Each of the systems below is configured here as 5.1 surround sound systems, but can easily be expanded, creating a 6.1, 7.2, or even 8.8 layout suitable for larger than typical living rooms (up to 2,000 cubic feet). Each of these speaker systems can offer sound quality that is on par with and even well beyond the capabilities of most floor standing speakers. But I warn you, the cost of both the speakers and their sometimes unique professional installation requirements can be as costly or more than some of those same best sounding floor standing speakers. They are well deserving of the finest of electronics and amplification you can throw at them. Admittedly, these are not budget-conscious choices for speakers (and the required amplification). Rather, they are all splendid examples of modern musical instruments (of a sort) that are sufficiently refined to offer the modern listener both great value and a greatly immersive sonic experience, that will allow you to hear and enjoy your music and media better than you have likely ever experienced them before.
Why it's best: The highest tier of in-wall speaker in this survey is (quite simply) a complete Wisdom Audio Sage System. Like any other 5.1 surround sound system (although you could go bigger), it features a pair of front channels (Left & Right), called an L75i, which contain a single 48-inch planar magnetic panel and 4 six-inch woofers, allowing each speaker to operate at a very very efficient sensitivity of 95 dB at one watt/meter ($8,000 each), meaning that you will be able to play them quite loudly. There is also a dedicated center channel called a C20 which utilizes a single two-inch planar magnetic tweeter and 2 six-inch custom bass drivers ($3,500 each), plus a pair of P48 freestanding surround speakers employing four proprietary bass drivers and a unique planar magnetic midrange / tweeter to balance out the system ($6,000 each). Frequency response for all three types of speakers begins at 40 Hz and extends well beyond 25,000 Hz while still being able to offer a nominal 4-ohm load to each of the five connected amplifier channels (excluding an optional subwoofer and its amplifier to cover the range below 40 Hz).
In addition to being very very efficient, each of the speakers can absorb well beyond 1,000 watts without being strained in the slightest, resulting in average listening levels well above 100 dB/SPL. The speakers are each either uniquely encased in a sturdy solid aluminum aerospace-grade cabinet (for in-wall installations), or each speaker can be contained in an elegant solid aluminum charcoal-colored non-resonate cabinet, suitable for free-standing or on-wall installation that includes just a hint of clear anodized trim around the bezel. The Sage Series System comes shipped in 15 boxes and weighs in at over 600 pounds!
The speakers must be connected to either a group of Wisdom Audio Dedicated ICE Amplifiers: a two channel SA-2 ($3,500) and a three-channel SA-3 ($4,000) are recommended, or you may use your own personal choice of amplification to suit your individual taste. A necessary system controller, the SC-1, contains the active digital speaker crossovers along with a unique 32-division Audyssey MultiEQ XT equalization system ($6,000), capable of outputting as many as 14.3 channels, when so hooked up. It is a prerequisite, therefore, that you purchase a complete system from a Factory Authorized Wisdom Audio dealer. They will guide you regarding the necessary components and create a perfect and relatively invisible high-end sonic complement to any room -- starting at $20,000 and extending well beyond $100,000. They are expensive, but (in this case) you get what you pay for, and then a lot more!
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Why it's a best pick: The new Meridian 300 Series of in-wall / flush-mount and on-wall speaker systems (and also the 200 Series in-ceiling designs) allow exceptional flexibility of configuration. They can be supplied as passive speakers that are driven by conventional external amplification, or as a remote active analog system driven by a Meridian G41 Powered Crossover/Amplifier, including 8 channels of 100W power amplifiers with integral modular plug-in electronic crossovers that can handle up to five channels of digital audio. For those with a Meridian Audio System already, an upcoming firmware revision for the Meridian G68 surround sound processor will integrate these new in-wall speakers directly via Meridian’s configuration application, for far superior performance. The 200 Series of in-ceiling speakers are 2-way designs with an 8-inch bass driver, a pivoting tweeter and an optional crossover, either for surface grille or flush mounting applications.
The 300 Series of in-wall speakers consists of three ultra-slim line speaker systems for in-wall (surface grille), flush-mount (completely hidden behind wall coverings or fabric) and on-wall applications. Each of the three different sized loudspeakers feature a unique ribbon tweeter, a 5” midrange driver and a passive bass radiator. There are additional midrange and bass elements found in the two larger versions, allowing for a considerable volume of air to be moved, with the sound produced in a large room featuring a 7.2 configured sound system being capable of offering a most authentic, gut wrenching sound stage. Thankfully, the passive versions of the 300s are bi-wireable and accept bare wire and also a variety of audiophile speaker cables including very, very large gauges from Transparent, Monster, Kimber, and Cardas. This uniquely offers the possibility for some truly amazing in-wall speaker sound, very reminiscent of Meridians freestanding speakers costing 4-times as much.
The speaker’s sturdy enclosures are extremely rigid and well designed for in-wall suspension, solidly reducing cabinet resonances and ensuring that the sound of the loudspeakers is free from coloration and distortion normally associated with in-wall speakers. A white paintable grille and frame are included with each speaker, and rough-in boxes are available for those desiring to install these instruments more easily.
However, installation by a trained professional who knows and loves his drywall skills can result in these speakers offering up a tremendous home theater sound in 5.1, 6.1, 7.2, or 8.8 Dolby Digital or DTS surround sound, particularly when used behind an acoustically transparent projection screen and/or behind custom fabric walls found in so many home theaters these days. When one considers the best qualities of a high-end in-wall / in-ceiling loudspeaker system, it becomes clear why Meridian offer such finely tuned musical instruments as these loudspeakers. The more time and care taken in their installation directly to the studwork, the greater the result in overall sound quality and transparency.
* $2,395-$4,895/each. Depending on configuration
* 320: Two-way with one 6.5" bass driver and one ribbon tweeter
* 330: Two-way with one 6.5" bass driver, one 8" passive radiator, and one ribbon tweeter
* 350: Two-way with two 6.5" bass drivers, two 8" passive radiators, and one ribbon tweeter
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Why it's a best pick: For a typical 5.1 Surround Sound version of the Pioneer EX System, three of the primary speakers, known as S-IW691L would deliver the left, center, right-channel information -- and each contains dual 6.5-inch woofers, with diaphragms made of a composite of carbon and aramid fibers (of all things) with a multiroll surround. The laminated cone material is described as providing resistance to the backpressure of the cabinet, which also moves any cone resonances out of the operating range of the drivers, and the multiroll surround helps linearize the cone’s movement in both directions, which offers extended high volume for long durations without distortion.
Each of the Pioneer EX Speakers contains a CST driver module consisting of a 5.5-inch concentric midrange/high-frequency driver designed around a magnesium cone for the midrange and ceramic graphite compound for the 1.2-inch tweeter diaphragm, said to have similar characteristics to beryllium at a fraction of the cost. And the concentric drivers are physically aligned with the center of each midrange element, and this design directly improves off-axis response through the use of an acoustic waveguide design. The double-position treble level control allows the tweeter response to be tailored for your precise room acoustics.
If the Pioneer CST’s objective is to achieve sonic coherence, then the result is intelligible, articulate, and congruous, sound, clarified by the rigid mounting of the driver arrays on laminated medium-density fiberboard (MDF). The woofers are tuned for the normal volume of space within an in-wall standard residential stud installation, while the midrange/tweeter array is isolated in a separate enclosure to limit any interaction with the woofers or the walls of your room. Most people will want to use a separate subwoofer with a crossover point of 80 hertz, or lower to establish a true full range system. And with the addition of two Pioneer S-4EX surround sound speakers, your 5.1 system will be complete. The S-4EX is actually just the cabinet or in-room version of the S-IW691L in-walls featured for the front channels., so it uses the same drivers and crossovers found in the S-IW691L speakers, except that the S-4EX has one woofer instead of two.
The transparency, detail, and midrange openness are clearly the result of the sonic coherence achieved through a Coherent Sound Transmission system, particularly with female vocals and also film dialogue. The subtle sonic details that usually are obscured with lesser dynamic speakers are here in perfect perspective to embrace and enjoy.
The Pioneer speakers come with white grilles that you can paint to match your room décor. But removing these and hiding the speakers behind acoustically transparent fabric will allow them to truly become invisible, both sonically and visually.
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Why it's a best pick: Unusually, in this line-up of in-wall speakers, the Polk Audio is the first in a series of products that are Internet Protocol (IP) ready. The LC265i-IP in-wall loudspeaker is the first active in-wall loudspeaker for home audio use that is powered by digital amplifiers that can be controlled through your computer, palm pilot., or mobile phone The complete system, including the speakers, resides on a local area network (LAN), just as your Computer resides on a local network which is connected to the Internet. The IP control system assigns a unique address number to each component in the system. The speakers are designed to be compatible with a variety of IP-capable network distribution systems.
The LC265i-IP is a two-and-a-half-way speaker with a single 6.5-inch woofer, a single 6.5-inch mid-woofer, and a 1-inch ring radiator tweeter mounted on a pivot so that you can angle it up to +/- 15 degrees. Uniquely, these speakers are active tri-amplified with 100 watts for the bass driver, 75 watts for the mid-woofer, and 25 watts for the tweeter. The supplied Polk SPS-1 remote power supply delivers the required 48-volt DC power supply to the amplifiers and DSP modules, which attach to the back of each speaker. An optional Net Streams SN1000 IP Card is available for an IP-controllable system. If you choose to connect the speakers to a non-networked analog audio system, you will still be able to use the POW software via a Computer connected to the USB port located on the speaker's front baffle.
Polk's proprietary Performance Optimization Wizard (POW) software is a Computer controlled DSP software suite designed for optimizing the speakers' sound quality based on their room placement, the rooms particular acoustics, and many other important and normally hidden factors that each affect loudspeaker performance enormously. The DIY procedure, which may well be better handled by a trained audio installer) will make a huge difference in the overall sound quality you experience from these speakers. The POW system works very well indeed, even when the speakers are set-up in less-than-ideal positions like a nonsymmetrical arrangement. Indeed, the POW software does a terrific job of addressing typical installation situations, such as placing one or more of the speakers in a corner, resulting in unavoidably and usually untamable boomy sound. This and so much more the POW software neutralizes almost entirely, making this one of the most customizable in-wall speaker installations in this survey.
The Polk Audio LC265i-IP speakers are a significant step forward for in-wall loudspeakers, particularly with the built-in digital power amplifiers which sound very good and eliminate long runs of analog speaker wire, a known source of installation issues with in-wall speakers. The DSP function with the POW software allows for fine-tuning of the speakers' tonal balance beyond anything our parents could every have imagined, and along with the IP controllability is way ahead of most every other speaker manufacturer. In fact, the round, ceiling-mountable Polk's LC80i-IP has very similar features, allowing for yet more and more possible house wide configurations of this IP controlled speaker system to suit your particular needs most precisely.
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Why it's a best pick: The name Definitive Technology should be well known to most people for their large tower speakers with built-in SuperCube subwoofers that have found their way into so many notable home theaters. But their newest design of very successful in-wall speakers are the new Reference Line Source UIW RLS II's, costing a moderate $799 each. They measure slightly larger than 8 inches wide by 30 inches tall and a little less than four inches deep -- perfect for standard wall studs and most wall cavities. The 19-pound cabinets are of a sealed enclosure design, and feature a D’Appolito configuration consisting of two six-and-a-half-inch bass radiators that are crossed over to two six-and-a-half-inch bass/midrange drivers with a single one-inch aluminum dome tweeter in the center.
As a result, these Definitive Technology RLS IIs image wonderfully, producing a strongly defined wide and deep soundstage, with an even, rich, and inviting sound that is equally suited for music as it is for movies, television, and video games. Their efficiency allows them to be driven by even the most modest of gear to concert SPL levels, easily capable of being driven hard without distortion or glare. This is quite rare among in-wall or floor standing speakers at this price point. And the slim cabinets with decorative outer flange make a sleek, unobtrusive and easy to camouflage design in just about any room. The supplied mounting brackets could be easier to use, but are effective, nonetheless.
While the other winners in this category are each very technically complex ventures, most with some type of in-board or out-board equalization and/or optimization DSP programs, the Definitive Technology's RLS II Reference offers the end user a simple and surprisingly well designed speaker, even if they weren’t in-walls at all. Careful and well thought out symmetrical installation will almost certainly guarantee terrific sound quality and endless enjoyment.
Definitive Technology's RLS II Reference in-walls are, like most of Definitive's speakers, a terrific sounding bargain. Unlike most of the recommendations in this list, the RLS IIs are actually affordable, even at $5k for a 5.1 speaker system. But at this price point, it is easily possible to want to create a bigger 6.1, 7.2, or 8.8 surround sound system that rocks the house for less than any of the other speaker systems listed. This can be most satisfying indeed – particularly given careful attention to installation and set-up, and a variety of high quality digital sources like 96 kHz / 24-bit Stereo audio downloads from HDTracks.com. Your ears will thank you for it!
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