We are now considering using in-wall speakers instead of our stand-mounted Dynaudio Contour speakers in the living room and dining room, and we are considering using in-ceiling speakers inside of Sonos Play 5s in other locations.
What have you found to be the best sounding in-wall speakers?
What have you found to be the best sounding in-ceiling speakers?
We are now considering using in-wall speakers instead of our stand-mounted Dynaudio Contour speakers in the living room and dining room, and we are considering using in-ceiling speakers inside of Sonos Play 5s in orher locations.
What have you found to be the best sounding in-wall speakers?
What have you found to be the best sounding in-ceiling speakers?
Choosing the correct components is only a portion of the recipe. There will be significant differences in the final result depending on wall construction, wall materials [framing & surfaces], interaction with the room on the other side, etc. Planning ahead during construction will reap significant rewards.
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If you had more wall depth, I would highly recommend the Wisdom Speakers. I heard them at CEDIA and they were my favorite by far. I liked them so much that I considered dumping my Triads (which I absolutely love) and going all Wisdom. I gave up on the idea only because of the amount of work modifying the front of my room (I have plenty of room in the two side and two rear columns). The Triads sound different (and excellent) but those closer to full range also require more depth.
I have heard the ML Vanquish at a local HT dealer near Atlanta, and thought they were pretty amazing for an in-ceiling speaker. Worth an audition which is probably available at your local Magnolia. Have not heard the MA, but I was auditioning Platinum series towers at our local dealer (which will replace my B&Ws soon) and had a chance to check out the MA in-walls. Very substantial and impresssive build quality. The dealer is planning to install them in his home theater room. MA also has an in-ceiling version of their Platinum architectural series coming this summer according to their website.
I am generally a fan of ribbon tweeters, but think they are the way to go for architectural speakers. IMHO, their dispersion qualities are preferable to a beamier dome tweeter when ideal seating position might not be available.
If you had more wall depth, I would highly recommend the Wisdom Speakers. I heard them at CEDIA and they were my favorite by far. I liked them so much that I considered dumping my Triads (which I absolutely love) and going all Wisdom. I gave up on the idea only because of the amount of work modifying the front of my room (I have plenty of room in the two side and two rear columns). The Triads sound different (and excellent) but those closer to full range also require more depth.
I will have to agree with audioguy. There is an individual here in WA that has more money than _____. He even has a working train and built a planetarium on his property!! Anyway, he built the most over the top audio system and used Wisdom speakers in a 7.1 config. It is a sight to behold and hear!!
I will have to agree with audioguy. There is an individual here in WA that has more money than _____. He even has a working train and built a planetarium on his property!! Anyway, he built the most over the top audio system and used Wisdom speakers in a 7.1 config. It is a sight to behold and hear!!
I calibrated such a system (only 7.x.6) for Atlanta Home Theater using a Datasat RS20i. The owner of the company said it was the very best audio he has ever heard in his over 20+ years in the audio business. I used to really dislike the Wisdom speakers when they were going after the 2 channel market but they seem to have done something different. Anyone remember the $1,000,000 system they demonstrated at a CES maybe 10 years ago? My Sonos sound bar sounds better !!
Slightly OT, but the room this system is in was designed and much of the work done by the guy who did a lot of the design work for The Atlantis. With no equipment in the room, the cost was over $300,000 (the room shell already existed !!). The chandeliers probably cost more than my audio system - not my cup of tea !!!
I current use the ML for my HT setup. Due to the front wall sharing the plumbing I had to go on-wall SLM's for the LCR and axis (in wall) for the rear surround . I have heard two systems with the ML Edge and they sound terrific. I have also head the B&W offering, but feel the ML has more openness to the sound with more punch.
If you are looking for them to blend in with the environment than the Dali/ML/etc will all perform very well.
WRT to a superior audio experience hat will have critical listening as a requirement then as others have mentioned, Wisdom would be my first choice. Costly, but they give full range and are designed to be mounted to the wall, but at the cost you could almost get yourself another Gryphon flagship speaker. Hardly what I would think would be something you want looking to do personally.
My suggestions would be in a rough order of priority, each having different strengths and weaknesses, particularly dependent on available space:
Wisdom
Triad
JBL Synthesis
Martin Logan
Monitor Audio
There are of course many others beyond this as well. Anything you pick should have its own enclosure, and always consider where the speakers are mounted vs where you are listening from. If a speaker works best within a narrow vertical, you want to be listening in that window, else it's a waste.
