Advice for new Home Theatre speaker setup In wall vs regular focal! (1 Viewer)

[familiar1985]

I am setting up a new theatre system in my house. I was going to go with Focal IW 1002 BE for Main L/R, Electra IW 1003 BE for center and electra IC 1002 for surrounds. Im still deciding between 7.1 and 5.1. More then anything i need to decide whether to use in wall vs normal speakers. I really want to go listen to the speakers some time. Does anyone know if the focal in wall speakers can be angled? This is very important for me to make the decision. I cant see the setup sounding as good as regular speakers if they cant be angled. Also, are there typically reverb problems with in wall speakers reflecting off of the wall? If so, maybe i should do the 2 main L/R non in wall. I will be running the speaker wire this week. What thickness speaker wire would be best for this application (12 guage?). What brand would you recommend?Any input will be appreciated. Also if you have suggestions of other speakers that are better sounding feel free to let me know. Thanks

 

[John A. Casler]

As a general rule, "IN-ROOM" speakers offer a better option, than "in-wall" or "in-ceiling".

 

[Jason Charlton]

Being able to "point" the in-wall speakers will not overcome all of the performance hits that are inherent to in-wall speakers. They still won't sound as good as "regular" speakers. They also pose a bigger installation challenge, as you have to decide now where they will be and where they will stay. No tweaking the placement after the room is complete.


If sound quality is your highest priority, then regular speakers are what you should consider. Only you can determine if the performance hit is worth the unobtrusive install of the in-walls. Ideally, you should find a place to listen to the in-walls and take material (music and movies) that you're very familiar with to audition.


As for speaker wire, most around here feel that 16 gauge is fine. Some prefer 14 gauge, and only a few folks feel that going all the way to 12 gauge is really necessary. The important thing is to make sure it is CL rated for in-wall runs.


Don't pay for anything by Monster. www.monoprice.com has perfectly fine speaker wire, but you can also find 16 and 14 gauge at your local Home Depot or Lowe's however, in my experience, it's hit or miss finding 12 gauge speaker wire at either place.

 

[Ed Moxley]

Another consideration against in-wall speakers, as I told in another thread, is that once those speakers are in place, you can forget about re-arranging furniture, because it will ruin the whole home theater setup. You'll only be able to re-arrange furniture, when you're also ready to re-do the home theater system. Just something else to think about................

 

[mikeabt]

Just a couple of things related to in-wall / in-ceiling speakers.

My opinion: They make a lot of sense when you are limited in a 5.1, 6.1 or 7.1 situation when you can't place the surrounds on speaker stands or wall mount them in a position that best supports the format. Yes, you do give up some of the qualities present in free standing speakers.


Since the surrounds are typically there to support the ambient sound of the format and to support movement, I would argue that they really don't need to be the "best" speakers in the room.


Jason nailed it: "If sound quality is your highest priority, then regular speakers are what you should consider". Taking that one step further, the truth is...It doesn't matter what speaker you buy - there's always gonna be one better tomorrow.


Yes - you can aim the sound emanating from an in-wall / in-ceiling speaker, but you are limited to only the higher frequencies typically through the

 

[Al.Anderson]

I agree with all the negatives regarding in-wall speakers that have been mentioned. Mostly in-walls are used for asthetics.


On a different topic, you really want your center channel to be the matched to your main left/right speakers (timbre matched they call it). Getting the same line of speaker is advised.

 

[Ed Moxley]

I've never seen an instance where stands couldn't be used. The wife may not want to use them, because she thinks they don't look good or whatever. But stands can be used in any situation I can think of. A lot of people don't realize that in a 5.1 setup, the surround speakers don't actually go behind you. They go more to the side, but just behind the head. So, the sofa or chairs being against the back wall is no excuse. But, it could be an excuse for not using a 7.1 setup, because the surround back speakers do go behind you.

 

[Jason Charlton]

I also agree that if absolutely necessary, in-walls will suffice for surrounds. I would even consider in-ceiling for rear surrounds for a 7.1 setup in a room that was not a dedicated theater, but personally, I would be unwilling to compromise on the front soundstage.