In-wall/ceiling speakers – advice and recommendations sought please

childejc

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I can't find a thread that deals specifically with this kind of speaker – all references seem to be hidden deep within long threads on other subjects. Apologies if I've missed something obvious.

As they are very wife friendly, and space efficient, I think they are a good alternative to more traditional speakers, provided they sound good enough. I think it would be useful to use this thread to discuss their relative merits or lack thereof. I would also like some recommendations for a full 7 speaker system (excluding the sub which I will be buying separately) for movie viewing only. As they require bespoke fitting I want to ensure I get it right first time – I can't just move or swap them if I don't like the sound.

My budget is up to around £3k although I would like to spend less. My room is rectangular and 6.3m x 4.6m x 2.4m high. The screen is on the 6.3m wall and my seating will be 3.2m from the screen. I'm planning on in-walls for the fronts and in-ceiling for the surrounds and rears.

I have looked at the Definitive Technology UIW RLSII reference speakers for the fronts and their UIW BP/A for the surrounds and their UIW 75 for the rears. This comes in at £3k. They seem to be highly regarded, but it is annoying that their UK price is worked out at £1=$1, so it feels as though I am being ripped off.

The M&K SW150 and SS150 by M&K have been recommended by Iainsilvester, but these are even more expensive. Does their quality justify the premium?

Any other good suggestions? Or any general advice about this kind of speaker? Do I need to be spending this kind of money?

Thanks
 
Hi

Take a look at B&W's offerings. I installed 3 x LCR7's and 4 x CCM636's into my room and I'm very pleased with the results.

Here.

Regards,

Steve
 
Steve - where did you get yours? A quick google search showed only US prices of $699 each. What is the UK price?

Thanks
 
Hi

RRP is £300 each for the LCR7's
The CCM636's are £200 per pair.

So £1300 in total for the 7

Steve
 
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Thanks - I like that price a lot more!

How big is your room BTW? If they sound good to you in a similar sized room to mine then they will probably be good for me too.

Do they need to be professionally fitted, or could the people building my extension do it? They would probably be somewhat cheaper than a custom installer, especially as they are already on site, but I would not want a botched job.

Thanks
 
childe,

Did you track the DT's down for a demo? I'm still thinking about options for the future and would be interested to hear others opinions of these.

I had thought about sinking a set of SVS SCS-01's in a false wall but was advised against it... I'm sure this used to be acceptable with sealed speakers??

stevelup,

How are you finding the B&W's now? (Back in March you wasn't overly impressed with their musical ability)
 
childe,

Did you track the DT's down for a demo? I'm still thinking about options for the future and would be interested to hear others opinions of these.
QUOTE]

No. To be honest, in a short listening test I would probably be impressed by almost anything and don't really trust my own judgement. If I'm really honest, in a blind group test I'm not sure I would be able to identify the "best" speakers. I want someone who is more knowledgeable than me to tell me what is best (within my budget) so I can have long term enjoyment without worrying that I should have bought something else instead.

Horny - I'll check the Polks out now. Thanks
 
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Hello childe

In-wall and In-ceiling is becoming very popular and thankfully moving away from the only important specs being 01. they are hidden and 02. they don't cost too much.

Atlantic Technology have been doing high quality In-wall and In-ceiling for a few years now and have a great range that spans decent background music to full THX specification.

See Atlantic Technology - Hidden Speaker Systems

In-ceiling/wall speakers in a cavity are either mounted directly to the plasterboard or using an 'install' kit that spans the nearest joists - not seen any that bolt directly to the joists; that's likely to create a lot of vibration.

If there are living spaces above/behind the ceiling/wall your installing into its also worth considering a back box to stop sound leaking into the adjacent space and also to better 'load' the speaker drivers.

If you are going into a block wall you can install an In-wall design that has its own enclosure - see Atlantic Technology - IWCB-52/525/626

Lots of options.

Joe
 

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