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In wall vs regular speakers?

Hi, I am designing a new HT room in the basement, and I am thinking of trying in wall speakers this time.  I have never had in wall speakers always preferred the usual tower/bookshelf speakers.

Can someone who has tried both tell me what to expect from in wall if compared to regular speakers.  Should I even go with in wall or stick with regular speakers.


Thanks!
stas12345
elevick
2,636 posts
 
The only in wall speakers I would consider are ones that are fully enclosed.  The Thiels sound great and even the QSC's that I have in ceiling only work because of their aluminum enclosures that leave nothing to your contractors to ruin.  They still can't match free standing speakers...in my opinion.
shadorne's avatar
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shadorne
7,467 posts
 
+1 elevick

Check out PSB Custom Sound - these are fully enclosed in-walls and will compete with mid level audiophile setups and will look architecturally great!

I agree that non enclosed in-walls are not the best way to go.
auxinput
2,920 posts
 

Technically speaking, good points are that there won’t really be any tweeter refraction on the edges of a cabinet, since you are using the entire wall as a front panel. On the bad sad, there is little or no toe-in capability, which is critical to proper speaker alignment/beaming and can seriously affect imaging quality.

You can also look at the B&W CI 800 series. They do come with a black box that is, essentially, a sealed unit. However, it will require you to remove/replace drywall as the boxes are 42-65 inches in height (taller than the actual speaker/frame to give you more box volume). The positive side is that the B&W 800 series are vented woofer designs, which will have a better bass response.

auxinput
2,920 posts
 
My opinion is that in-wall speakers are a way to address convenience/space/cosmetic issues. You will always get better results with a standard cabinet speaker.
stas12345 OP
6 posts
 
Thanks everyone I think I will keep the regular speakers, I take it people use in wall to save space, in my case I think I have enough room, but will know for sure when I actually move in.
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