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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
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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akg_ca
2,146 posts
 
I’ve done it both ways in the past , a discrete "B" 7.1 system for multi-channel and music HT rig with inwall or inwall speakers , and Also a stand-alone 2 channel "A" system for music

the in-wall or on- wall speaker approach:
it depends on
(1) the performance capabilities and build quality of the HT speaker selected and
(2) choosing what is your primary goal/use : multi-channel HT or top performance 2-channel.
the compromises on the latter can be significant in a one-size-fits-all approach.

having owned Martin Logan’s for the HT portion above in a stand-alone discrete kit, their in-walls such as their VOYAGE or PASSAGE models are worthy contenders for any HT system.

You get get what you pay for. These are not your POS cheap run-of-the-mill Chi-fi stuff ’em in gear .I highlight that for a HT system, these are contenders and not pretenders

http://www.martinlogan.com/products/voyage

I ended up going with a "full speaker " 7.1 system. Because I wanted to simplify my mancave, I utilized the pass-through feature on my 2-channel integrated amp, added 5.1 surround same-brand speakers as matched brands to the LF and RF "main" hi-end 2-channel, added separate hi-end power amps and a standalone 7.1AV preamp/ processor to flesh out the end system for both 2-channel and HT purposes.

Now their are no compromises for 2-channel music vs multi-channel uses.

takeaway: top in-walls (not cheap ones) can be impressive for the artificial multi-channel audio approach and may easily match or better cheap box speakers but they cannot compete with any high-end 2-channel "box" speakers for audio reproduction ..... that is your compromise quotient.
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