Saw the notification - thanks o.o
I have always run 2 different systems for AV and hi-fi - partly because they have sometimes been in different rooms, partly because the logistics of getting stereo speakers to work with AV amps and not have a forest of remote controls and setup settings is hard, and early because I find that a different tonal quality is needed - voice and bass extension for dialogue/explosions, versus good all-round music reproduction. I used to run a 5.1 with and additional 4 height speakers, plus my stereo kit, all floorstanders or standpoints, except the heights which were wall mounted. So with those and my hi-fi, we looked more like a poorly laid out shop than a living room…
Recently decided to upgrade stereo speakers (see other threads, as it morphed into a new system altogether), and through a convoluted process, also decided we’d change AV system as had been contemplating the move towards proper Dolby Atmos - then found some liquidated stock - so ended up buying various bits of kit to move the AV stuff to in-wall.
Hifi has been recent priority, so the install of the in-wall speakers has had to be done, but not the setup, so I can report later what it sounds like. However, some thoughts:
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in-wall speakers are designed to be used in-wall - some are open-backed to make use of the cavity resonance, some are close-backed to give specific volumes of air movement. Quite how well a standard speaker would fare in-wall would be hard to tell - I would worry slightly about being able to fix it rigidly enough. The designed in-walls have some nifty flying approaches that clamp all round onto the plasterboard, to hold them securely and easily
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the finished effect is excellent - soothing and minimalistic. They disappear into the decor, and we are finishing off parts of the room by getting photographs printed onto acoustically transparent material so that they are behind pictures
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running the cables took a long time. Maybe getting an electrician to do it makes sense as they do it every day - but even with an ok sized cavity (albeit in an older house) there were a lot of issues, and a lot of patches to make afterwards
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tip - leave some of your pulling strings in place when finished. You are bound to need other stuff through there later - e,g. whilst I pulled extra ethernet etc, I now know I need a cable for an IR blaster across to the opposite corner, which I’d not put in - but which should be easier now
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the positioning of the speakers takes some thought, as you need to identify the joists on both sides of the room before you position them - one I had perfectly on the left where I wanted it, between 2 joists, but when I came to do the right one, it was bang in the middle of one - so both had to move. By then I’d cut one hole…
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it’s worth knowing where your hifi speakers will go if you’re having both as they may end up directly in front of the in-walls, especially if you run a projector too
Was it worth it? Absolutely - it’s a room of minimal calm for listening to music in, or we can blow the house up with movie effects. Aesthetically it’s excellent, and there should be few sonic compromises.
So I’d recommend it, bu would steer people towards speakers designed for in-wall use. And have enough spare time to be able to rip the room apart to do it!