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Best In Wall Speakers Reviewed
If you are someone who can not imagine their day without your favorite music playing in the background, then this one is for you. In-wall speakers are the new big thing, offering quality sound. But are they all equal, and which ones should you go for?
Not only do they look incredibly stylish and professional, but today’s best in-wall speakers also create a much more immersive experience. By mounting them into walls or ceilings, you create the ultimate in surround sound to your home theater and music system.
They are also superb for those with limited space, such as apartment dwellers, as they take up no floor space whatsoever. You also do not have the problem of seeing often unsightly wires.
You’ll also see a huge decrease in sound deflection from in-wall speakers. When you place a free-standing speaker in a room, the sound waves bounce off inanimate objects in the room such as walls, ceilings, and furniture. This sound deflection causes an unnecessary build-up and emphasis of certain frequencies while reducing others.
Not to mention echoes and reverberation just bury the clarity of the whole midrange frequency band, and that’s where much of the sound detail resides. It’s not something you want when you are trying to entertain guests or listen to your favorite album, as the sound quality is significantly compromised.
If you are still not sold on the benefits of a quality in wall speaker, here are a few more reasons why they are becoming increasingly popular with audiophiles around the world:
They look much better: We briefly touched on this above, but it is a key reason for people now opting for an in wall speaker system over free standing ones. Aesthetics are important to most people. Speakers often look bulky and can take up a lot of room, even if put into cabinets, and there is also the problem of trailing wires and plugs. In-wall speakers eliminate all of these problems.
However, when it comes to in wall speakers, you want to go for the very best quality that your budget allows for. Their very nature means that once they are installed, they are much more difficult to change, so you want one with plenty of power and optimal performance.
To help you make the right decision when it comes to purchasing your in wall speaker, we have shared our thoughts on some of the in wall speakers currently on the market.
Check Out Our Favorite In-Wall Speakers Installation Process
Top In Wall Speakers Comparison Chart
Best In Wall Speakers
1. Polk Audio RC85i 2-Way Premium In-Wall Speakers
Polk Audio RC85i In-Wall Speakers
If you want even more from your in wall speaker, you can rest assured knowing that this stealthy 2-way speaker will produce fantastic sound. On top of reducing sound reflection and preventing frequency cancellations throughout your room, you get transparency and clarity.
And even in the most humid and challenging of environments such as your kitchen, bathroom or even sauna. This is thanks to the superb quality of materials -stainless steel and butyl rubber – and the quality level of manufacturing.
It features an 8” dynamic-balance woofer & a 1” tweeter for adding more detail and depth to your music giving you an incredible listening experience. You won’t have to worry about peaks overpowering the all-important mid-range frequencies and causing any loss of detail.
The Polk Audio RC85i presents incredibly even and punch bass sounds that never get washed out and uneven. That quality sound presentation is further bolstered by the in-wall speaker install which eliminates irregular spaces behind the speaker and prevents bass frequency build-up.
The grills are paintable, so you can spray paint them to fit in with your decor or leave them as they are. It is incredibly simple to install, with a one-cut, drop-in system.
The whole picture contributes to a much clearer and sharper sound. If you’re in the market for a paradigm example of how a quality in wall speaker can minimize distortion, reduce peaks, emphasize midrange details, and clarify the bass, a Polk Audio RC85i in wall speaker system comes highly recommended.
- HEAR SEAMLESS AUDIO QUALITY AND POLK'S EXCELLENT SOUND REPRODUCTION with these timbre-matched discrete recessed speakers that elevate the sound quality, DELIVERING DEPTH OF MUSIC AND CLEAR, CRISP DIALOGUE
- Pair with our RTI Series speakers for seamless imaging or ADD TO YOUR EXISTING HOME THEATER SYSTEM or build your own Polk collection, and enjoy the SAME GREAT POLK SURROUND SOUND EVERYWHERE
- EXPERIENCE MORE BALANCED & LIFELIKE SOUND – Features an 8” dynamic-balance woofer & a 1” tweeter for adding more depth & detail to your music. Mineral-filled polymer cone & strong composite driver baskets create wider dispersion for EVEN-SOUND COVERAGE
- THE RUBBER SEAL DRIVES better response and PREVENTS MOISTURE ACCESS, a key feature for USE IN A BATHROOM, KITCHEN, SAUNA AND COVERED PORCH
- OUT OF THE BOX & RECESSED INTO THE WALL - no mess, no extra assembly - in 3 simple steps QUICKLY & EASILY INSTALL these speakers. Leave the paintable aluminum grilles as is or spray paint to MATCH YOUR EXISTING INTERIOR and virtually make them disappear
2. Yamaha Corporation of America NSIW470WH 3 Way In-Wall Speaker
Yamaha NSIW470WH 3 Way In-Wall Speaker
Yamaha has opted to ensure optimal sound quality by internally wiring some of the Monster Cable parts. This provides a direct, clear signal to the speaker driver from the crossover network.
- With a few basic tools you can easily install these speakers in the wall yourself
- Features a high quality crossover network to ensure maximum sound performance.
- You can swivel the tweeter and midrange driver to "aim" the high frequency sound toward the main listening area
- 6.5" Coated Paper Cone Woofer; 2" Paper Cone Midrange; 1" Silk Soft Dome Tweeter
- Paintable Grille with Protective Cover Included
3. Bose Virtually Invisible 891 In-Wall Speakers
Bose 891 In-Wall Speakers(pair)
Using a 7′′ woofer and multi-directional 1′′ tweeter, along with Bose ‘s proprietary Stereo Anywhere technology, the 891s fill the space with wall-to-wall sonic dominance. The sound is perfectly balanced. With intense clarity through all acoustic outputs, these speakers offer sharp and astonishingly realistic sound effects.
These are also exceptionally easy to install using a simple combination of four clamp screws which allow you to slot the speakers into drywall, thus saving you the hassle of drilling lots of holes in the wall.
- The best Bose in-wall speaker has one 7" woofer and two strategically positioned 1" tweeters
- High-quality, full-range performance that most other installed speakers can't match
- Exclusive Stereo Everywhere speaker performance covers the room with balanced stereo sound-no drop-offs
- A near-bezel-less construction blends elegantly into the room's design; easily paintable grilles
- Standard dogleg clamps and magnetically attached grilles make installation fast and easy
4. JBL SP6II in-Wall Home Theater Speaker
JBL SP6II in-Wall Home Theater Speaker
They deliver powerful, deep bass with their 6.5-inch titanium laminated cone woofers. The 1-inch tweeters are also titanium laminate, offering a wide frequency response with excellent precision in both high and deep lows. They have got a total RMS of 80 watts combined.
They have an additional template to help you cut your install holes. They feature dog-ear brackets and come with click-fit grilles that can be painted to match their surroundings.
- Titanium laminate tweeter for excellent high-frequency sound
- Titanium laminate cone woofer uses rubber surrounds for reduced distortion
- Dog-ear brackets make it possible to retrofit
- Optional rough-in frames are available for new construction
- Frequency response of 38-20,000Hz
5. Klipsch R-2650-W II In-Wall Speaker
Klipsch R-2650-W II In-Wall Speaker
It features dual 5.25-inch ceramic cone woofers and a 90 x 90 degree square Tractrix Horn with a 1-inch titanium diaphragm compression motor. The groundbreaking horn-loaded technology achieves a more exceptional acoustic performance with a drastically reduced risk of distortion.
Again, it is an ultra slim shape, a low-profile with negligible footprints to take up precious space. It delivers high-definition audio and is made from long-lasting premium quality components. It is easy to mount, and the grids can be magnetically connected and painted to match the aesthetic of the room.
- 1-inch Silk dome tweeter
- 6.5-inch gray Polypropylene woofer
- Good sensitivity and power handling: works well with 100 watt/channel receivers
- Rugged ABS frame
- Elegant new, low-profile SlimTrim magnetic grille
Top In Wall Speaker Features To Consider
Unless you happen to be exceptionally familiar with audio-electronics and a little bit of DIY, you are going to want to go for something that is easy to install or pay out for the professionals to come and install it for you.
Luckily, most of these products come with remarkably simple mounting. Bear in mind, however, that some will have wires built in, and others will just have the connections for the cables themselves. Check this beforehand to make sure that you have everything you need before you start the installation process.
How In-Wall Speakers Work
All speakers are transducers that operate using a magnetic field and magnets. They have onboard control that takes electrical signals that interrupt the field and attracts and repels fixed magnets.
This causes an in/out motion in the speakers, low-frequency sounds shift the speakers’ cones less frequently, but with a greater effect, higher frequency sounds pulsate much faster.
Tweeters
The speaker thus requires a minimum of two different styles of cone to deal with the two different ends of the frequency range as well as a decent crossover to deal more effectively with any frequencies that land somewhere in between.
Basically, both speakers are transducers that operate using a magnetic field and magnets; they have on-board processing that takes electrical signals that interrupt the field and attracts and repels fixed magnets.
Subwoofers
Ideally, therefore, you need a 2-way or 3-way classification speaker. If you have a home system, you are likely to be searching for particular kinds of speakers for different channel placements. A 3-way speaker is typically deemed best for your central speaker (L / C / R). Still, you may then want a designated left and right on top, while also using a devoted bass woofer or sub woofer to fill out the lower frequencies. So it is essential to consider your speaker amplification, layout, and set-up before you peruse the market for your in wall speaker.
Open vs Closed Back Speakers
You also need to consider whether you want an open or closed back in wall speaker system. Open back in-wall speakers leave the drivers of the speaker accessible to the wall cavity. As you would imagine, then, closed-back in-wall speakers encase the drivers in metal or a plastic casing. Usually, a closed-back speaker is used in commercial environments or ones where humidity might be an issue. That is not to say they can’t benefit domestic settings as well.
These both have advantages and disadvantages which are important to take into consideration when choosing your in wall speaker system. An enclosed back in wall speaker helps to prevent sound from leaking into adjoining rooms. It also acts as a cabinet for the speaker and gives the designer much more control over the sound it produces. The downside is that it is a little more expensive.
Moisture
Depending on where you want to install your in wall speaker, you might want to look for a system that is moisture resistant. Outdoor structures tend to be exposed to much higher levels of continuous moisture than indoor environments. Gazebos, patios and decks are excellent environments to play music, but you don’t want to find out the hard way that moisture has damaged your hard-earned investment.
In-Wall Speakers For Home Theater
If you are buying in-wall speakers for a home theater system, look for side and rear speakers that include mid-sized woofers and tweeters that direct your sound in particular directions. This significantly enhances the surround sound effect, and it’s especially useful for larger rooms that have multiple rows of seating.
Getting The Best Sound From Your In Wall Speaker System
First of all, make sure that you place insulation around the edges of the space of where the speaker will be installed. This will help to improve the sound quality by reducing resonance throughout the wall cavity. It is important to do this regardless of whether you are going to an enclosed or an open back in wall speaker.
You also need to be sure that the brackets that you use to secure the speaker into place are secure and tight – but of course, not so tight that you will never be able to get them out if and when you need to.
To avoid any annoying and distracting rattling sounds, you should make sure that the frill surrounding the in wall speaker is correctly installed.
In-Wall Speaker installation
Of course, manufactures try their hardest to make the installation of an in wall speaker as easy as possible for the user, but it can still be a bit of a challenge. First of all, you need to cut the space in the wall for the speaker to fit into, and then drill the holes for the wires and cables. If this is your first time doing anything along these lines, it can be an unnerving experience. It may take a bit of time, but but it’s often a fairly simple process.
Many products come with a template to help you with the cutting of the wall board as well as the mounting process. If this is still beyond you, or you do not want the hassle, use the services of a professional. Of course, this adds to the cost but saves any major disasters happening so you can enjoy your new system quickly and safely.