In-Ceiling Speakers vs. In-Wall Speakers
When you’re upgrading your surround sound, in-ceiling and in-wall speakers are both great choices.
In-Ceiling Speakers vs. In-Wall Speakers. They allow you to create a one-of-a-kind, room-flooding surround sound experience in a single room or even in multiple rooms. But after you see the price, you may be wondering if one or the other (in-ceiling vs. in-wall) is better and would give you more bang for your buck.
- In-ceiling speakers are placed in any ceiling, are compact, and are usually quite budget-friendly.
- In-wall speakers are larger, powerful, and have the flexibility to be placed in any wall, but they are usually more expensive.
If you’re trying to decide In-Ceiling Speakers vs. In-Wall Speakers, it’s important to know what makes them different from one another, what benefits they provide, and how they are best used. Plus, you must consider the aesthetics of the two, your space, and your needs, such as your budget and other requirements.
Some brands you can consider are:
- Focal
- Polk
- Bowers & Wilkins
- Klipsch
- Definitive Technology
- JBL
- And the list goes on here >>
In-Ceiling Speakers
In-ceiling speakers are typically circular-shaped ones created to fit “nested” into your ceiling.
Ceilings are great places to put speakers, the speakers themselves are out of your line of sight. Plus they provide an additional dimension of sound.
In-ceiling speakers are downward-firing, and you can buy them individually or in a set. Individual in-ceiling speakers are low-priced, at around $200 per speaker for a good quality speaker product.
In-ceiling speakers can be used in one room or multiple rooms. They can be used to create traveling, fluid sound throughout many rooms, such as background music at a big party. If you love entertaining, you will enjoy the flexible, subtle surround sound experience that they provide indoors or out.
THE PROS OF IN-CEILING SPEAKERS
In-ceiling speakers won’t take away from the style of your room. But if you are worried about them, they could always be installed on the wall anyway. They add another dimension to your sound and are out of your eyesight. Plus, they are budget friendly.
Attractive
In-ceiling speakers will fit right in with the style of your dedicated theatre room, main living area, or outdoor entertainment space.
The speakers won’t take away from a clean, sophisticated look, no matter where they’re located.
They are nice to look at, but many times they aren’t even noticeable. They simply blend in with the look and feel of your space and rooms. This makes them a very aesthetically pleasing option.
Multi-Dimensional Sound
In-ceiling speakers bring new height to your sound and create a more room-filling sound experience. Whether your sound system includes a sound base, a soundbar, or a traditional surround sound setup with a receiver, in-ceiling speakers add height to your sound.
THE CONS OF IN-CEILING SPEAKERS
While there are many pros, in-ceiling speakers do have a few cons. These include a narrower sound, less technology, and the fact that you need to buy several of them or a package to really make the right impact.
Narrow Sound Field
In-ceiling speakers are smaller than in-wall speakers. Since they are typically 6.5 inches (but can go up to 10 inches in size), they have a narrower sound field than larger in-wall speakers. Depending on your needs, this could be a downfall.
Less Technology
Since they are small, in-ceiling speakers can only pack so much technology into 6.5 inches of a speaker enclosure. Compared to bigger in-wall speakers, most in-ceiling speakers are for easy listening, rather than high-powered sound.
Need to Buy More
It’s best to buy several in-ceiling speakers since they are smaller and have a narrower sound field. You can buy them as a set, but a set is about the same price as a single high-quality in-wall speaker. Plus, more speakers mean more work during installation with hole cutting, wiring, and beyond.
In-Wall Speakers
In-wall speakers are rectangular-shaped speakers that are placed on the inside of your walls. They can serve as your left and right speaker channels, as additional front and rear speakers, or as continuous sound throughout multiple rooms.
In-wall speakers are larger than in-ceiling speakers. The most popular size is 8 inches. They are horizontal-firing, which allows the sound to travel across the room, as opposed to down from the ceiling like in-ceiling speakers.
Instead of the tweeter being placed in front of the bass driver like seen in an in-ceiling speaker, an in-wall speaker’s tweeter is placed beside the bass driver(s). And all the added thoughts about backboxes, amps, and managing the speaker around insulation linked in the in-ceiling speaker section, those apply here too!
THE PROS OF IN-WALL SPEAKERS
In-wall speakers provide great sound quality, placement flexibility, and a larger sound stage. They are a great addition to home entertainment systems of all kinds.
Sound Quality
Since they are larger, in-wall speakers have more room for extra sound technology and features. in-wall speakers are generally often more powerful and higher quality than in-ceiling speakers.
Rather than simply adding a downward-firing sound dimension, in-wall speakers can add multiple dimensions of sound when they are placed in several walls of a room or other area.
Placement Flexibility
In-wall speakers are great for any wall. They can be in the front, the back, or the sides of the room; high or low. For music buffs, they can provide sound throughout a house by being placed on walls throughout the house, at the right height.
There are a few options on the market for outdoor use as well, if you’re interested in adding them to your outdoor space. But be sure to look for speakers that are specifically rated for outdoor use if you go this route.
Larger Sound Stage
In large areas, in-wall speakers can provide sound throughout the space and help bridge the gap between rooms, which is also great for entertaining. Place in-wall speakers throughout the main living area, kitchen, and dining room for a large-area sound experience for both you and your guests.
THE CONS OF IN-WALL SPEAKERS
While they are flexible in placement and help produce a powerful, broad sound in your space, in-wall speakers tend to be more expensive and are bulkier in size.
More Expensive
While still budget-friendly in some cases, single in-wall speakers can be found on sale online and in stores for $200-700+.
This makes them a bit more expensive than individual in-ceiling speakers.
With this extra cost comes the benefits, but that may not be in everyone’s budget.
Bulky
In-wall speakers are larger in size, typically 8 inches, whereas most in-ceiling speakers are 6.5 inches.
Since they are larger, placement becomes very important.
You don’t want their size to take away from the vibe of your space.
You want them to be enough out of the way that they don’t grab too much attention, which can limit the places that you can put them.
This can be difficult for smaller-sized rooms.
Which Is Better?
The best choice for you when its In-Ceiling Speakers vs. In-Wall Speakers depends on your needs and your budget. Subjective we know. It also depends on the use.
There are pros and cons to each, but they serve different purposes.
If you want to add another dimension and reach your sound system for a low cost, in-ceiling speakers are a great choice. You’ll love the flexibility, compact size, and added sound dimension. Perfect for multi-room sound through a house, or as surrounds or Atmos in your home theatre. We don’t recommend them for the front stage though.
If you want to create a powerful, multi-dimensional sound at a higher cost, in-wall speakers are a great choice for you. The large size creates a great, large-area sound, and there is still a good amount of flexibility in placement. You can always be creative in how you “hide” them or take attention away from them. These are perfect for thru the house, but also are great for the home theatre and surrounds, aligning the tweeter to the seated position.
Don’t forget that you can use the two interchangeably in some cases, esp in home theatre.
As always, we are only a phone or email away… drop us a line.
Speak Soon
CJ, Bensan, Toki & Simon.
