Question Ceiling speakers or Bluetooth portable system

davidmn27

Established Member
Joined
Jul 30, 2013
Messages
80
Reaction score
4
Points
20
Age
42
Location
Norwich
Hi,

I'm currently in the process of renovating a house and I'm keen on getting a reasonably decent hi fi set up the kitchen. The room is being designed from scratch so there's plenty of scope to channel cables etc and my electrician is ready and waiting for my instruction.

What is better value for money - a pair ceiling speakers and a Bluetooth amp/receiver or just getting a standalone Bluetooth speaker such as a Sonus? I do like Sonus but it's so common it's lost the wow factor.

My aim is to have a system which is easy to use my phone or iPad to play music through Spotify and get a decent sound output. I envisage spending quite a bit of time in the kitchen so music is important.

The room is 14ft by 9ft. Budget would be roughly 300..

Thoughts?

Thanks in advance
Dave
 
Ceiling speakers are usually compromised. I'd find a place for normal speakers or go with a one box Bluetooth thing, personally.

I have a pair of Cambridge audio bookshelf speakers connected to a teensie tripath amp (which you could mount *inside* the speakers very easily), and a Squeezebox touch. I don't have Bluetooth support, but it works for me as I have Squeezeboxes everywhere and all my music on a server.
 
Last edited:
I use Amazon echo, maybe not the best in sounds quality but voice control is very useful in a kitchen.
I originally had a Squeezebox Radio then added an Amazon echo Dot. That has been replaced with a full sized echo. It is mainly used for Spotify.
FYI The Dot is designed to be used with Bluetooth speakers, the full sized Echo is a bluetooth speaker.
 
Would a set of powered speakers with inbuilt Bluetooth do the trick, something like Q acoustics BT3?
 
I like the idea of having some dedicated hi-fi speakers built in somewhere discreetly. Whats the sound like on these (ore similar)? Better than a Sonus 1 for example?

It sounds like nobody is really an advocate of ceiling speakers??
 
Have a look at the 'Marshall - Acton' bluetooth speaker and pair it with an amazon echo dot (the pair can be had easily for under £200) for the size of the speaker the sound is pretty astonishing, really nice deep clear bass (it's built by the same Marshall amplification that most decent bands use for live gigs etc.) cracking bit of kit
 
I have a pair of Sonos Play 1's in the kitchen.
 
I use a Sonos amp hidden on top of the cupboards connected to a pair of Monitor audio Bronze 1's. sounds really good as you can play around with location etc, I use aurolex isolation pads under the speakers for isolation. I am going to move a pair of Proac hexa speakers from the bedroom to the kitchen and add a Rel habitat sub which will attach to a free wall. I looked at ceiling speakers with a Sonos amp in the ceiling but like the flexibility I get from my set up.
Good Luck
 
Remember steam and moisture do not mix with speaker cones and wood enclosures very well. So if the speakers are to be placed near cooking areas then ceiling mounted ones that are designed for "wet" locations may be a better route. However, given the cost of a good pair and then a suitable streaming amplifier it maybe better to just have a good countertop speaker (or pair of them such as the Sonos Play 1). If it is a dining kitchen and you are having a TV fitted then consider a good sound-bar that offers streaming audio playback as then you have everything covered.
 
Just as an FYI, the Sonos speakers are not Bluetooth they use WiFi / Ethernet, dont know if that is a deal breaker for you? They are designed to be used in areas with a bit of moisture though.
 
Thanks again for the suggestions
I've decided to go with something fairly simple but effective in the kitchen, either a pair of Acoustic B3s or one of the Marshall Bluetooth speakers (acton or Sandwell?)
These will be placed on a shelf some distance from the sink and oven etc so I'm not worried about moisture.

Anyone have experience of these versus Sonus regarding sound quality? I tend to prefer rock music so the Marshalls do appeal
 
I would consider a Libratone Zipp as they support Bluetooth and AirPlay and will be upgraded to support AirPlay 2 so are future proof. This will allow easy use with all your iOS devices (iPhone, iPad, etc.) and supports Spotify (Premium) directly. They can also be configured as a stereo pair allowing a much wider and fuller sound stage. Another option is to look at the Audio Pro Addon C5 (or C10), which also has Bluetooth and AirPlay.
 
I would consider a Libratone Zipp as they support Bluetooth and AirPlay and will be upgraded to support AirPlay 2 so are future proof. This will allow easy use with all your iOS devices (iPhone, iPad, etc.) and supports Spotify (Premium) directly. They can also be configured as a stereo pair allowing a much wider and fuller sound stage. Another option is to look at the Audio Pro Addon C5 (or C10), which also has Bluetooth and AirPlay.

Thank you, the Addons look very interesting
 

The latest video from AVForums

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