Need advice on in-wall speakers (1 Viewer)

[BrianCli]

Hello everyone, I need help choosing the correct in wall speaker for my HT. I am planning on going with the H/K 525 reciever and due to the room design and WAF (wife acceptance factor) I will be using in-wall speakers all the way around except for the center speaker. I already have a velodyne spl1000 sub which I have been extremely pleased with.

I have narrowed my choices down to two different in-wall speakers; the PolkRC85i ($250) and the B&W CWM500 ($400). It seems like I would be getting a lot more speaker for the money with the Polks but I honestly do not know how these two speakers compare. I would be open to considering other in-wall speakers as well.

What would you recommend out of theses two speakers? What other speakers should I consider in this price range?


Here are the PolkRC85i specs:
Mid/Woofer 1 - 8" Diameter (20.32cm)
Dynamic Balance, mineral filled Polymer cone with rubber surround
Tweeter 1 - 1" Diameter (2.54cm)
Dynamic Balance, metalized soft dome in swivel mount
Overall Frequency Response 30Hz - 20kHz
Nominal Impedance 8 ohms
Recommended Amplifier Power 20 - 100 w/channel
Efficiency 90 dB
Size 14" H x 10" W
(35.56cm H x 25.40cm W)
Cut-out Size 12-3/4" H x 8-11/16" W
(32.38cm H x 22.07cm W)
Mounting Depth 2-7/8" (7.30cm)

Here are the B&W CWM500 specs:
Dimensions Height: 228mm (9 in)
Width: 175mm (6.9 in)
Depth: 85mm (3.3 in)
Freq. Response 55Hz - 20kHz ± 3dB on reference axis
Sensitivity 88dB spl (2.83V 1m)
Nominal Impedance 8 ohms
Power Handling 20 - 100W into 8 ohms on unclipped programme
Drive Units Unit 1: 1x 125mm (5 in) Kevlar® cone bass/midrange
Unit 2: 1x 25mm (1 in) high frequency
Crossover Frequency 3.5Khz
Cut-out size
(without pre-mount) Height: 212mm (8.3 in)
Width: 156mm (6.1 in)
Cut-out size
(with pre-mount) Height: 217mm (8.5 in)
Width: 161mm (6.3 in)

 

[Dan Joy]

Brian,
Good luck in your search. I recently upgraded my 6 year old infinity inwalls (surround only) to Paradigm AMS 300s. I am very pleased with them. I have noticed a HUGE difference in all area for multichannel music and now dvds. You have not really given a price range for the 4 speakers. There are alot of choices out there, some you can audition, most you cannot. Almost all major speaker makers have inwalls. My only advice would be to try and match them all. Do you already have a center channel and if so what kind? Some of the high end speakers are Triad, Sonance, and Atlantic Technology. These are quite expensive in my mind and I could not audition then where I live. Mirage, Paradigm, Def Tec, Klipsch,Boston Acoustics and Infinity also make them in your range. Don't forget Home Theater Direct and Cambridge Soundworks. I would have bought the Home Theater Direct inwalls had they been able to fit!

Happy hunting!