On wall speakers

[hvbias]

Is this the way to go for a computer desk setup when you can't give the speakers much room from the front wall? Something like this was mentioned on another forum: https://heissmann-acoustics.de/en/wavewall182-wf182bd10-tw030wa09-wandlautsprecher-kinolautsprecher/

 

[GrimSurfer]

The expectations for a computer desk is likely going to be somewhat less than speakers in a critical listening setting. Purpose built wall mounts are likely to perform better than mounted bookshelf or satellite speakers. That said, not everything at the link you provided accords with loudspeaker theory. I'd go so far as to say that some of the claims appear downright misleading.

 

[HammerSandwich]

The measurements look pretty decent. If you need on-wall mounting, I agree that this should be a better choice than using a normal stand-mount.

OTOH, the in-wall version definitely has smoother FR, as you'd expect. The on-wall shows significant polar changes around 500Hz and more ripples in the low-kHz range. A bit of damping immediately around the speaker should reduce this some.

You can expect a 6" 2-way to be limited by the woofer's low end. (Not saying that's always the case, but it's a reasonable starting assumption.) Boundary reinforcement will help here, both in SPL & THD.

One other issue with such shallow boxes is internal reflections back thru the cone. 4" simply doesn't provide much room for damping the woofer's rear wave. Grimm seems to manage acceptably here, but they do have an additional 2" of depth. I suspect Grimm's metal cone keeps more reflected energy inside the box, but the WF182's >5kHz breakup implies a pretty stiff cone. So I may be talking out of my reflex port...

What other thoughts did you have, @GrimSurfer?

 

[pozz]

Did you ever check the Magnepan on-wall speakers?

 

[GrimSurfer]

All other things being equal, in wall speakers provide smoother response. I also agree that the back wave of a wall mounted speaker is generally hard to tame.

Any enclosed wall mounted speaker will typically generate additional gain, particularly at the lower end of the spectrum. Small passive speakers generally don't excel at the lower frequency range without porting (which this speaker doesn't have). 30 Hz out of such a small speaker is asking a lot, so this is where the +/- 8 dB (an enormous spl range) likely comes into play.

A impedance rating of 4 ohm in the upper low and middle high frequency range, combined with a sensitivity of 85 dB (which isn't even average efficiency) suggests that this speaker might be challenging to drive. If only a phase angle graph were included (sigh).

 

[HammerSandwich]

A impedance rating of 4 ohm in the upper low and middle high frequency range, combined with a sensitivity of 85 dB (which isn't even average efficiency) suggests that this speaker might be challenging to drive. If only a phase angle graph were included (sigh).

That's a good point. Considering they don't have to deal with baffle step, that's pretty inefficient.

 

[GrimSurfer]

Yeah... and since they're wall mounts, I wonder if they ran the test anechoic or with wall gain?

 

[hvbias]

They're to use at my desk at work, so I can not be making any alterations to the wall

I do use them for ~1.5 hours a day for fairly serious listening so I would like to get the highest fidelity possible, I've read Toole's book and Harman's research so that is the type of sound I'd like to get as close to as possible. I threw out the first link just as an example, I would prefer to DIY these and I am planning to use a MiniDSP for crossover.

@pozz no, I am looking more like monitor size, so no more than ~15" tall and I was thinking under $1000 parts budget, not including the MiniDSP which I already have. There is a big thread on foam core speakers on DIY Audio and I imagine I could build something fairly easily with that material as a starting point for prototyping. But trying to achieve as close to constant directivity as possible (or at the very least a good even frequency on axis) would be easier with known designs rather than trying it myself from scratch.

Edit: I am not married to the idea of on wall speakers, it was more a question if is this the route to take for speakers that can't have more than about 12" from the front wall? I am definitely open to hearing about other designs!

 

[GrimSurfer]

Application is everything...

As long as your amp can drive a 4 ohm load, these should be fine for work. Their limited efficiency only means something if you're trying to reach high sound pressure with a modest amp. The (likely) limited bottom end won't be a problem in an office setting, where you wouldn't want to be booming out a lot of bass anyway.

 

[hvbias]

Application is everything...

As long as your amp can drive a 4 ohm load, these should be fine for work. Their limited efficiency only means something if you're trying to reach high sound pressure with a modest amp. The (likely) limited bottom end won't be a problem in an office setting, where you wouldn't want to be booming out a lot of bass anyway.

I added an edit that might have gone through while you were typing your reply. I'm definitely not just looking for on wall speakers, someone said these would be the way to go if you couldn't give bookshelves a decent amount of room from the front wall which is why I was asking. I am open to all ideas/designs to get the highest fidelity possible given the space limitations.

No high SPLs needed, majority of my listening here is to chamber, solo piano and some smaller baroque ensembles.

 

[HammerSandwich]

no, I am looking more like monitor size, so no more than ~15" tall and I was thinking under $1000 parts budget, not including the MiniDSP which I already have.

So that $1k needs to include 4 channels of amplification?