In wall speakers?



Are there any in wall speakers that can sound as good as traditional speakers that are free standing away from the back and side walls such as we think of traditional 2 channel audio? Is it possible to attain good sound this way, or is it just a convenience, WAF factor issue??

R.
red2

Showing 1 response by audiopile

I agree with S7horton - the B&W's are definetly worth a listen - even some of their less expensive 6 and 8 inch woofer units are better than fair speakers.
IMO - the biggest single problem with in walls is still the old bugaboo of position/placement. If you only want to use them for background ( super musak) - then I suppose you can put them anywhere they'll fit. If you really want them to perform at their potential - they need to be:
1.) Mounted at ear level.
2.) Free from near field reflective/absorbtove surfaces.
3.) Paired in some half logical fashion - no you really can't get good stereo(any stereo) from inwalls mounted in some bizare one in each corner or facing each other or or or or.... If a "conventional "speaker would be a dumb idea placed that way - a inwall won't be any better.
4.) Most of us at one point or another have taken the time to move speakers around within a listening room and been blown away at the shocking improvement sometimes small positional changes can make. Clearly - moving in walls is usually not a option - make sure you negotiate with she who must be obeyed about furniture placement at the begining of the process or you'll both be un-happy.
5.) I've heard a whole lot of speakers in the last 35 years that are way inferior to the B&W in walls - they are worth a listen.