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Best in-ceiling speakers?

2627 Views 9 Replies 4 Participants Last post by  Ioannis Batsios, 
I

I'm about to start a new project and because of the layout of the room (and my girlfriend), I'm being forced to have in-ceiling speakers for the surround back and surround side. I've heard ceiling speakers before and I haven't been impressed with what I've heard. But these weren't done by audiophiles; they were already integrated in the home when purchased.

 

I have a couple of questions:

 

1) Can I mix and match? Should I get the front speakers that I want and have them mounted on the wall facing me and then get the surrounds in-ceiling, or will this sound like crap? I'm sure no one has ever done this before so I won't get much help...ugh.

 

2) Is there a better than others in-ceiling speakers? There are a lot of great reviews on Amazon about Polks, but is there something better?

 

3) I've also seen in-ceiling subwoofers. Am I crazy or does this make no sense? Would you be able to feel the subwoofer?

 

I'm having a hard time finding information about in-ceiling speakers so any articles you can forward to me would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks,
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"I'm sure no one has ever done this before so I won't get much help...ugh." I think you're probably not kidding there, but there are many threads on this topic.


You need to (1) describe the room;(2) say whether the system is for home theater, games or music, or what mix; and (3) give an idea of your budget.


Generally advice is get the front three (left, right, center) done right. Regular speakers, on-walls or good in walls. Rear or surround speakers, not such a big deal - they can be in-ceiling, and don't need to be a perfect match.


You might get some opinions on whether it's worth doing both surround and rear speakers. 5 channels is enough for me.


Some people do in-wall subs.

Here are recent threads that discuss this.

A recent thread.

Another recent thread with pictures , not the typical installation to use a soundbar hence the explanation. Also uses in-wall subs.
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I

Thanks Buzzy,

 



This is a crude mock up that I just made. It will probably change, but not by much. The total floor plan is 21' x 20' and this is how we're going to use the space. The ceiling will probably be 8' tall.

 

The main use is for movies, but I will be playing games and music. I'm more interested in my movies sounding good though. 

 

As you can see, I don't have the left wall to mount the side surround unit, and behind me will be bi-folding doors that open into our back yard which will be used to entertain. 

 

My budget is unknown at this time. We don't know how much the building is going to cost to build. Our garage recently collapsed from snow and we're doing a total rebuild with the insurance money. The good news is my girlfriend appreciates quality, so if I can convince her something is way better than something else, she has no problem letting me spend the extra money. But let's start with a number and go from there. Let's say I have $5000 to start with.
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Depends on what you have for your other speakers?
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I

I haven't decided on much yet. All I know is that I'm getting the Oppo blu-ray and PS4. Everything else is still in the air. I haven't even decided on projection or TV.

 

I'm seriously considering these HTD in-ceiling speakers though:  http://www.htd.com/Products/high-definition/HD-R80-ceiling-speakers . The reviews are phenomenal. Then I'll worry about the front and center channel, which will be normal speakers.
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I haven't decided on much yet. All I know is that I'm getting an Oppo blu-ray player and PS4. I haven't even decided on projection or TV yet.

 

I'm seriously thinking about getting the HTD in-ceiling speakers. The reviews have been phenomenal on them on their site. But I haven't seen much recent on AVS about them though. I would post a link, but I haven't been approved yet.
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I

Hey ifor,

 

I just looked at your portfolio. Very impressive!
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Thank you.


I would concentrate on selecting you front channels first. Most companies make in ceiling speakers to match their fronts. Most of your sound will be coming from the fronts, so that's where you want to concentrate.
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I agree with I for to focus on the fronts, though, in my opinion, matching the rears really isn't a necessity if it would cause you to decrease you LCR budget to do so. Since it looks like you are using the, in a common area of the house I would actually consider the aesthetics as much as the sound quality (not a popular opinion here I'm sure.) look for speakers with a trimless grill, they look much more inconspicuous, particularly when color matched to the ceiling.
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Thank you, guys. 
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