Should I get In-Wall Speakers or Ohm Walsh in my small room?

[MichaelInMtK]

Hello all,

I've been building a turntable system in my small home office - it's good to get away from my desk every 25 minutes or so and flip a record. The amp will be the Technics R-1000 which does a pretty hefty digital correction to the sound based on your cartridge. It's one of the more dramatic and pleasing corrections I've ever heard from an amp.

It's a small room just 9'x10', though it has a vaulted ceiling. It's designed so that I've got to listen from the short distance. For now I'm using simple Dynaudio standmounts- and they sound fine. But keeping their baffle 20 inches away from the wall behind them practically puts them in my lap and makes the room pretty unnavigable.

So I was thinking that the long term solution lie elsewhere. And the aesthetics of the system matter to me a great deal. And there are two directions I've thought of going in.

1) The first was in wall Sonus Fabers- the Palladio Level 6 PL-664s. I'd be willing to hide a subwoofer somewhere in the room to fill out the bass, as I've heard that's a problem with in-walls. I think this is the best aesthetic solution because the speakers with the full SF look will fit nicely into the gallery wall.

2) The Ohm Walsh omnidirectional speakers. which have a small footprint and are meant to be kept near the wall.

Both fit in my budget for this.

Have any of you been satisfied with a higher end in wall speaker for stereo sound? How did you get it to work?
I never hear anything but good opinions of Ohm Walsh speakers, which makes me wonder if I'm hearing from everyone who has an "acquired taste" for them.

 

[sktn77a]

I wouldn't put too much weight on web reviews. The nice thing about the Ohm is that you have a 30 day in-home trial period (at least in the US) to make up your own mind.

 

[Simon Moon]

You might also want to check into Larsen speakers.

Also designed to be right against the wall, and they have several different models, for different sized rooms.

Every time I've heard them at an audio show, I have been very impressed. They produce a legitimate soundstage and image, despite less than optimal setup.

Larsen

 

[sktn77a]

Speakers up against a wall have pretty unpredictable results but may sometimes work. Have you tried your dynaudios up against the wall? Failing that, I'd steer clear of permanently mounted, in-wall speakers, if you're after quality. Even the expensive ones are a terrible compromise.

 

[Simon Moon]

Speakers up against a wall have pretty unpredictable results but may sometimes work. Have you tried your dynaudios up against the wall? Failing that, I'd steer clear of permanently mounted, in-wall speakers, if you're after quality. Even the expensive ones are a terrible compromise.

That's the great thing about the Larsen's I mentioned above.

They are extremely predictable when placed against the wall. They were specifically designed to be against the wall.

 

[Robh3606]

With in walls I would be concerned about placement, no toe in and if you decide to change the room around you will be patching and cutting new holes. You may also be limited to placement by plumbing, ducts and electrical lines.

Rob