Speakers are often bulky and can take up a lot of room in your home depending on their size.
In addition to this, their wires can make your shelves or floor space look untidy, no matter how hard you try to keep them organized.
If you’re looking to save space in your home and improve the acoustic quality, in-wall speakers are a game-changer. In essence, in-wall speaker systems are typically mounted in a rubber surround.
In-wall speakers produce high sound quality and detailed volume and include a wide frequency range so as to reproduce smooth sound. They are also great for watching movies in addition to listening to music.
Keep reading to find out more.
Polk Audio 255C-RT 2-way In-Wall Center Channel Speaker & Audio RC85i 2-way Premium In-Wall 8″ Speakers, Pair of 2
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The Polk Audio 255C-RT 2-way In-Wall Center Channel Speaker & Audio RC85i 2-way Premium In-Wall 8″ Speakers are designed for a true cinematic experience. As the name suggests, it is designed by Polk to serve as the center speaker of a system.
This in-wall speaker is equipped with an 8 Inch dynamic-balance woofer that gives you a fuller bass and a separate 1 Inch metalized soft dome tweeter that adds more depth and detail to your music.
This 2-way center channel speaker is designed to offset reflective surfaces with no sound distortion. With dual-band design bass ports you will get a smooth low-frequency response.
The Polk Audio 255C-RT contains a 1-inch silk/polymer dome tweeter on a swivel mount.
Pros:
- Easy to mount and install – These in-wall speakers come with pre-construction brackets and the patented rotating cam system to ensure secure, vibration-free installation.
- Excellent sound quality – The sound quality of these speakers are unmatched, for a truly immersive listening experience.
- Composite driver baskets – The baskets firmly align the moving parts, creating a wider dispersion for even sound coverage throughout the room.
Cons:
- One customer noted that they were sent the wrong speaker in the mail when ordering this speaker.
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Klipsch R-5650-W II In-Wall Speaker – White
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This is another quality audio product, from one of the kings of high-end audio, the Klipsch R-5650-W II In-Wall Speaker is an elegant addition and improves the sound quality of music in any room in your home.
This high-quality and installer-friendly model challenges the performance of comparable standalone speakers.
This in-wall speaker features horn-loaded technology that increases acoustic output while significantly reducing distortion. As one of the best in-wall speakers that include full-range sound performance, we highly recommend them.
Some of the more prominent features of these speakers are the white paintable frame, a grill for easy installation, and a mounting depth of 3.75″. The frame can be painted depending on your color scheme.
These speakers are worth checking out if you want well-designed, high-impact audio and generally great speakers.
Pros:
- Saves space – Gone are the days of wires being all over the place, this in-wall speaker is designed to save space and fit into your home seamlessly.
- Easy to install – This in-wall speaker is user friendly, making it incredibly easy and hassle-free to install.
- Pivoting Tractrix Horn tweeter – Allows for clear sound in any location of the room.
- Good powerful sounds with a good frequency range
Cons:
- One customer noted that this in-wall speaker took longer than they were expecting to arrive.
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Klipsch R-5502-W II In-Wall Speaker – White (Each)
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The Klipsch R-5502-W II In-Wall Speaker delivers compelling music and movie sound performances for the best listening experience.
These in-wall speakers can be used in lieu of higher-end sound systems and are perfect as left, right, or center channel speakers.
Enhanced by solid magnetic grilles, the build is robust yet lightweight, measuring 3.5 inches by 8 by 17.8 inches, and weighs only 6.5 pounds.
This speaker has a power rating of 130 watts, and the horn-loaded technology increases acoustic output while working to significantly reduce distortion.
As these are more premium speakers they are at the upper end for speakers, and a single speaker can fetch quite a bit. But the build and sound quality is worth all the cash.
Pros:
- Versatile – This in-wall speaker is super versatile, and is perfect for left, center or right channel use.
- User-friendly – The Klipsch in-wall speaker easily mounts horizontally or vertically, so you can install your new speaker without any hassle.
- Saves space – This speaker provides unmatched sound quality without taking up any valuable floor or shelf space. Simply install it on your wall and you’re good to go!
- Compatible for home cinema
Cons:
- One customer noted that they struggled with the instructions that this in-wall speaker came with.
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5252W Silver Ticket In-Wall In-Ceiling Speaker with Pivoting Tweeter
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For a budget option, these speakers have great sound quality. The Silver Ticket In-Wall In-Ceiling Speaker with Pivoting Tweeter is a versatile 80-watt speaker meant for anything from simple stereo applications to whole-home audio and theater systems.
The two 5.25″ mica polypropylene cone woofers, each with a rubber edge and a 10oz magnet work to deliver clear, distortion-free sound for the best listening experience.
This solidly constructed, moisture-resistant speaker can be used in bathrooms, saunas, or under outdoor eaves.
With a nominal power of 40 watts and a peak power of 80 watts, these speakers pack a decent punch.
Pros:
- Moisture resistant – You don’t need to worry about installing this speaker in a moisture-prone environment, such as a bathroom or kitchen, as it is designed to be water-resistant. It can even be installed externally to your home!
- Silk dome tweeter – The 20mm silk dome tweeter works to produce silky-smooth sound including crisp highs and 15-degree pivot for perfect sound placement in and around your home.
- Excellent sound quality – This in-wall speaker provides good sound quality at an affordable price, so you don’t have to worry about the cost implications of this investment.
Cons:
- A couple of customers claimed that they struggled with the installation process for this specific in-wall speaker.
- Not the gratest bass response
- Could distort at high volumes
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Monoprice 3-Way Fiber In-Wall Speakers – 8 Inch (Pair) With Removable And Paintable Grille – Caliber Series
[amazon fields=”B004C4WJ68″ value=”thumb” image_size=”large” image_align=”center” ]
The Monoprice Fiber In-Wall Speaker allows you to expand your listening environment throughout your entire home.
The pivoting titanium silk dome tweeters allow you to immerse yourself in a phenomenal listening experience with detailed clarity and defined vocals.
Not only does it come with a high excursion 8″ Polywoofer, but the sound quality is also compatible with higher-end surround sound systems, and with its rigid and compact, and compact design, which means less mounting depth is required.
This powerful system has a peak of 200 watts and 100 watts RMS, with a frequency response of 50Hz to 20kHz. A dome tweeter manages high frequencies with a titanium silk membrane.
Pros:
- 1-year-warranty – Buy this in-wall speaker confidently with a 30-day money-back guarantee and 1-year warranty.
- 3-way system – This speaker features a 3-way system with an 8-inch fiber woofer with a Kevlar cone to reduce distortion and extra large magnets.
- Good value – The sound quality of this in-wall speaker is good quality for an affordable price.
- Wonderful sound dispersion and bass respone and generally good overall sound.
Cons:
- One customer noted that the brackets on this in-wall speaker broke after a short period of time.
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Buyer’s Guide
There are a few factors to consider when purchasing in-wall speakers, but it mainly comes down to durability, sound quality, and installation.
In-wall speakers are an investment that you want to last. That being said, you should always ensure that you are purchasing speakers that are going to withstand frequent use and the test of time.
Read the factors below before going ahead with your purchase.
Durability
When purchasing in-wall speakers, you will need to consider their durability. While you might think this is trial and error once you have already purchased the speakers, there are ways around this that mean you don’t always have to take the plunge before you get a better understanding of a product.
A good indication of whether a product is durable or not is to check the product reviews section. In this section, customers can leave feedback good or bad that provides you with a better understanding of the product. Whether you’ve personally been recommended a product or not, you should always do your own research to get a better idea of whether the product is right for you and your needs.
Another great thing about the product reviews section is that it can also reveal a lot about the customer service, especially if they are new and don’t have a good reputation to fall back on. Problems occur every day that are outside of a company’s control, such as a product being damaged in transit.
If a customer was dissatisfied with the service that they received, how a company works to rectify that issue for the customer will reveal a lot about them as a business and whether you want to invest your money in them.
If multiple customers note that they had an issue with a product, and couldn’t get hold of a company’s customer service team – then this might be a red flag that you would prefer to avoid.
This information could indicate that they are unreliable and that you could also experience problems with a company’s customer service. Bearing this in mind, you might decide that you’d prefer to not take the risk on a company and would rather opt for one with a better reputation.
Always make sure that you research a company and are happy with the product reviews before going ahead with your purchase.
Brand
An important consideration when purchasing in-wall speakers is the brand. While you might not think that you’re someone who is bothered about brands, when it comes to investing in speakers, it’s important that you do your research on the brand itself.
This simply comes down to the fact that not all speakers are made equal, and you often get what you pay for. When you’re investing in a product that is generally more expensive, you want to ensure that it is going to produce the best sound quality possible by investing in a reputable brand.
The bottom line is that opting to buy from a reputable brand provides you with reassurance, and increases the chances of you investing in a high quality product. A reputable brand has years of experience and quality behind them. Their products have been tried and tested, after all – there’s a reason people keep buying the products year after year!
You should have an idea of how much you want to spend on your speaker, and once you have established a budget you can choose from reputable brands within that bracket. There isn’t the need to spend a fortune. There are some good products at affordable prices by respected manufacturers.
Sound quality
One of the most important factors that you will need to consider is the sound quality of the in-wall speaker.
As I’ve mentioned above, most of the time you get what you pay for with sound systems. The best speakers recreate sound very accurately. In other words, they don’t color the sound quality by changing or altering it in any way.
Sound quality can be tricky to establish before you listen to the music through the speaker in question. The bottom line is, you have to listen to know if a speaker is top-notch and is good for the type of music that you want to listen to through them.
That being said, I recommend doing your research or alternatively going into a store and trying out a variety of different speakers to get a feel for how they sound.
Ideally, you should listen to the speakers in the setting in which you’ll use them to gauge the quality of their sound. Trialing a speaker or looking at the product reviews is the best way to establish whether a speaker has good sound quality.
A subset of sound quality is the number of drivers: more drivers do not necessarily equal better sound quality. A combination of the tweeter will at least ensure that a full range of frequencies is catered for.
Installation
Something else important to consider when purchasing in-wall speakers is how easy they are to install, as you don’t want to risk damaging them during the process.
While companies make it relatively easy for people with an instruction manual and video tutorials to help the installation process, you can still run into trouble if you’re not great with DIY.
If you know that you’re going to struggle with the installation process of your new in-wall speakers, you will need to make sure that you buy a user-friendly in-wall speaker or get someone with experience to help you to install it.
This could be in the form of a willing relative, or if you don’t mind spending the money, you could also pay someone to install it for you. This also has a bigger guarantee that the speaker isn’t likely to fall down, especially if it’s on the heavier side.
Although a lot of in-wall speakers will market themselves as being easy to install, if you have little to no DIY experience, then it is likely that you will need someone to help you with the installation process.
If you’re struggling with it and find that the process is more complicated than you had imagined, it’s always the safest option to find someone that knows what they’re doing to help you with it.
This will minimize the risk of breaking your new in-wall speaker and will mean that you won’t have to buy a new one before you’ve even given it a try. Bearing this in mind, you should be safe to make sure that you install the product in the right way!
Size and weight
You will also need to consider the size and weight of the in-wall speakers before you go ahead with your purchase.
To ensure that you’re picking the right size, you will first need to assess the space in the room that you intend to install them in. If you have a large wall with a tonne of space to spare, then this is less important than if you’re already pushed for space.
You will also need to consider the weight of the speakers, and ensure that the wall that you are attaching them to is strong enough to hold the speakers that you’re choosing. While it might be your dream to have huge speakers for a movie room, you need to think about the practicality of this and whether it’s a realistic option for your home.
Always make sure that the size and weight of your in-wall speakers aren’t going to be overbearing on your wall before buying them.
Warranty
Another fact that you will need to take into account when purchasing in-wall speakers is the warranty. As an investment that is on the pricier side, you will want to ensure that you are buying an in-wall speaker with a good warranty.
Generally speaking, a standard warranty is a year long and covers you should anything happen to your in-wall speakers before this time has elapsed. However, this can be shorter or longer depending on the company’s warranty policy as warranties can differ between manufacturers.
It is also worth noting that some warranties are void if you are buying a product from an uncertified seller, so it is important to do your research and make sure that the seller that you are purchasing your in-wall speakers from is a certified seller.
Always make sure that you check the warranty and that you’re happy with the length of it before you decide on your in-wall speaker.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do in-wall speakers need power?
For the most part, in-wall and in-ceiling speakers are known as passive speakers. In short, this essentially means that they do not need to be plugged into a power source in order to work.
They only need to be connected to a receiver or amp which will act as both a sound and power source. Routing the speaker to the receiver can be a challenging job, and finding an outlet and plugging it in can be even harder. So, if you haven’t picked out your speakers yet, you will want to research passive speakers to simplify the installation process.
Is it easy to install in-wall speakers?
This question largely depends on your DIY skills and the in-wall speaker itself. The majority of, if not all, in-wall speakers come with instruction booklets and videos on how to safely install your new in-wall speakers. That being said, how easy you will find to install it will also largely depend on you as an individual.
Installing an in-wall speaker will entail cutting a hole large enough for the speaker amongst other tricky components such as installing speaker wires, so it can be a tricky project depending on your own personal experience. You will need to weigh up whether you can achieve this project alone or if you need to ask someone else for help to achieve this.
If you know you’re likely to need help, I suggest waiting before you attempt this project, especially if it’s a heavy speaker. You don’t want to risk not attaching it properly and breaking it if it falls from the wall.