I'm currently using Polk Audio RC85i in-wall speakers in my living room together with RC80i in-ceiling surround/height and 255c-RT center.
I never liked how music sounds in my living room. Recently tried out Polk Audio TSi300 towers and even though they are cheap low-end they sounded much better for music and filled the room with more consistent sound. Eventually I realized that one of my main issues with the sound was that I was playing music in Dolby Surround mode with completely screws up the sound stage and makes sound behind the rear surrounds (kitchen area) totally horrible as you hear a mixture of fronts and surround effects. Switching to Stereo only for music was a huge improvement even with my current in-walls.
Considering WAF and limited space, I'm giving up on towers as an option and considering upgrading my front in-walls to something that might sound better with the goal of improving stereo music listening. I could not find any good information on in-wall speaker performance that would inform my decision so I'm a bit stuck.
Prefer something that can be driven by my Onkyo TX-NR656 receiver (100W per channel at 8 ohms).
I've selected a short-list of models that look appealing ordered by price:
- Klipsch R-5800-W II - $600/pair, 1" horn tweeter, 8" woofer, 94dB sensitivity
- Revel W383 - $700/pair, 1" aluminum tweeter, 8" woofer, 89 dB sensitivity
- Revel W583 - $900/pair, 1" aluminum tweeter, 8" woofer, 89 dB sensitivity
- Revel W783 - $1200/pair, 1" aluminum tweeter, 8" woofer, 89 dB sensitivity
Should I expect a significant improvement in sound with a more expensive in-walls, how should I pick which one of these would be a good option? I'd appreciate if you have other recommendations too.
I never liked how music sounds in my living room. Recently tried out Polk Audio TSi300 towers and even though they are cheap low-end they sounded much better for music and filled the room with more consistent sound. Eventually I realized that one of my main issues with the sound was that I was playing music in Dolby Surround mode with completely screws up the sound stage and makes sound behind the rear surrounds (kitchen area) totally horrible as you hear a mixture of fronts and surround effects. Switching to Stereo only for music was a huge improvement even with my current in-walls.
Considering WAF and limited space, I'm giving up on towers as an option and considering upgrading my front in-walls to something that might sound better with the goal of improving stereo music listening. I could not find any good information on in-wall speaker performance that would inform my decision so I'm a bit stuck.
Prefer something that can be driven by my Onkyo TX-NR656 receiver (100W per channel at 8 ohms).
I've selected a short-list of models that look appealing ordered by price:
- Klipsch R-5800-W II - $600/pair, 1" horn tweeter, 8" woofer, 94dB sensitivity
- Revel W383 - $700/pair, 1" aluminum tweeter, 8" woofer, 89 dB sensitivity
- Revel W583 - $900/pair, 1" aluminum tweeter, 8" woofer, 89 dB sensitivity
- Revel W783 - $1200/pair, 1" aluminum tweeter, 8" woofer, 89 dB sensitivity
Should I expect a significant improvement in sound with a more expensive in-walls, how should I pick which one of these would be a good option? I'd appreciate if you have other recommendations too.