LCR Speakers for Baffle Wall

[Merc62]

Hi guys! I’m looking for LCR speakers to mount on a baffle wall behind my projector screen. My AV receiver will be the Onkyo TX-RZ70, so I don’t plan to use an external amplifier for any channel (except for the LFE, of course). My room is about 30 square meters, and I’m setting up a 7.1.4 speaker configuration, so I need some good-quality speakers.


I’ve been considering the KEF Ci3160RLM-THX, but I’m not sure if they’re the best choice since they’re not sealed. Does that even matter? Could I just put them in enclosures?


Another option is the Klipsch THX-5000-LCR, but they’re quite bulky, which would make my baffle wall very thick. I’d prefer to keep it around 30 cm thick.

 

[kyuu]

I’ve been considering the KEF Ci3160RLM-THX, but I’m not sure if they’re the best choice since they’re not sealed. Does that even matter? Could I just put them in enclosures?

What do you mean they're not sealed? Do you mean that they don't have a back box? That's actually a good thing. In-walls with back boxes inevitably have issues because the back boxes are simply way too small. You actually get a much better response with an open back as long as your wall cavity is in the realm of what they're designed for (generally 80 liters or so, what you get with your average 2x4 16-inch-on-center stud wall). See Erin's video here:

That KEF is an excellent option. Another great option I might point you to is the Revel W228Be (reviewed here).

Edit: Also note if you go to a dealer you can often get pricing on Revel gear quite a bit below MSRP.

 

[Merc62]

Yes, I mean they don't have back boxes. I watched that video, but still have questions... I doubt whether decent front speakers could be just 8-10 cm thick. Perhaps too little working air volume inside? So it's better going with open back, right? At the same time I don't want to build a large and thick baffle wall, because of the limited projector range and desirable screen size.

 

[kyuu]

Yes, I mean they don't have back boxes. I watched that video, but still have questions... I doubt whether decent front speakers could be just 8-10 cm thick. Perhaps too little working air volume inside? So it's better going with open back, right? At the same time I don't want to build a large and thick baffle wall, because of the limited projector range and desirable screen size.

In-walls generally have to fit within an 8-10cm space as that's what you have inside your average wall. Obviously if you're building a wall specifically for it it can be whatever size you want, but they will work fine as long as they have adequate volume. Like I said, you're aiming for around 80 liters. That's actually more volume than many floorstanding speakers have to work with; the wall is effectively a quite large speaker box, just oddly shaped and made with drywall and wood studs rather than MDF or the like.

If you prefer to give them more room in the back you can do 2x6 studs instead, but that would just be for your peace of mind. The speakers certainly don't require it.