In-ceiling speakers come in a wide variety of styles and applications, but how does one choose the model of in-ceiling speaker that would work best for their home? This is a common scenario for many homeowners, and sometimes it’s easier to find a particular brand that you like and just go with it, however that’s not always the right way to find the best in-ceiling speakers, or any product for that matter.
There are many different options to suit a variety of applications, styles and budgets, for example are they for a home cinema, party system of general background music/radio? Do you like the idea of having in-ceiling speakers but are not particularly fond of seeing a number of grills on your ceilings? There are invisible solutions which will be discussed further along, so keep reading if you want to know more.
What am I listening to?
In-ceiling speakers are a great addition to the home; whether you are reading a book by the fire, or entertaining guests, the ability to have music playing throughout your home that is spread evenly throughout the space is a great addition. You can of course choose bookshelf speakers however as you are reading this you are probably aware of this fact so we shall leave that for another topic. What I will say is that in-ceiling speakers are best for spaces where the listening position is likely to be anywhere in the room whereas bookshelf speakers are designed to be placed with a single listener in mind for that ultimate stereo experience.
The first thing you’ll want to decide upon when choosing the best in-ceiling speakers is what they are for:
- Home Cinema
Accuracy and performance is key so here you will want to choose the correct speaker for the room layout, system and listening position. Your in-ceiling speaker and amplifiers/AVR will need to be rated for the required loudness level at the listening position so in this scenario, complex calculations will need to be made by a professional to get the best sounding system.
In this type of system there are specific in-ceiling surround style speakers with angled drivers that fire sound right at the prime listening position so make that spot yours and enjoy a fully immersive experience.
- Performance music system
In this scenario you have a bit more choice in speaker type and amplifier and you will also want to make sure these fit in with the style of your home. Calculations will still be required however it is a little more flexible and can be designed around the interior styling and services using a ceiling plan.
Where interior styling is important or ceiling space is a premium the best in-ceiling speakers might be something small and stylish like the Sonance Architectural Series. In this case they could be paired with an in-ceiling, wall mounted, hidden or freestanding subwoofer in the room to complement and fill the lower end frequencies that will inevitably be missing from the smaller in-ceiling speaker drivers.
- Background listening/radio
If you are mostly using your in-ceiling speakers for radio or general background music you have many options that can be as budget friendly as you like. You will want to make sure these are optimised for speech clarity however bass isn’t as important in this case so the size of the in-ceiling speaker can be reduced without necessarily requiring a paired subwoofer, thus making a smaller impact on the look of the ceiling and no need to find somewhere to hide a subwoofer.
I want the best in-ceiling speakers but my partner doesn’t want to see them, is there a way to keep us both happy?
Yes of course! Invisible speaker technology has come a long way in recent years, in fact the technology is still quite young and until recently it wasn’t even possible. I over-exaggerate, they have been around for over 30 years however up until around 10 years ago they sounded worse than an old gramophone filled with water and we wouldn’t have recommended them to any of our clients. This however has changed, with companies such as Amina, Sonance and a few others, the quality just keeps getting better.
The modern invisible speaker is capable of incredibly detailed sound, with nice smooth bass and can now be installed behind not only plastered walls but wood, metal and other surfaces! Some of the last generation of invisible speakers required a paired subwoofer because the bass response wasn’t great, however this is not the case anymore and the best brands now offer full range invisible speakers! The beauty of these is that they can be fitted in-wall or in-ceiling so are one of the best in-ceiling speaker options for those who want to hear great sound but want to see nothing.
Just remember where your speaker is if you decide to hang a photo, they don’t work too well with a nail through them.
My interior designer doesn’t want to incorporate the circular speakers, do they come in any other shape?
Yes! Whilst speakers are generally circular, the grills can be made in a number of shapes and sizes to accommodate the most extraordinary home design. They can be square, with grill, without grill, flush with ceiling and there are even speakers shaped like a snake that can literally bend within a slatted ceiling almost completely out of sight.
How easy is installation?
The installation definitely needs to be taken into consideration when choosing the best in-ceiling speakers for you. Some have fiddly tabs that get caught on snags, some have sprung loaded tabs that upon a single turn of a screwdriver hold this speaker in place so you can rest your arms at any point, some hang from the ceiling like a lighting pendant, some have guide screws and backing plates that take about a week to install because they are so fiddly, and some just will not fit in your ceiling void because they are deeper than that old CRT you’ve had stashed somewhere since 1995.
It is therefore vital to choose a speaker that fits the installation; whether it’s going into double layer fire resistant plasterboard, or a single layer you’ll want to know as some speakers cannot accommodate this. If it’s going to take you a long time to get the job done because of the poor installation experience, you’ll want to know because not all speakers are made equal.
If you are installing speakers in a ceiling it is very important to take into consideration fire proofing. Some speakers have closed backs, and some are open back meaning installing them will have created a break in the fire protection for the floor above. It is therefore a requirement to install a fire hood over each speaker so please check your local regulations before committing to install an in-ceiling speaker.
So there are a lot of ways in which we would go about specifying the best in-ceiling speaker for your project, what it comes down to in short are two main defining factors:
- What are the speakers to be used for? (Home cinema overheads, music system, general listening, dining etc)
- Are they to be part of a wider interior design plan and do they need to be invisible to fit the plan?
Knowing these two things is the first step to set you on your way to choosing the best in-ceiling speakers. After that you would need to work out your budget and take into consideration who is installing the speakers, where they are to be installed (is the ceiling void large enough to accommodate my desired speaker), and do you need to accommodate fire hoods or boxing to be compliant with regulations.
Thank you for reading, we hope you’ve found this useful!