[HC-nut]

Hi,

I have a pair of Sonance Symphony XTR speakers ready for a new kitchen ceiling (a new build) and I wondered what people would advise to do to get the best out of them? Is it worth dynomatting internally, above/behind the speaker and should I be boxing it in in any way? It is in the middle of two deep joists and has a lot of air behind it!

Thanks.

[amioa]

refer to manufacturers instructions, some have specific requirements for their in-wall or ceiling speakers..

[ARNOLD AKIEN]

If they are what I think that they are I did once consider fitting some in my bathroom on the basis of their reputed invulnerability to extreme conditions but eventually decided that life was too short and I'd just leave the bedroom and bathroom doors open so that the bed room system could provide much the same none - stereo effect at much lower cost.

Manufacturers instructions are best, but I think that you'd be wasting your time in striving over hard for sound quality. The location dictates the sound and what you will get will be very like Muzak.

[HC-nut]

Thanks for the reply's guys.

I guess that was my thinking anyway really but worth asking whilst at the build stage.

Lee

[amioa]

Arnold have you had a demo of Amina speakers? Ive been impressed with those, I got called in to a demo room with these on the wall and by golly gosh they actually sounded ok! Ive been in a room with some impressive ceiling units but i need to look them up as i cant recall the brand..)

[ARNOLD AKIEN]

Originally Posted by amioa

Arnold have you had a demo of Amina speakers? Ive been impressed with those, I got called in to a demo room with these on the wall and by golly gosh they actually sounded ok! Ive been in a room with some impressive ceiling units but i need to look them up as i cant recall the brand..)

Hi amioa,

Yes, I do know ... I'm always wittering on to people about the wisdom of auditioning speakers aren't I? .. But, this time I decided that it was just too much trouble. Maybe if I'd thought of it whilst the - then - new house extension was being built and the Bathroom Equipped .. but I was then to budget bound by the cost of the Shower and the ... well the rest of the tediously expensive Bathroom fittings, and so speakers came low down on the list of priorities and I don't actually Live in the Bloody bathroom .. unlike some female persons that I might mention.

Anyway ..ceiling Speakers that I researched ever so briefly, are Here ...


Ceiling-Speakers.co.uk - The Definitive Resource for High Quality in-Ceiling Speakers


The ' Motorised Drop Speakers ' look interesting and at a miserable £1000 per speaker for the speakercraft Time 5 look to be easily affordable by a person of taste and discernment.

And just to think that at the time those prices for speakers did no more than provide light relief to the horrors of having to pay for ' Roman ' shower enclosures for shower room and main bathroom.

Arnold.

[I-Spy]

Hi,

Well I'm a bit surprised by these responses "read manufacturer's instructions" is a bit limited really.

There are a number of steps you can take to (a) improve sound quality and (b) reduce sound travelling upstairs. I have 9 speakercraft speakers installed (7 in the lounge, 2 in the kitchen).

If you can use a double-layer of plasterboard on your ceiling go for it. If that's not possible then use some Dynamat Extreme around the speaker hole so that the speaker is well anchored to the dynamat and the plasterboard. Mass and sound dampening are important for in-ceiling speakers. A flimsy ceiling will vibrate and resonate much like your speaker cones are supposed to but, obviously, they will be out-of-phase and basically act as a form of distortion on the sound. You need to cut the dynamat into quarter segments and only about 1cm circumference should be around the edge of the speaker hole that you can see. The rest of it should be folded inside and smoothed out onto the back of the plasterboard.

Next, use double-folded loft insulation in the rafters to either side of the speaker (just shove it down the rafters) and a single unfolder layer taped to the floorboards above just above the speaker position. I use SpaceLoft which is of a better quality than Rockwool.

If you want to experiment then I have found an improvement on 'just' loft insulation by creating a high density wood fibre board/dynamat combination which I've glued to the floorboards above (this can be a bit tricky when you've only got an 11" hole to work through but persevere). I'm still experimenting with this and the Dynamat stuff is too expensive to use for the lounge (just focusing on the kitchen for the moment). Do this step first and then add the loft insulation.

Hope this helps.

[amioa]

Originally Posted by I-Spy

Hi,

Well I'm a bit surprised by these responses "read manufacturer's instructions" is a bit limited really.

There are a number of steps you can take to (a) improve sound quality and (b) reduce sound travelling upstairs. I have 9 speakercraft speakers installed (7 in the lounge, 2 in the kitchen).

If you can use a double-layer of plasterboard on your ceiling go for it. If that's not possible then use some Dynamat Extreme around the speaker hole so that the speaker is well anchored to the dynamat and the plasterboard. Mass and sound dampening are important for in-ceiling speakers. A flimsy ceiling will vibrate and resonate much like your speaker cones are supposed to but, obviously, they will be out-of-phase and basically act as a form of distortion on the sound. You need to cut the dynamat into quarter segments and only about 1cm circumference should be around the edge of the speaker hole that you can see. The rest of it should be folded inside and smoothed out onto the back of the plasterboard.

Next, use double-folded loft insulation in the rafters to either side of the speaker (just shove it down the rafters) and a single unfolder layer taped to the floorboards above just above the speaker position. I use SpaceLoft which is of a better quality than Rockwool.

If you want to experiment then I have found an improvement on 'just' loft insulation by creating a high density wood fibre board/dynamat combination which I've glued to the floorboards above (this can be a bit tricky when you've only got an 11" hole to work through but persevere). I'm still experimenting with this and the Dynamat stuff is too expensive to use for the lounge (just focusing on the kitchen for the moment). Do this step first and then add the loft insulation.

Hope this helps.

valid pionts and some good fun being had experimenting, but my comment on reading the manual was because some manufacturers have very specific requirements, so 'rtfm' is the best starting point - some speakers require a cavity, some have a cavity built into the box they mount in etc etc.

Dynomat is a damping sheet primarily designed for use in motorvehicles, we did extensive tests with dynomat for acoustic enclosures and found that it worked best on sheet metal(as it was designed) but didnt really justify its price, which would push me look at using MLV, which should be cheaper than dynomat, but not necessarily better to work with.

the other option is to buy acoustic hoods which are designed to sit over standard speakers in ceilings, they are used everywhere from offices to penthouse flats (but with varying degrees of success)

[I-Spy]

Hi,

These acoustic hoods sound interesting. Any manufacturers that you'd recommend? And MLV mate? What's that stand for.

Your point about dynamat is spot on.... it doesn't justify its cost so I'll be trialing some AluFlash (only marginally cheaper than dynamat and it has a thicker aluminium layer backed onto butyl) and SoundX which is a bitumen/butyl mix and is significantly cheaper than both of the others...

Cheers

[amioa]

mlv is mass loaded vinyl, like acoustibloc or auralax soundblock, its a heavy black rubber matt with stuff in. Id be interested to hear how you get on with the aluflash..

hoods are pretty generic really, but have a look here:
Accessories from Ceiling-Speakers.co.uk