In wall speakers...the lonely poor cousin of audiophile quality free standing speakers right? No longer! Giant leaps have been taken in the technology of in wall/celing speakers to take them from morning announcements in your local high school to full on THX certified home theater elements. In this article we'll take a quick look at some of the big pros and cons of in wall speakers in the modern home.
Ascetics
In wall speakers in the past have always been a compromise of looks over sound. In walls took up next to no space in your room, and could even be camouflaged with painted grills to disappear. In walls maintained the look and feel of your room, and hid any wires running from the speakers to the sound system. No brainer right! In wall speakers are the way to go. Well not exactly, speakers just stuffed into an open wall have virtually uncontrollable acoustic properties. When you consider the amount of time and research major speaker manufactures put into cabinet design of speakers, this is obviously a HUGE disadvantage of in wall speakers considering the manufacture has no idea the size of the wall bay a speaker will be placed in. Solution, many top speaker companies like Jamo and Triad now make in wall speakers with sealed rear boxes. No endless back-wave lost in your walls, and the people making the speakers regain control over how the speaker will perform.
In wall speakers in the past have always been a compromise of looks over sound. In walls took up next to no space in your room, and could even be camouflaged with painted grills to disappear. In walls maintained the look and feel of your room, and hid any wires running from the speakers to the sound system. No brainer right! In wall speakers are the way to go. Well not exactly, speakers just stuffed into an open wall have virtually uncontrollable acoustic properties. When you consider the amount of time and research major speaker manufactures put into cabinet design of speakers, this is obviously a HUGE disadvantage of in wall speakers considering the manufacture has no idea the size of the wall bay a speaker will be placed in. Solution, many top speaker companies like Jamo and Triad now make in wall speakers with sealed rear boxes. No endless back-wave lost in your walls, and the people making the speakers regain control over how the speaker will perform.
Flexibility
Free standing speakers give you the flexibility to move them around the room. While this has some obvious advantages, from the point of view considering sound, it's the ultimate tune-ability. When trying to create a proper surround sound environment placement is essential, and adjustments are obviously easier with a free standing speaker, where as a wall mounted speaker once installed...is in it's place. There are a few small options available from in walls to counter this, one being adjustable tweeters to change the way sound is reflected or pointed towards the listener. There are also receiver features made to combat speaker placement, like pioneers MCAAC which will calibrate your sound considering speaker placement, ambient noise, and more.
Surround Sound
THX, a company that amongst other things, rates audio and video products in numerous categories, and also supplies manufactures with specifications to improve their technology, agrees that dipole enclosures make the best speakers for surround units. Over the years this meant mounting a bulky some what oddly shaped set of speakers on your walls. Many companies now offer true dipole in wall speakers, some like Triad have also managed to do this while still having a flush grill. THX.com spotlights how many manufactures have pushed the boundaries of in wall speaker technology to the point where they rival the tried and true free standing box speakers, all while earning THX certification.
Like many home theater pieces, the performance of in wall speakers is only as good as it's installation. Contact a Hitech life consultant today to learn more about home theater technology and what it can do for you. Call 215-699-3317
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Free standing speakers give you the flexibility to move them around the room. While this has some obvious advantages, from the point of view considering sound, it's the ultimate tune-ability. When trying to create a proper surround sound environment placement is essential, and adjustments are obviously easier with a free standing speaker, where as a wall mounted speaker once installed...is in it's place. There are a few small options available from in walls to counter this, one being adjustable tweeters to change the way sound is reflected or pointed towards the listener. There are also receiver features made to combat speaker placement, like pioneers MCAAC which will calibrate your sound considering speaker placement, ambient noise, and more.
Surround Sound
THX, a company that amongst other things, rates audio and video products in numerous categories, and also supplies manufactures with specifications to improve their technology, agrees that dipole enclosures make the best speakers for surround units. Over the years this meant mounting a bulky some what oddly shaped set of speakers on your walls. Many companies now offer true dipole in wall speakers, some like Triad have also managed to do this while still having a flush grill. THX.com spotlights how many manufactures have pushed the boundaries of in wall speaker technology to the point where they rival the tried and true free standing box speakers, all while earning THX certification.
Like many home theater pieces, the performance of in wall speakers is only as good as it's installation. Contact a Hitech life consultant today to learn more about home theater technology and what it can do for you. Call 215-699-3317
