[Kaizen28]

Hi


Rather than use an InWall solution, can anyone recommend a pair of really good OnWall looking speakers (high WAF)?


The intention is to hang these in my master bedroom. Artcoustic would be ideal were it not for the price.


Sigh! Champagne taste and water money.....


Any thoughts?

 

[Kaizen28]

Hi All


Judging by the absence of a reply... Am I asking a dumb question or have I stumbled onto a niche market?

 

[fastgt79]

I think the Flat Panel Speakers from Home Theater Direct (HTD.com) would fit your budget, desired looks and they are suppose to sound pretty good. Check them out.

 

[Tnilsson]

Magnepan is known for great sound. Don't know if they will appeal to you. There is also Orb and Axiom Audio.

 

[Kaizen28]

Hi


The Magnepan and the Orb's certainly bear further investigation although my better half has referred to the Orbs as looking "dinky".


Sadly, the Axioms will mean cutting a chunk into the drywall which I'd prefer to avoid. I may find it inevitable to go for an in-ceiling / in-wall solution but I'm cheap and don't like putting money into a house if I'm not going to see it again.


Thanks for the help!

 

[friedmud]

My wife and I went to Ultimate Electronics this weekend to listen to the Infinity TSS-1200's... she seemed to like the way they look (and they come with everything you need to mount them on the walls)

http://www.infinitysystems.com/homea...es=TSS&cat=HCS


They also have the TSS-800 if you would like the speakers a little smaller.


I, myself, bought the TSS-1100's here: http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/it...ures/544336206


They don't look as snazzy as the 1200's but sound just the same at half the price. My wife is going to let me mount them on the walls in our living room... so she must not think they're hideous! ;-)


Friedmud

 

[MusikLvr]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Kaizen28 /forum/post/0


Hi


The Magnepan and the Orb's certainly bear further investigation although my better half has referred to the Orbs as looking "dinky".


Sadly, the Axioms will mean cutting a chunk into the drywall which I'd prefer to avoid. I may find it inevitable to go for an in-ceiling / in-wall solution but I'm cheap and don't like putting money into a house if I'm not going to see it again.


Thanks for the help!

Consider the Celestion AVP305 w/sub (it will say sub is included). If you like the look of these speakers, they have good reviews and allow you to mount directly to the wall with the wire run inside, so no visible wire. Celestion is a very reputable co, but I haven't heard the speakers. I considered buying them sight unseen. Look at buy.com, other sites also. They are British sister co. to KEF, and I think they are pulling these speakers out of US market.

 

[Kaizen28]

Hi


Thanks again to all for the replies!


I want to clarify that what I need the speakers for is an an output to a SONOS box.


Both the Celestion and Infinity products look great but do I have to purchase the whole 5.1 system? I could possibly get away with 2.1 using the ZP100 but chucking 3 speaker seems a bit of a waste.

 

[friedmud]

With the Infinitys you're supposed to be able to buy them separately... atleast I know you can get the TSS1100 speakers separately.


The 1200's are fairly new and looking around I don't see any TSS-1200 SATs being sold. But, you might look at Infinity's site and see if there is a dealer near you (Ultimate Electronics and a few others carry them) and maybe they have them separately in the store.


Friedmud

 

[MusikLvr]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Kaizen28 /forum/post/0


Hi


Thanks again to all for the replies!


I want to clarify that what I need the speakers for is an an output to a SONOS box.


Both the Celestion and Infinity products look great but do I have to purchase the whole 5.1 system? I could possibly get away with 2.1 using the ZP100 but chucking 3 speaker seems a bit of a waste.

Celestion has a 3 piece-- center and 2 surrounds--no sub or rears. They have the 5.0 without the sub, but I've seen that going for more $ than the package with the sub. If you're looking at tv/movies/music in the bedroom, you might want to pair those 3 speakers with a sub of your choice--they're dirt cheap (in price, not quality),and having a center speaker is great for A/V, much more crucial than surrounds IMO.


I somehow missed that you're looking for a PAIR of speakers--we're all obsessed with HT. How about the Infinity OWS-1. 4 1/2" deep On Wall Speakers that are said to sound very good, and their alternative to an in-wall design.

 

[fuzzatch]

There a quite a few models to choose from depending on your budget. Here are a few that you may want to check out:


Def Tech: http://www.definitivetech.com/loudsp...os/mythos.html


B&W: http://www.bwspeakers.com/index.cfm/...20FPM%20Series


Energy: http://www.energy-speakers.com/v2/pr...-line.php?id=6


Paradigm: http://www.paradigm.com/Website/Site...ma_Series.html


There are a lot of new lines coming out from a lot of companies. Try doing a search for flat panel speakers and you may find more lines to check out.

 

[Tnilsson]

I think the Axioms come in both a partial in-wall version and an on-wall version.

 

[Lindahl]

The B&W FPMs have exceptional SQ for an on-wall. They are a little pricier than some of the others mentioned (~$560ea, after discount), but more than worth it, if your budget can handle it. The Paradigm Millenia have been getting good reviews, but I haven't heard them and are in the same price range. They probably aren't as good, though - just don't have enough driver area. The Mythos are pretty brittle sounding, not fun to listen to and just passable for movies. Magnepans are wonderful with a good sub, if their style suits your taste. The Paradigm Cinemas are all around good performers, but don't really come near the performance of the FPMs. Triads are right up there with the FPMs, but are also a bit on the expensive side at $550ea(?) for their lowest model - but color-matching is included, I believe. Phase Technology has some interesting looking on-walls called the Arte at around $500ea. I've always been impressed with their products, and their in-walls are excellent. They're known for getting good bass AND pistonic behavior (tough to do) out of smaller drivers, so they should be awesome - right up there with B&W and Triad.


The other brands basically designed on-wall speakers to fill an emerging market, but didn't really bother to engineer them nearly as well as the other brands I mentioned. Most of the R&D cost went into the aesthetics. This is reflected in the two different price ranges and driver sizes - ~300ea versus ~500ea and 3-4" versus 5-6".


If you can reach the upper end of the market, go with B&W, Triad, or Phase Tech. If you're in the lower market, go with Paradigm Cinemas or Magnepans (if the style works for you). If I was in the lower market, I'd definitely order some HTD Flat Panels, because they offer a completely free 30-day trial - nothing to loose, really.


Oh, and KEF's KHT series might be something to look into, but I haven't heard anything about them, nor am I familiar with their sound.


Oh and Atlantic Tech's on walls are very good - can't believe I forgot about them. They're in the upper price range, too.


Oh and the Angstrom Sonatas have gotten pretty decent reviews. They're harder to find, but they're in the lower price range and should compare favorably to the other two options (Paradigm and Magnepan). They do a good job at avoiding harshness that a lot of on-walls have, and end up sounding soft as a result. But they do have a nice soft warm melodic sound to them. They are definitely geared for music and not movies. They don't grab your attention, and the sound tends to sort of float and blend. Probably excellent candidates for background music and easy listening.


Oh.. and

http://www.hometheatermag.com/inwall...tem/index.html
http://www.hometheatermag.com/loudsp...sch/index.html
http://www.hometheatermag.com/comple...tem/index.html
http://www.hometheatermag.com/inwall...6bg/index.html
http://www.hometheatermag.com/comple...uty/index.html
http://www.hometheatermag.com/inwall...rom/index.html
http://www.hometheatermag.com/inwall...rio/index.html
http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/spe.../right-on.html
http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/equ...-the-wall.html


I disagree with their impressions on the Mythos, I didn't hear the warmth, yet heard the opposite. The environment wasn't overly reflective either. Maybe they were defective? Or maybe they're just wrong. Maybe the off-axis response varies quite a bit, or maybe they get harsh unless driven at low volumes, or maybe they have bad distortion in the presence region - who knows.

 

[Kaizen28]

Hi


Once again, a HUGE thank you to all who have contributed to this thread.


For now the B&Ws have received the biggest nod so I am a happy individual.

 

[dthree]

Has anyone heard the Boston P4 series? I was going to recommend these to a friend with a pretty large room but he doesn't want floor or bookshelf speakers. He was thinking in-wall but I think these would sound better.

 

[Lindahl]

After reading the reviews on the Mythos, I decided to go back out and listen to their on-walls. They weren't as brittle as before, and did have sort of a warm sound, like the review had stated. I believe something was seriously wrong with the setup during my initial listening to them - maybe even damaged drivers (it was that different). Just an FYI...