Home Theater Speaker Comparison Question (1 Viewer)

[BeezleBub_Ross]

I am currently getting estimates on ceiling speaker installs and didn’t know if anyone had any input on the differences between these 3 types:

Klipsch CS-16C-II 6.5” in-ceiling
Episode 350 Series in-ceiling 6.5”
TruAudio REV6P Revolve series 6.5”

Honestly, I don’t know much about this, and my internet searches have proved confusing. Thanks all

 

[JohnRice]

I have a question in return. What will you be using the in-ceiling speakers for?

 

[BeezleBub_Ross]

I have a loft in my home that I’m converting into a modest home theater. So it’ll mainly be for movies and video game sessions.

 

[JohnRice]

Well, my response is, don't ever use in-ceiling speakers for a home theater. Maybe for the surround speakers, if you absolutely must, but never for the front. There are much better options. Speakers on shelves, or in-wall instead, but never in the ceiling.

 

[BeezleBub_Ross]

Good to know. I actually have another estimate planned for today. What about hanging the fronts? Or would floor fronts be optimal? They would be up against an exterior wall, so in-wall wiring is pretty impractical. Thanks for your input, btw.

 

[Craig Chase]

Do you have a budget in mind? John Rice is right, in wall speakers are not even close to sounding as good as a box speaker, especially in dollar for dollar terms.

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

What about hanging the fronts?

I'd certainly hang the front speakers before going with in-walls.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[Al.Anderson]

I agree with John, in-ceiling fronts for anything but ambient music is a bad idea. And an in-ceiling center is even worse than right/left front.

If by hanging you mean walk mounting then that's fine, no need to go with floor standing. If by hanging you mean leaving them very high,then not ideal, but at least tilt them toward the listener. (But still better than ceiling speakers).

If you decide that mounting bookshelf speakers isn't going to work for you, there are also on-wall speakers which fit the bill. You lose some low end, but if you're going to use a sub it'll be fine.

 

[JohnRice]

I don't know what's meant by "hanging" speakers. The main idea is that the sound in the front should come from the same direction as the image. Typically speakers to the left and right of the screen, and the center either directly below or above. What you don't want is the image in front of you and the front sound coming from over your head. A lot of the time you can just install small shelves, just wide enough to hold a bookshelf speaker.

 

[greggor]

You really want the speakers at ear level if you hang them. Sometimes the dimensions of our rooms doesn't always provide us with the best placement for speakers.

As far as the speaker choices go I would try and demo them and purchase the speakers that sound the best to you and are with in your budget. I would never recommend purchasing a speaker without hearing it first.

 

[BeezleBub_Ross]

Thanks a ton for all your input! I've taken it into consideration and spoke with my installer. I'll be switching to floor speakers with a center on a stand in the middle at head-height or so. It bends my budget a little, but I can upgrade the speakers in the future. The kind I'll be using are Monitor Audio Bronze. I will however still be going with directional in-ceilings for the the surround due to the layout of the loft itself. Hopefully the fronts improve the space a bit.

Surrounds and rear are TruAudio REV6P Revolve series 6.5”
Sub is a JBL Studio Sub 250P

I'm sort of piecing this along as I go as it's my first venture into home theater building. Again, I appreciate all your help and feedback!

 

[Dave Moritz]

Monitor Audio makes nice speakers so that is a great choice! There is another option for your surrounds that does not include hanging speakers from the wall or installing in-wall speakers. Speaker stands are very affordable and you can easily hide the wires and use banana plugs so if there is any occasion where you want the surrounds to go away it just takes a minute or two and they are gone!