In wall speakers - are they the solution?

[Marc v E]

Starting this thread because a post by @flyzipper in the most beautiful speaker thread got me thinking: wouldn't it be acousticly ideal and visually attractive to have your speakers built in the walls? Like in a double wall, serving both as a solution for keeping books and audio equipment and have the speakers built in, matching the grill cloth on colour.

So my question is: would it be acousticly good? And what would I need to do to make it sound good?

 

[abdo123]

Yes it would sound the best unless you typically put the speakers so far away from the front wall that the reflections are both late and lower in amplitude.

however without the boundary boundary gain disappears so i would only buy speakers with sensible sensitivity that can play loud. The Monoprice speaker was crapping out @ 96 dB which is a big no no.

Unless you’ve dealt with walls before then I would honestly get something like Amir’s company to do it.

 

[Marc v E]

So, what you're basically saying is: yes it can be done, but it needs a professional install, not a diy or carpenters job?

 

[abdo123]

You can do it yourself, but if something would go wrong I don’t think you or your partner would be very entertained if there is a big hole in the wall.

 

[hege]

You really need to know what you are doing, so yes it's a "pro" job.

Here's some thumbnails of Genelec 1234A install into a normal home:

https://foorumi.hifiharrastajat.org/index.php?threads/master.161909/page-2#post-2123399
(don't bother to try registering, it's local forum)

 

[Wes]

JBL makes entire series of speakers for such installations. I think it is worth pursuing, esp. if you have some technical background.

 

[alex-z]

If your speakers are built into a wall you have no speaker boundary interference, so the mid-bass will be much smoother.

As hege showed in that picture, angled walls may be needed to get optimal imaging.

If you are placing normal speakers into a wall (not meant for infinite baffle), then you will need to compensate with EQ.

 

[FeddyLost]

would it be acousticly good? And what would I need to do to make it sound good?

A lot of studios done with soffit mounted speakers, so in principle it's the best possible solution if done right.
Ideally you'll need to make proper acoustical project.
At least you must follow instructions from manufacturer and wall must be massive and inert - not single layer of plasterboard.

So, what you're basically saying is: yes it can be done, but it needs a professional install, not a diy or carpenters job?

Mechanical installation can be done by DIY or carpenter, but all need to be properly planned and instructed.
If you are handy, you can find out some good acoustician and ask for remote consulting without personal presence. I think it might be affordable if you need best possible sound.

 

[Frgirard]

A lot of studios done with soffit mounted speakers, so in principle it's the best possible solution if done right.
Ideally you'll need to make proper acoustical project.
At least you must follow instructions from manufacturer and wall must be massive and inert - not single layer of plasterboard.


Mechanical installation can be done by DIY or carpenter, but all need to be properly planned and instructed.
If you are handy, you can find out some good acoustician and ask for remote consulting without personal presence. I think it might be affordable if you need best possible sound.

You need to go in studio before to write you wrote

Exemple

https://holonor.com/#references
Or
https://www.northwardacoustics.com/portfolio/

The major constraint is the buying of speaker designed for.

 

[FeddyLost]

You need to go in studio before to write you wrote

I meant that soffit installation is a good idea in principle.
If one buys HT LCR in-wall speakers, they will not give studio quality "as is", but even for getting proper result installation must be done correctly.

 

[Frgirard]

https://gearspace.com/board/photo-diaries-of-recording-studio-construction-projects/

Visit this forum

 

[redshift]

A lot of studios done with soffit mounted speakers, so in principle it's the best possible solution if done right.
Ideally you'll need to make proper acoustical project.
At least you must follow instructions from manufacturer and wall must be massive and inert - not single layer of plasterboard.


Mechanical installation can be done by DIY or carpenter, but all need to be properly planned and instructed.
If you are handy, you can find out some good acoustician and ask for remote consulting without personal presence. I think it might be affordable if you need best possible sound.

I’d expect a competent installation job to be quite involved and more expensive than the actual speakers. I.e. ripping out parts of the wall and reinforcing, etc., not much possibilities for adjusting them after the fact.

Perhaps try out onwalls before making a drastic move?

http://www.bremen.se/

 

[moonlight rainbow dream]

This is a good primer on the acoustics of in-walls:

https://www.pmiltd.com/published articles/040601 Baffled Again.pdf

 

[Deleted member 27948]

In a large room:
Decent speakers are fairly directive after 500Hz, so it should not matter much if they are in-wall or tower in that range, thus the benefits would be fairly modest. Below 500Hz all speakers are omni, but you need to deal with the floor reflection. Therefore you need to have at least 2 cones anyway to avoid zeros, thus the benefits are again fairly modest.

In a "standard" room
of, say, 12...14' wide you can achieve significant benefits if you place the speakers at the corners, flush & angled 60 deg towards you. This setup will require the least amount of acoustic foam to lower RT60 and DRR (direct to reverberant ratio). But you must have a lot of theoretical and practical knowledge to realize the in-wall potential. It's not for beginners.

 

[Frgirard]

The floor reflection is not an issue. In studio people ask to keep the floor reflection.
The diffraction due to the size baffle is an issue corrected by the in wall.
The sbir due to the front wall is an issue corrected by the inwall.
The spl gain in bass frequencies due to the inwall is an advantage to decrease the distortion if you listen at high spl.