I recently completed wiring and installation of a distributed audio system and utilized the Phoenix Gold ATc6 and ATc6DM speakers in 4 of the rooms. The speakers are powered with 2 channels of my Emotiva LPA-1 amplifier with Phoenix Gold VMT-100 impedance matching VCs in each room.
http://www.phoenixgold.com/accessories/atc6.html
http://www.phoenixgold.com/accessories/volumecontrols.html
Initially, I was skeptical about the quality of the ATc6 speakers which are available for $35-40/pair, but their higher retail price ($170) and good feedback on the AudioSource version led me to order a pair for installation in the kitchen. The 6 1/2" speakers include a 1" pivoting fero-cooled tweeter and a nice rubber surround and non-paper woofer material. The metal grills are removable and paintable. The construction on these speakers is VERY similar to the higher end in-ceiling speakers from HTD.com. On the low end speakers from other manufactures you will typically see a 3/4" fixed tweeter. On more expensive speakers including HTD, you will find a +/- 3dB adjustment for the woofer and/or tweeter.
The Kitchen w/ tile floors and counters is obviously not an ideal listening environment, but the speakers were clean and clear and the 6" woofers can reproduce the bass line from the music. They were more than adequate for my application of reproducing background music at moderate levels. I definitely get more bass from the Athena bookshelf speakers in the garage and the more capable Onix Ref 1's in the HT. Good results led me to order a few more pairs for the Study, Bedroom, and The ATc6DM version for the bathroom. The ATc6DM version has stereo speaker inputs with a single woofer and dual tweeters. There is also an 8 ohm or 16 ohm switch which would be convenient for hooking up 2 or more of these in a large room or hallway. When listing to an old, lower quality recording (40's Jazz and Swing) I found that the slightly rolled off highs on the in-ceiling speakers made the recording less fatiguing to listen to than an a more accurate, revealing speakers like the Onix Ref 1's.
In conclusion, the inexpensive Phoenix Gold in-ceiling speakers are working great for background music on my distributed audio system and I recommend them for this application. They would also be a good alternative to small cube or satellite speakers where aesthetics are important and sound quality is secondary. For primary HT applications, other products in the >$200/pair price range should offer better quality, features, and performance appropriate for critical listening.
