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Topic:
Quality In-Wall Speakers
This thread has 19 replies. Displaying posts 1 through 15.
Post 1 made on Sunday March 9, 2003 at 23:05
Aussie AV
Long Time Member
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100
Hi Guys,

I'm in the process of designing a reasonably high-end system, that will have all in-wall/in-ceiling speakers, installed into Gyprock (I think you call it Sheetrock) walls.

Most homes here in Perth are built from double brick external walls, with single brick internal walls, so although we use a lot of in-ceiling for rears/multi-room, we don't do a lot of in-wall for high-end applications.

The main "quality" brands we have available here in this category, are Sonance, Speakercraft, and Niles.

Just wondering if there are any other brands in the US/Canada of equal or higher quality/performance I should be assessing, as importing to get the right gear would be an option.

Thanks in advance for your help.
Post 2 made on Monday March 10, 2003 at 00:12
CustomWired
Long Time Member
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73
I recommend Boston Acoustics or Klipsch. Dont forget a high quality cable like Monster Cable.....
Post 3 made on Monday March 10, 2003 at 00:18
DavidatAVX
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440
Usually you get what you pay for. Installing a back box will make a huge difference unlike the Monster Cable. I pick on Monster only because it a generic recommendation. Lets see a 50 to 60 point line. Inwall right! I can think of many other factors first.

Dave
OP | Post 4 made on Monday March 10, 2003 at 01:31
Aussie AV
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Any feedback/impressions from anyone who has used the high end products from Sonance, Speakercraft etc would also be appreciated, as I haven't had any direct experience with them (eg Sonanace Silouette II & III).
Post 5 made on Monday March 10, 2003 at 11:32
rickrood
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If you want high end in walls go to Monitor Audio's site and check tham out.If you want ultra high end walls the only thing to use is the Meridian.
Post 6 made on Monday March 10, 2003 at 13:35
PHSJason
Advanced Member
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994
I have worked with the Sonance line quite a bit and would reccomend the Cinema series if you are planning to use in-walls in a theatre environment. Enclosing the speaker in the wall, while requiring more planning, does give a significant improvement in the performance of any in-wall/in-ceiling speaker. Wiring with good cable is a must also but too much (i.e. a 20 foot run of 12awg speaker wire to a 5 1/4" running with 15 watts is not needed; size correctly.). The Silhouette series was designed to appeal more to cosmetics than to sound quality. The Cinema Two series are THX Ultra certified and will perform very well. All of the Cinema series have enclosures available. If you are going to go to ceiling for a mid-grade theatre application, the RS2 is the way to go. There are a lot of other brands out there, but the Sonance works well if you use it correctly.
OP | Post 7 made on Monday March 10, 2003 at 20:55
Aussie AV
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Custom Wired -
Thanks. The Klipsch look interesting. I'll research them further for sure.

Rickrood -
Could only find 1 Monitor Audio in-wall, and no Meridian in-walls. Any further info on models etc. ??

PHSJason -
Thanks for the feedback. Cinema series are on the shortlist.
Post 8 made on Tuesday March 11, 2003 at 00:00
rhm9
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Aussie AV,

Hello Again,

We use a company called Bay Audio out of San Diego, California. Ira and David, the owners, are a couple of awesome guys and they build a GREAT sounding speaker. The beauty of these is the crossover which is tuneable depending on the boundaries (wall or ceiling) around the speaker. Check out the website... www.bayaudio.com.

The other beauty is that these speakers are sold ONLY through a very limited distributorship and are not priced or distributed on the internet. While the margin is not astronomical, at least some bozo in New York who knows nothing about audio but the model numbers isn't whoring them out at 8 points. We use the 780 for most applications and try to fit the jTi in whenever we get a bigger spender.

I'm sure these guys would love a dealer down under ( an excuse for fine surfing). Good Luck
Post 9 made on Tuesday March 11, 2003 at 01:03
Ahl
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1,241
the type of music the client listens to matters in the decision, too... A Klipsch wholesaler told me to use NHT speakers on an installation because they sound better on the stuff that client listens to!

(I was going to spec NHT, anyway, but asked about Klipsch because the client already had a set of them for a different room)
We can do it my way, or we can do it my way while I yell. The choice is yours.
OP | Post 10 made on Tuesday March 11, 2003 at 01:31
Aussie AV
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Ahl -
Thanks for the input. In this case the in-walls will be for a dedicated Theatre Room. I'll be supplying more music oriented gear elsewhere in the home, but I'll keep the Klipsch comment in mind for future jobs. I assume you mean they lean more toward Theatre apps.

Rhm9 -
Hi, I'll certainly check BayAudio out, but doubt I'm big enough to justify an export account. Been in the industry 6 years, but just started out on my own recently. Still one off order may be OK. (PS I should'nt have joked about the heat before, mother nature just got me back with 3 days in a row above 40 celcius {105F} and spent one of them in a roof space).
Post 11 made on Tuesday March 11, 2003 at 08:05
rhm9
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That's the other great thing about Bay Audio... They only sell to custom installers. My company does not even maintain a showroom. They work with each dealer on a very personal basis and set up a business plan that is tailor made. Freight is put on top of the speaker price so exporting would not be a problem.

We've found that in searching for the products we sell that the best ones are high quality, non internet distributed lines. You can hold a better margin with stuff that is not over distributed and as long as you are providing quality products... the trust between your clients and yourself is what makes the sale.

Nothing against any of the brands you mentioned (we've used them all). We now spec Bay Audio exclusively and it's been a very good vendor relationship. They'll even put you up in San Diego for training.

The first time I heard Midnight Oil's "Beds Are Burning"... I thought the "45 Degrees" meant he was cold... silly me. Shame about Pete leaving the band, eh?
Post 12 made on Tuesday March 11, 2003 at 16:21
ddarche
Mr. RemoteQuest
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February 2002
2,309
Aussie,

I have Klipsch in-wall mains, in-ceiling rears and in-ceiling general purpose in the kitchen & dining area. The mains are RCW-5 2-way and are very nice. They have a tiltable tweeter horn so you can direct the highs toward a certain direction. I don't think they quite compare with box speakers but they are close. I have not added back boxes yet, which I may do soon as I understand that improves the sound significantly. The in-ceiling rears are RCR-5, which are 6-7" round with a movable tweeter that moves 360 degrees to direct the highs. I like all of them and my theater kicks some butt despite no boxes hanging on the wall, or no floor standing speakers. If you want some more info, drop me an email, [email protected]

Regards..Dave
Dave D'Arche
http://RemoteQuest.com
Fine Home Theater Remote Controls & Solutions - Programming services for most remotes
Post 13 made on Tuesday March 11, 2003 at 22:46
Greg C
Super Member
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October 2002
2,585
RBH makes a great set of in-walls, their MC-6 use aluminum drivers.
CEDIA University Designer CAT Team Member
CEDIA University Instructor
CEDIA Registered Outreach Instructor
Post 14 made on Thursday March 13, 2003 at 20:13
Ontheinside
Long Time Member
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March 2003
35
Speakercraft has a advantage. Put in their 8" or 6" pre-construction bracket or backbox. Once finish time comes around you can put ANY of their 8" or 6" speakers in those holes. The new 8" line is incredible.
Post 15 made on Thursday March 13, 2003 at 20:18
McNasty
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Nobody's mentioned A/D/S? They make some prettty nice in-walls. They have a great sound. I don't like their subs at all, but the inwalls sound great.
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