Ceiling Speakers for Kitchen !

judethedude

Prominent Member
Joined
Oct 6, 2005
Messages
3,016
Reaction score
196
Points
756
Location
Lancaster
I'm looking to purchase two ceiling speakers for the kitchen with a budget up to £250 maximum.

I've been looking at the KEF Ci130.2QR and also several types from Speakercraft but ceiling speakers are a "grey" area for me and I'd really appreciate some feedback from anybody that has any recommendations on what I should be looking for.

I should add that we have the occasional party and so I would like something that I could crank up without sounding like a transistor radio.

Thank you :thumbsup:
 
Last edited:
You're in the place I've just come from;)

In the end I went for the Kef Ci160.2QR, I've got 16 of them going in throughout my property, I was looking at the Kef Ci200.3QR, but the cost and the fact that it was just a sonos amp driving them made me go for the 160s.

Hope everything goes well for you :thumbsup:

Darren
 
You're in the place I've just come from;)

In the end I went for the Kef Ci160.2QR, I've got 16 of them going in throughout my property, I was looking at the Kef Ci200.3QR, but the cost and the fact that it was just a sonos amp driving them made me go for the 160s.

Hope everything goes well for you :thumbsup:

Darren

There are so many ceiling speakers to choose from and virtually no reviews or feedback to base a judgement on which is the best or most suitable for any particular install.

How/why did you end up installing the Kef Ci160.2QR ? I'm now also looking at the Tannoy IC6 DC but can't find any reviews to help me make a decision which speaker to buy :facepalm:
 
I've got some B&W CCM65 in ceiling speakers in the lounge as the rear surrounds.

However I did and sometimes still use them to play music through as they offer such a wide dispersion of sound throughout the room.

Very easy to fit just cut some holes out in the ceiling avoiding the beams and place the speakers in. They have four screws which you then tighten which swing out some plastic clips and lock to your ceiling. You can then paint the grill/surrounds to match your existing ceiling. I ran my cables through the ceiling and down the wall at the same time as doing my spot lights but there are several ways of running/hiding the cable.

Sound wise they sound very good indeed, very nice vocals, and a good bit of bass. However I won't lie to you they are nearly as loud up stairs as well. This could probably be dampened down a little if placed in MDF boxes but it would of been a nightmare to get in to the ceiling without too much work.

Our rooms 17ft x 12ft and the ceiling is around 7ft tall. These speakers easily fill the room. There not going to match some decent floorstanders for sheer scale and bass but work very well. If there going in to a kitchen they should certainly meet all your needs. Theres currently a set of the bigger and better CCM80's on eBay using an 8" driver for more volume and bass.

As you say theres lots to choose from and there quite hard to demo.
 
Hi Arcam_Boy,

Thanks for taking the time to write such an informative post, excellent information :smashin:

Our kitchen is approx the same size as your lounge so it's good feedback on what I could expect to get if I used the same/similar speakers. What floor covering do you have in the lounge as I'm wondering if it has any impact on the sound !

I have read somewhere about placing boxes in the ceiling for the speakers for sound-[roofing and to emphasise bass but wonder how they'd be secured. You'd also have a quite big hole to fill as well !

Thanks again :thumbsup:
 
No problems. Its got wooden floors, 2 large sofas and some thick curtains at one end. The speakers don't sound harsh or tinny in any shape or form and easily on form vocal wise with the b&w 685's.

Yeah I did look at the boxes and if I was going to use some more speakers as permanent music speakers would go to the effort of installing dedicated boxes to stop the sound spreading.

I suppose you could weigh up what would work best if you were to go at it properly....

Either remove the floor boards upstairs so you could have access to the ceiling below and install the boxes and run the cables etc

Remove the ceiling downstairs and do the same thing and have the ceiling re-plastered and skimmed.

Cut large holes in the ceiling for the boxes and have then holes patched up.

Depending on the sound level your wanting to achieve (i.e for a party) I would look at two in ceiling speakers and a small sub (bk gemini or xls200) or four in ceiling speakers spread equally around the room.

If you need anymore help let me know.

Mark
 
Thanks again Arcam Boy :smashin:

I must admit I hadn't considered boxes for sound proofing purposes and it's certainly an option as the ceiling is being re-boarded. Do you have any idea what size the boxes would need to be are do they require insulating internally ? The other thing is do the boxes just freestand in the ceiling over the back of the speaker or are they mounted/fixed in some way ?

Thanks again.
 
B&W recommend for my speaker 15L and above which isn't huge. I honestly don't know how much air mine have but its a lot more than 15L in the roof space.

If I was going to build a box for them now I would build it to fit between the beams and secure it to them. This way you've not got the weight of the box sitting on the plasterboard and its very unlikely if the box resonates it will move the huge beams in the ceiling.

My speakers sound very nice indeed without so I wouldn't worry to much about box size I would probably make it the width of the beam which I think was 600mm and then something like 600mm or 900mm in length. There are plenty of on-line calculators to work out the internal volumes. I would them cut a hole big enough for the speaker and seal it inside the box. Add a bit of wadding inside the box and make sure its study and well sealed. I doubt very much you would require any internal bracing as your not going to being hitting subwoofer SPL.

After a listening session with them again today whilst on the laptop I really wish I'd had this advice as the musics nearly as loud upstairs as it is downstairs. :facepalm:
 
Thanks Arcam Boy.

Building and installing a box inside the ceiling straight forward enough but I can't see how the speaker could be sealed inside the box and be flush fitted to the ceiling !

I'm going to try and source some of the Dynabox ceiling enclosures in the UK but they look expensive !

DynaBox

Just found some here :

http://www.ceiling-speakers.co.uk/Dynabox-Acoustic-Ceiling-Speaker-Hood-accessories-96.asp

Too expensive for me so I'm going to look for a similar "but cheaper" solution !
 
Last edited:
KEF themselves make dedicated rear enclosures for most of their in-ceiling and in-wall speakers. The only model they don't seem to have rear enclosures listed for are the Ci130QR/FR, all of the smaller and larger models have properly made rear enclosures which are available from your KEF retailer.
 
Thanks for the post Crustyloafer.

Are the KEF enclosures specific to KEF speakers or can they be used with other brands ?
 
Hi JTD,

Indeed, the rear enclosures are specific to the KEF Ci range, in terms of whole size and enclosure dimensions which have been designed to suit the drivers capabilities. Be aware, these rear enclosures are to be installed before the plaster board goes up!

The Ci130QR/FR come with their own rear enclosure (hence why we don't do one).

All the best

Ron @ KEF :smashin:
 
The Kefs may be the best option if they come with their own specific enclosures already.

If your interested still in the B&W speakers they would simply seal again the plaster board on the sealing flush fit and the special clips on the speakers themselves would secure again the box in the ceiling.

Thinking about it the box would have to sit flat against the plasterboard with either a run of silicone or some foam or it wouldn't be air tight :suicide:

You could probably build the boxes out of a small sheet of 18mm MDF plus other bits and pieces and have it done for £30. You could probably nearly copy the dynabox and buy some car audio type deadening (dynamat) and stick that to the inner panels of the box along with a bit of wadding.

If you've got a good dealer near you they may have some sort of home cinema demo room with the possibility of listening to the different speakers to see which ones you prefer or if your near Birmingham you can pop round and listen to mine.
 
The Kefs may be the best option if they come with their own specific enclosures already.

If your interested still in the B&W speakers they would simply seal again the plaster board on the sealing flush fit and the special clips on the speakers themselves would secure again the box in the ceiling.

Thinking about it the box would have to sit flat against the plasterboard with either a run of silicone or some foam or it wouldn't be air tight :suicide:

You could probably build the boxes out of a small sheet of 18mm MDF plus other bits and pieces and have it done for £30. You could probably nearly copy the dynabox and buy some car audio type deadening (dynamat) and stick that to the inner panels of the box along with a bit of wadding.

If you've got a good dealer near you they may have some sort of home cinema demo room with the possibility of listening to the different speakers to see which ones you prefer or if your near Birmingham you can pop round and listen to mine.

I'm going to take a look at some of the KEF's as this may be the most cost effective solution and will also save have to build boxes. I'd be interested to know what sort of enclosures they come with ! I'm a good few miles North of Birmongham I'm afraid but thanks for the offer Arcam Boy :thumbsup:
 
Hi JTD,

Indeed, the rear enclosures are specific to the KEF Ci range, in terms of whole size and enclosure dimensions which have been designed to suit the drivers capabilities. Be aware, these rear enclosures are to be installed before the plaster board goes up!

The Ci130QR/FR come with their own rear enclosure (hence why we don't do one).

All the best

Ron @ KEF :smashin:

Thanks for the post Ron.

Can you please post a link to the Kef enclosures for ceiling speakers as I can't find them anywhere.

I'm now looking atbuying a pair of KEF Ci200.3QR ceiling speakers and would like to find the matching enclosures. Thank you.
 
Last edited:
Can you please post a link to the Kef enclosures for ceiling speakers as I can't find them anywhere.

I'm now looking atbuying a pair of KEF Ci200.3QR ceiling speakers and would like to find the matching enclosures. Thank you.

Hi JTD,

The Ci200.3QR enclosure dimensions can be be found here:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/7808524/Ci200REnclosure.pdf

The enclosures retail at £69.99 each and are available from all Kef Ci dealers.

Here is a picture of what it looks like:

KEF-Ci-enclosure-round.jpg
 
Thanks for the info Crustyloafer.

Are there any installation instructions available online as I'd be interested to see how the enclosures are fixed into the ceiling and how Kef recommend finding the centre of the enclosure once its been plasterboarded over.

It might sound a daft question but I take it the Ci200.2QR enclosure is also suitable for the Ci200.3QR !

Thanks again :smashin:
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the info Crustyloafer.

Are there any installation instructions available online as I'd be interested to see how the enclosures are fixed into the ceiling and how Kef recommend finding the centre of the enclosure once its been plasterboarded over.

Thanks again :smashin:

They are fixed directly to the joists and should fit almost any joist configuration.

As for finding the centre of the enclosure, when you fit it in the ceiling make sure you measure what distance from each wall that you put it and it should be easy to find again,.

You don't need to be that accurate when you find it, as long as you cut through the plasterboard somewhere within the circular opening in the enclosure it will be easy to cut out the rest of the circular shape in the plasterboard to match the circumference of the opening in the enclosure.
 
Are the KEF enclosures lined with wadding or any other type of sound deadening material in order to eliminate hearing the speakers on the floor above ?

Thanks again.
 
Are the KEF enclosures lined with wadding or any other type of sound deadening material in order to eliminate hearing the speakers on the floor above ?

Thanks again.

I can't remember, it been a while since I ordered any for anyone.

I'm sure Ron Locke from Kef who has posted on here earlier will have the answers to this question.
 
I can't remember, it been a while since I ordered any for anyone.

I'm sure Ron Locke from Kef who has posted on here earlier will have the answers to this question.

I would hope that at £70 each the enclosures would include some kind of wadding/isolation material for sound-proofing and to enhance audio performance.
 
Last edited:
It might be worthwhile checking out the Monitor Audio CPC range also. The range are enclosed in plastic backboxes


I have 5 of the CPC radius speakers in my bedroom and think they're great.
 
Last edited:

The latest video from AVForums

TV Buying Guide - Which TV Is Best For You?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom