In-Wall/On-Wall Speakers

It's better to look good and sound good.

One of the reasons why in-wall speakers get such a bad rap is that people often install them in locations where no respectable speaker could ever dream of sounding good. Unfortunately, the consideration of where an in-wall speaker will look best often trumps the consideration of where it will sound best. If curtains and picture frames are more important to you than the sound of music and movies, there's not much I can say to convince you otherwise. On the other hand, if you're reading this, you just might be willing to compromise on where you install in-wall speakers in order to get most of the space-saving and décor-oriented benefits plus great sound.

It's all about location. While it's true that many in-walls offer pivoting tweeters that can help compensate for high-on-the-wall installations, you'll get the best sound if you place the speakers at the same height you'd place a freestanding speaker: within about 2 feet of ear level. As with freestanding home theater speakers, you'll want the center-channel in-wall to be as close in height to the left and right speakers as possible. Ideally, the distance from each of the front speakers to the listening position should be the same (although, in practice, it's virtually impossible to put the center channel the same distance from the listener as the left and right speakers). If you mount the speakers closer than 2 feet to the ceiling, it's a good idea to install them upside down with the tweeters away from the ceiling.

If you've ponied up the bucks for enclosed speakers, like the Triads or Snells, and you're installing them in an existing home, borrow a couple of friends to help hold the speakers in various locations and check out how they sound before you take the step of actually cutting into the wall. For nonenclosed speakers, you can use a similarly designed bookshelf speaker to get a good approximation. Unfortunately, the studs in your walls may not cooperate with the absolute best speaker location—but hey, at least you'll know where the speakers should have gone.