Speaker recommendations

[Larry]

Been lurking for a while... Just installed a plasma on the wall
in our new home and am looking for recommendations for in-wall
speakers. I understand the compromises but want to do it anyway.
Looking for front, center and rear channels and the center
channel must fit between 2 studs on 16" centers. Budget for this
project is around $800-$900 but is not set in stone.

I've looked at all of the offerings at the local stores
including Polk, B&W, Boston, Infinity, etc. The problem I have
it that none of the displays are mounted in walls like they are
designed. All of them are mounted in some kind of enclosure. In
fact at one store one of the sets of B&W were mounted in the
pre-installation enclosure. Sounded better than it's big brother
that was almost twice the price.

Since there is no real way to fairly evaluate them, anyone have
any good experiences with a product that they would recommend?
Brand name is not important as long as they are good quality.

Along the same line of questioning, as mentioned above, a lot of
the manufacturers have an enclosure they sell for installation
during new construction. Has anybody tried adding some
horizontal studs above and below the speaker mounting area,
creating an enclosure, to try and duplicate the dimensions of
the enclosures? Is it worth trying or am I wasting my time? If
it's worth trying, how would one go about calculating the
correct size?

Any other words of wisdom before I staart cutting holes in my
walls?

Thanks for you help,
Larry

[Jack Dotson]

Take a look at Sonance. This is their specialty and they've been doing it
for years. I've had a pair of the in-ceiling TR-4000's for many years and
their quite good.

Polk, Infinity, etc. don't really specialize in in-wall/ceiling speakers.

Do a quick search on Sonance and I'm sure you'll find many glowing reviews.


"Larry" <riding@my.valkyrie> wrote in message
news:Xns97D8D9EBDFFEFnone@207.115.17.102...
> Been lurking for a while... Just installed a plasma on the wall
> in our new home and am looking for recommendations for in-wall
> speakers. I understand the compromises but want to do it anyway.
> Looking for front, center and rear channels and the center
> channel must fit between 2 studs on 16" centers. Budget for this
> project is around $800-$900 but is not set in stone.
>
> I've looked at all of the offerings at the local stores
> including Polk, B&W, Boston, Infinity, etc. The problem I have
> it that none of the displays are mounted in walls like they are
> designed. All of them are mounted in some kind of enclosure. In
> fact at one store one of the sets of B&W were mounted in the
> pre-installation enclosure. Sounded better than it's big brother
> that was almost twice the price.
>
> Since there is no real way to fairly evaluate them, anyone have
> any good experiences with a product that they would recommend?
> Brand name is not important as long as they are good quality.
>
> Along the same line of questioning, as mentioned above, a lot of
> the manufacturers have an enclosure they sell for installation
> during new construction. Has anybody tried adding some
> horizontal studs above and below the speaker mounting area,
> creating an enclosure, to try and duplicate the dimensions of
> the enclosures? Is it worth trying or am I wasting my time? If
> it's worth trying, how would one go about calculating the
> correct size?
>
> Any other words of wisdom before I staart cutting holes in my
> walls?
>
> Thanks for you help,
> Larry

[Robert Gammon]

Previous discussions on this VERY topic came to the conclusion that you
would be better off with different products.

There are center left right speaker systems that are designed to fit
under and attach or butt up to the plasma set.

Or

Look for modest size bookshelf speakers and inset them into the wall
behind a grill. This can be as simple as some 2x4s and plywood that
you use to create a box to set the speaker in, or there are products
out there that are already made for this purpose.




Larry wrote:
> Been lurking for a while... Just installed a plasma on the wall
> in our new home and am looking for recommendations for in-wall
> speakers. I understand the compromises but want to do it anyway.
> Looking for front, center and rear channels and the center
> channel must fit between 2 studs on 16" centers. Budget for this
> project is around $800-$900 but is not set in stone.
>
> I've looked at all of the offerings at the local stores
> including Polk, B&W, Boston, Infinity, etc. The problem I have
> it that none of the displays are mounted in walls like they are
> designed. All of them are mounted in some kind of enclosure. In
> fact at one store one of the sets of B&W were mounted in the
> pre-installation enclosure. Sounded better than it's big brother
> that was almost twice the price.
>
> Since there is no real way to fairly evaluate them, anyone have
> any good experiences with a product that they would recommend?
> Brand name is not important as long as they are good quality.
>
> Along the same line of questioning, as mentioned above, a lot of
> the manufacturers have an enclosure they sell for installation
> during new construction. Has anybody tried adding some
> horizontal studs above and below the speaker mounting area,
> creating an enclosure, to try and duplicate the dimensions of
> the enclosures? Is it worth trying or am I wasting my time? If
> it's worth trying, how would one go about calculating the
> correct size?
>
> Any other words of wisdom before I staart cutting holes in my
> walls?
>
> Thanks for you help,
> Larry
>

[C what I mean]

"Larry" <riding@my.valkyrie> wrote in message
news:Xns97D8D9EBDFFEFnone@207.115.17.102...
> Been lurking for a while... Just installed a plasma on the wall
> in our new home and am looking for recommendations for in-wall
> speakers. I understand the compromises but want to do it anyway.
> Looking for front, center and rear channels and the center
> channel must fit between 2 studs on 16" centers. Budget for this
> project is around $800-$900 but is not set in stone.
>
> I've looked at all of the offerings at the local stores
> including Polk, B&W, Boston, Infinity, etc. The problem I have
> it that none of the displays are mounted in walls like they are
> designed. All of them are mounted in some kind of enclosure. In
> fact at one store one of the sets of B&W were mounted in the
> pre-installation enclosure. Sounded better than it's big brother
> that was almost twice the price.
>
> Since there is no real way to fairly evaluate them, anyone have
> any good experiences with a product that they would recommend?
> Brand name is not important as long as they are good quality.
>
> Along the same line of questioning, as mentioned above, a lot of
> the manufacturers have an enclosure they sell for installation
> during new construction. Has anybody tried adding some
> horizontal studs above and below the speaker mounting area,
> creating an enclosure, to try and duplicate the dimensions of
> the enclosures? Is it worth trying or am I wasting my time? If
> it's worth trying, how would one go about calculating the
> correct size?
>
> Any other words of wisdom before I staart cutting holes in my
> walls?
>
> Thanks for you help,
> Larry

Klipsch has some very nice sounding in wall speakers. They are also adding
an in wall compliment to their THX ULTRA 2 series. It will be an equivalent
to the surrounds. I have an Ultra 2 setup now, and it is just plain
awesome!

http://www.klipsch.com/

[howardhometheater]

Jack Dotson Wrote:
> Take a look at Sonance.
>
> Polk, Infinity, etc. don't really specialize in in-wall/ceiling
> speakers.
>
> *I would imagine Matthew Polk would say otherwise, although Sonance IS
> an excellent brand. $900 for 5 speakers kinda takes you out of
> Sonance's yard, though.
>
> Just installed a plasma on the wall
> in our new home and am looking for recommendations for in-wall
> speakers. Since there is no real way to fairly evaluate them, anyone
> have any good experiences with a product that they would recommend?
> Brand name is not important as long as they are good quality.
>
> Has anybody tried adding some
> horizontal studs above and below the speaker mounting area,
> creating an enclosure, to try and duplicate the dimensions of
> the enclosures? Is it worth trying or am I wasting my time? If
> it's worth trying, how would one go about calculating the
> correct size?
>
> Any other words of wisdom before I staart cutting holes in my
> walls?
>
> Thanks for you help,
> Larry[/color]

Creating a more defined 'enclosure' with cross-studs would be a great
start, just remember it's a highly invasive procedure--you've got
plenty of spackle and paint, right? The speaker manufacturers that
give effective volume specs for enclosures are probably well outside
your budget parameters, although there are some pretty bright lads
posting here who might have some formulae you might use. I've used
acoustic foam inserts on several of my retrofit jobs and they are a
significant improvement over doing nothing. I've used the Wood
Technology SC-1 (they also have a smaller SC-2 set) sound chambers and
was very pleased with them. Also, if you happen to be placing them in
an exterior wall full of fiberglas insulation that will help dampen the
boomy resonance of a wall cavity as well.

JBL HTI-6 in-walls and/or HTI-6C ceiling speakers along with their
HTI-55 center would probably meet your budget parameters (I hope that
price didn't have to include a subwoofer). I like the Athena In-walls
but they don't make a 'center' speaker (we'll leave the arguments about
'lobing' sound from traditional 'center channel' designs for another
day). Polk's entry-level in-walls are very competent as well (at the
high end their LSi series are phenomenal, despite what you may have
read elsewhere) and might still fit your budget. Good luck and good
hunting.


--
howardhometheater

[Larry]

"Jack Dotson" <jdotson@stx.rr.com> wrote in
news:b%Pgg.11730$bk5.1789@tornado.texas.rr.com:

> Take a look at Sonance. This is their specialty and
> they've been doing it for years. I've had a pair of the
> in-ceiling TR-4000's for many years and their quite good.
>

I've got a pair of Sonance in my old house that I had mounted
outside on my back patio. Was very pleased with them. Problem is
I can't find any local dealers. Have any ideas where I can buy
them online?

[Larry]

Robert Gammon <rgammon51@yahoo.com> wrote in
news:x9Ugg.39033$fb2.27302@newssvr27.news.prodigy. net:

> Previous discussions on this VERY topic came to the
> conclusion that you would be better off with different
> products.
>
> There are center left right speaker systems that are
> designed to fit under and attach or butt up to the plasma
> set.
>
> Or
>
> Look for modest size bookshelf speakers and inset them into
> the wall behind a grill. This can be as simple as some
> 2x4s and plywood that you use to create a box to set the
> speaker in, or there are products out there that are
> already made for this purpose.
>
Nope, I'm hard headed. I'm just tired of looking at the clutter
of speakers. I have not seen anything that even comes close to
the clean appearance of in-wall speakers. If they are mounted
next to or under the display how do you get the needed
separation? I understand the compromises and am willing to
accept them.

[Phisherman]

On Mon, 05 Jun 2006 02:24:29 GMT, Larry <riding@my.valkyrie> wrote:

>Been lurking for a while... Just installed a plasma on the wall
>in our new home and am looking for recommendations for in-wall
>speakers. I understand the compromises but want to do it anyway.
>Looking for front, center and rear channels and the center
>channel must fit between 2 studs on 16" centers. Budget for this
>project is around $800-$900 but is not set in stone.
>
>I've looked at all of the offerings at the local stores
>including Polk, B&W, Boston, Infinity, etc. The problem I have
>it that none of the displays are mounted in walls like they are
>designed. All of them are mounted in some kind of enclosure. In
>fact at one store one of the sets of B&W were mounted in the
>pre-installation enclosure. Sounded better than it's big brother
>that was almost twice the price.
>
>Since there is no real way to fairly evaluate them, anyone have
>any good experiences with a product that they would recommend?
>Brand name is not important as long as they are good quality.
>
>Along the same line of questioning, as mentioned above, a lot of
>the manufacturers have an enclosure they sell for installation
>during new construction. Has anybody tried adding some
>horizontal studs above and below the speaker mounting area,
>creating an enclosure, to try and duplicate the dimensions of
>the enclosures? Is it worth trying or am I wasting my time? If
>it's worth trying, how would one go about calculating the
>correct size?
>
>Any other words of wisdom before I staart cutting holes in my
>walls?
>
>Thanks for you help,
>Larry


I considered in-wall speakers (I looked at Athena), then decided
against it because it is easier to point mounted speakers toward the
seats than in-wall speakers. The overall quality of the theater
experience "rules" over appearance. Unless appearance is really
important, I recommend against the in-wall speakers. As I write this
I'm struggling with convincing other family members to paint the walls
a dark color--they say it will make the room look depressing.

[Jack Dotson]

"Larry" <riding@my.valkyrie> wrote in message
news:Xns97D9B99B17DFEnone@207.115.17.102...
> "Jack Dotson" <jdotson@stx.rr.com> wrote in
> news:b%Pgg.11730$bk5.1789@tornado.texas.rr.com:
>
>> Take a look at Sonance. This is their specialty and
>> they've been doing it for years. I've had a pair of the
>> in-ceiling TR-4000's for many years and their quite good.
>>
>
> I've got a pair of Sonance in my old house that I had mounted
> outside on my back patio. Was very pleased with them. Problem is
> I can't find any local dealers. Have any ideas where I can buy
> them online?

Larry, just use Google and type in Sonance. I did and it came back with many
selling these speakers. You'll just have to sift through to find the model
you want and then find who has the best price.

[Larry]

"Jack Dotson" <jdotson@stx.rr.com> wrote in
news:Nf7hg.17057$bk5.3067@tornado.texas.rr.com:

>
> "Larry" <riding@my.valkyrie> wrote in message
> news:Xns97D9B99B17DFEnone@207.115.17.102...
>> "Jack Dotson" <jdotson@stx.rr.com> wrote in
>> news:b%Pgg.11730$bk5.1789@tornado.texas.rr.com:
>>
>>> Take a look at Sonance. This is their specialty and
>>> they've been doing it for years. I've had a pair of the
>>> in-ceiling TR-4000's for many years and their quite good.
>>>
>>
>> I've got a pair of Sonance in my old house that I had
>> mounted outside on my back patio. Was very pleased with
>> them. Problem is I can't find any local dealers. Have any
>> ideas where I can buy them online?
>
> Larry, just use Google and type in Sonance. I did and it
> came back with many selling these speakers. You'll just
> have to sift through to find the model you want and then
> find who has the best price.
>
>
Boy, you must be using a different Google than I am. ;o} The
only thing I can find is some gray market resellers and Ebay,
certainly nobody that I'd be willing to give my credit card info
to.

If anybody has dealt with an online reseller of Sonance speakers
and was happy with the transaction, please let me know who it
was.

Thanks,
Larry

[cjdaytonjrnospam@cox.net]

Larry <riding@my.valkyrie> wrote:
> "Jack Dotson" <jdotson@stx.rr.com> wrote in
> news:Nf7hg.17057$bk5.3067@tornado.texas.rr.com:
>
> >
> > "Larry" <riding@my.valkyrie> wrote in message
> > news:Xns97D9B99B17DFEnone@207.115.17.102...
> >> "Jack Dotson" <jdotson@stx.rr.com> wrote in
> >> news:b%Pgg.11730$bk5.1789@tornado.texas.rr.com:
> >>
> >>> Take a look at Sonance. This is their specialty and
> >>> they've been doing it for years. I've had a pair of the
> >>> in-ceiling TR-4000's for many years and their quite good.
> >>>
> >>
> >> I've got a pair of Sonance in my old house that I had
> >> mounted outside on my back patio. Was very pleased with
> >> them. Problem is I can't find any local dealers. Have any
> >> ideas where I can buy them online?
> >
> > Larry, just use Google and type in Sonance. I did and it
> > came back with many selling these speakers. You'll just
> > have to sift through to find the model you want and then
> > find who has the best price.
> >
> >
> Boy, you must be using a different Google than I am. ;o} The
> only thing I can find is some gray market resellers and Ebay,
> certainly nobody that I'd be willing to give my credit card info
> to.
>
> If anybody has dealt with an online reseller of Sonance speakers
> and was happy with the transaction, please let me know who it
> was.
>
> Thanks,
> Larry

How about going to www.sonance.com, clicking on the dealers link, and contacting
the local dealer for your area? Just a thought...

Chip

--
-------------------- http://NewsReader.Com/ --------------------
Usenet Newsgroup Service $9.95/Month 30GB

[investsan@gmail.com]

I suggest Paradigm. I don't have their in-wall speakers, but I have
heard them at a local hi-end audio shop and they sounded fantastic. I
have their mid-line monitor series of speakers/sub and am extremely
pleased with the sound. My system is used 90% movie and 10% music.

http://www.paradigm.com
http://www.paradigm.com/Website/News/Downloads/Downloads.html

Cheers.

Larry wrote:
> Robert Gammon <rgammon51@yahoo.com> wrote in
> news:x9Ugg.39033$fb2.27302@newssvr27.news.prodigy. net:
>
> > Previous discussions on this VERY topic came to the
> > conclusion that you would be better off with different
> > products.
> >
> > There are center left right speaker systems that are
> > designed to fit under and attach or butt up to the plasma
> > set.
> >
> > Or
> >
> > Look for modest size bookshelf speakers and inset them into
> > the wall behind a grill. This can be as simple as some
> > 2x4s and plywood that you use to create a box to set the
> > speaker in, or there are products out there that are
> > already made for this purpose.
> >
> Nope, I'm hard headed. I'm just tired of looking at the clutter
> of speakers. I have not seen anything that even comes close to
> the clean appearance of in-wall speakers. If they are mounted
> next to or under the display how do you get the needed
> separation? I understand the compromises and am willing to
> accept them.

[King]

I have Paradigm for my surround sound system and I highly recomend them
I have a 6.1 setup. 4 sa35's and 2 sa30's (two Sa35's for the left
and right and a smaller sa30 for the center and the same setup for the
back) Inwall speakers are great if you have the wall space they look
so clean and sound as good as most any floor speakers!!


investsan@gmail.com wrote:
> I suggest Paradigm. I don't have their in-wall speakers, but I have
> heard them at a local hi-end audio shop and they sounded fantastic. I
> have their mid-line monitor series of speakers/sub and am extremely
> pleased with the sound. My system is used 90% movie and 10% music.
>
> http://www.paradigm.com
> http://www.paradigm.com/Website/News/Downloads/Downloads.html
>
> Cheers.
>
> Larry wrote:
> > Robert Gammon <rgammon51@yahoo.com> wrote in
> > news:x9Ugg.39033$fb2.27302@newssvr27.news.prodigy. net:
> >
> > > Previous discussions on this VERY topic came to the
> > > conclusion that you would be better off with different
> > > products.
> > >
> > > There are center left right speaker systems that are
> > > designed to fit under and attach or butt up to the plasma
> > > set.
> > >
> > > Or
> > >
> > > Look for modest size bookshelf speakers and inset them into
> > > the wall behind a grill. This can be as simple as some
> > > 2x4s and plywood that you use to create a box to set the
> > > speaker in, or there are products out there that are
> > > already made for this purpose.
> > >
> > Nope, I'm hard headed. I'm just tired of looking at the clutter
> > of speakers. I have not seen anything that even comes close to
> > the clean appearance of in-wall speakers. If they are mounted
> > next to or under the display how do you get the needed
> > separation? I understand the compromises and am willing to
> > accept them.

[Bill]

investsan@gmail.com wrote:

>I suggest Paradigm. I don't have their in-wall speakers, but I have
>heard them at a local hi-end audio shop and they sounded fantastic. I
>have their mid-line monitor series of speakers/sub and am extremely
>pleased with the sound. My system is used 90% movie and 10% music.

I too have Paradigm speakers, from the Reference series a few years ago,
and they continue to impress me. There are few, if any, companies that
can beat the sound quality at twice the price.

Now I'm not saying they're the best, because I've heard better. But for
the price they are very hard to beat.

Having said that, I suggest you also listen to PSB, Mirage, B&W, NHT,
Def Tech, and a dozen others of your choice. There's a lot of options
out there...the differences are usually visual more than they are
auditory.