft. Any last suggestions?

 

[Rex]

What about RBH, who also makes in-wall and ceiling speakers?

 

[plhart]

"The room has a short ceiling 7.5 feet tall and therefore I think I need directional woofers as well as tweeters, which seems to then limit me to Speakercraft and Niles from what I have seen so far. I am leaning towards Speakercraft. Any last suggestions?"

The pointable woofer speakers that I've seen are not any better and perhaps worse (because the woofer then shoots into the plastic sidewall) than just going with a flatmount woofer which has an excellent polar response. When you're, say, 45 degrees off axis, a 5.25 woofer has less frequency drop-off (better polar response) then a 6.5" and a 6.5" will have less than an 8".

I'd recommend a 6.5" with a tilting tweeter by a new company named ConneXtion. The speakers were designed by Vance Dickason, the guy who wrote the Loudspeaker Design Cookbook. Vance knows what he's doing.

We at Audioholics plan on getting a set for review soon.

 

[gene]

What about RBH, who also makes in-wall and ceiling speakers?

RBH makes excellent inwall speakers. I have done numerous installs with their products and my clients have been most satisfied. They don't do the tiling woofers for the very reasons Pat has stated in the previous post. I am in full agreement!

Triad makes inwalls also makes some impressive (though costly) inwalls that use closed cell dampening materials around the sidewalls to minimize this problem.

I have heard the Speakercraft product but preferred others in the same price range from alternative options listed herein.