Rubes Posted February 6, 2005 Share Posted February 6, 2005 I'm looking to put some in-ceiling speakers in my dining area, and it's tough to find good information on those since there are much fewer to choose from. I know there are a lot of audiophiles around here, so I was hoping someone had some experience with these. I'm not looking to drop a load on them, but I'm looking for good quality... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted February 6, 2005 Share Posted February 6, 2005 http://www.avsforum.com Do some searching in the speaker forums. If you can't find an answer there, then post and you'll get better answers than you probably would here. CW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SDS Posted February 6, 2005 Share Posted February 6, 2005 http://miragespeakers.com/inwllspk.shtml I don't have these personally, but I do own the Mirage Omni-sats and I have always been pleased with their products... Considering this is for the dining room, I think you are really just looking for good build quality - assuming you will be playing low-level eating music.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rubes Posted February 6, 2005 Author Share Posted February 6, 2005 Correct, just looking for some good quality speakers with nice sound. Thanks for the ideas... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted February 6, 2005 Share Posted February 6, 2005 I agree with SDS about Mirage.....I've always loved their speakers. My typical recommendation for good bang for the buck speakers would be Paradigm. They are a Canadian manufacturer (come to think of it, I think Mirage is, too) and they are pretty well known. You really can't go wrong with either of these two companies. Beyond that, there are two main pieces of advice I would give you: First, just say 'no' to Bose. Anyone who truly knows audio can give you a whole dissertation on why you should avoid them. Second, do yourself a favor (especially since you are wanting in-walls) and go to a *real* audio store. Places like Best Buy and CC do have some prodcuts that are decent value......I'm not knocking them as much as I'm trying to promote the other. Find a local audio/HT shop and at least give them a chance to earn your business. If you end up liking something at one of the chain stores better, you can always go back to them. But if you can find the time, I would bet you'd be happier in the long run going with the audio shop. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IDBillzFan Posted February 6, 2005 Share Posted February 6, 2005 Try Tannoy speakers. Given where you're putting them and how you plan to use them, unless you plan on treating your walls acoustically, Tannoy is a decent ceiling-mount speaker that won't break the bank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted February 6, 2005 Share Posted February 6, 2005 Beyond that, there are two main pieces of advice I would give you: First, just say 'no' to Bose. Anyone who truly knows audio can give you a whole dissertation on why you should avoid them. Second, do yourself a favor (especially since you are wanting in-walls) and go to a *real* audio store. Places like Best Buy and CC do have some prodcuts that are decent value......I'm not knocking them as much as I'm trying to promote the other. Find a local audio/HT shop and at least give them a chance to earn your business. If you end up liking something at one of the chain stores better, you can always go back to them. But if you can find the time, I would bet you'd be happier in the long run going with the audio shop. Good luck 229775[/snapback] I'm getting closer to finishing my basement and want to listen to both Klipsch and Paradigm speakers, as I've heard great things about both. As luck would have it, there's actually a small audio place just down the street from me that is an authorized Paradigm reseller. Gotta get down there to listen to the speakers at some point. Another word of advice about speakers (in addition to the great advice about avoiding Bose); don't get sucked into the hype about speaker wire. You don't need to spend a fortune by buying Monster cable or crap like that. For the most part, wire is wire. Don't buy the hype. CW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IDBillzFan Posted February 6, 2005 Share Posted February 6, 2005 Gotta get down there to listen to the speakers at some point. 229786[/snapback] Taking the time to go through speaker demos is important, but if you do this, do yourself a favor and avoid 'reference music' unless it is music you know. So many places that sell better-than-average speakers will almost ALWAYS put in some CD of some song that you've likely never heard before simply to show off how the speakers perform the highs and lows, etc. Unless you know reference music, bring your own CD...one you listen to often and really know by heart. If the speakers are any good, you WILL be able to hear the difference. An A/B is the only way to compare. You don't need to spend a fortune by buying Monster cable or crap like that. For the most part, wire is wire. Don't buy the hype.CW 229786[/snapback] Yes and no. Don't waste your money on Monster cable because you're buying the name...but don't waste your money on the cheap stuff either. And make sure you get quality connectors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted February 6, 2005 Share Posted February 6, 2005 I'm getting closer to finishing my basement and want to listen to both Klipsch and Paradigm speakers, as I've heard great things about both. As luck would have it, there's actually a small audio place just down the street from me that is an authorized Paradigm reseller. Gotta get down there to listen to the speakers at some point. Another word of advice about speakers (in addition to the great advice about avoiding Bose); don't get sucked into the hype about speaker wire. You don't need to spend a fortune by buying Monster cable or crap like that. For the most part, wire is wire. Don't buy the hype. CW 229786[/snapback] You'll have to post once you get your basement finished....I'd love to hear what you ended up going with. The only Klipsch speakers I've ever heard were their reference line.....I liked them quite a bit, actually. The horn tweeter gives you a nice alternative to some of the other speakers in their class. The Klipsch were great for home theater. I've owned speakers from almost all of Paradigms lines, from the Atoms (~$189/pair) to the monitor line, up to the studio line. I don't know what your budget is, but they even have a new signature line that is just sick. They look amazing and sound amazing, but they'll set you back a bit. But Paradigm can compete favorably with just about any other manufacturer at a given price point. I agree with you about the speaker wire. The amount of money people spend on it is staggering. 12 gauge wire from Home Depot (another good one is the Sound King 12 ga wire from partsexpress.com) works fine for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted February 6, 2005 Share Posted February 6, 2005 Unless you know reference music, bring your own CD...one you listen to often and really know by heart. If the speakers are any good, you WILL be able to hear the difference. An A/B is the only way to compare. 229790[/snapback] As much truth as there is to what you said, doesn't that bug the crap out of you, too? I usualy use my Diana Krall cd and some samplers from Mapleshade as my reference discs........But while I can understand it more with HT, cause smaller indy films just don't often have the budget for sound quality, I don't get it with music. I've never understood how you can have one recording just sound amazing while another one just sounds like crap. I could toss Diana Krall on my Magnepans and you'd probably sit there in awe......it's like being at a live performance. But God forbid I toss in something like Three Doors Down and fire it up.....if that was all I played you'd think my system was crap. It just seems like it should theoretically be much easier to obtain a quality audio recording with music than it would be to do so with a film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted February 6, 2005 Share Posted February 6, 2005 You'll have to post once you get your basement finished....I'd love to hear what you ended up going with. The only Klipsch speakers I've ever heard were their reference line.....I liked them quite a bit, actually. The horn tweeter gives you a nice alternative to some of the other speakers in their class. The Klipsch were great for home theater. I've owned speakers from almost all of Paradigms lines, from the Atoms (~$189/pair) to the monitor line, up to the studio line. I don't know what your budget is, but they even have a new signature line that is just sick. They look amazing and sound amazing, but they'll set you back a bit. But Paradigm can compete favorably with just about any other manufacturer at a given price point. I agree with you about the speaker wire. The amount of money people spend on it is staggering. 12 gauge wire from Home Depot (another good one is the Sound King 12 ga wire from partsexpress.com) works fine for me. 229800[/snapback] I was looking at the Klipsch reference line; was originally going to go all-out with the RF-7/RC-7/RS-7, but now that my wife is in graduate school, I'll probably look at the 35 or 5's. Havn't looked too closely at the Paradigm's yet, as I'm still a few months away from finishing (electrical rough-in is done; next up - insulation!). I'm looking for high-end because I'd like to keep the speakers for 10-20 years if possible. Electronics increase in power/capabilities every few months, but from my understanding a great pair of speakers will last me a long time. CW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted February 6, 2005 Share Posted February 6, 2005 I was looking at the Klipsch reference line; was originally going to go all-out with the RF-7/RC-7/RS-7, but now that my wife is in graduate school, I'll probably look at the 35 or 5's. Havn't looked too closely at the Paradigm's yet, as I'm still a few months away from finishing (electrical rough-in is done; next up - insulation!). I'm looking for high-end because I'd like to keep the speakers for 10-20 years if possible. Electronics increase in power/capabilities every few months, but from my understanding a great pair of speakers will last me a long time. CW 229822[/snapback] Yep, Im attempting to do the same thing......I had a great system of Paradigm Studios all around, but had to sell it off after my divorce. I'm getting things under control again, so I'm looking at upgrading my small Magnepans in the next couple of months. I usually run a phantom center channel and I don't believe in spending a ton of money on the surrounds, but I definitely want to dump some cash into my mains and keep them for as long as possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JP-era Posted February 6, 2005 Share Posted February 6, 2005 I'm looking to put some in-ceiling speakers in my dining area, and it's tough to find good information on those since there are much fewer to choose from. I know there are a lot of audiophiles around here, so I was hoping someone had some experience with these. I'm not looking to drop a load on them, but I'm looking for good quality... 229566[/snapback] Im a HUGE fan of the Polk FS or LS surrounds/speakers. I just dont have the dough to pony up or I would trust me. If you dont want to dump alot of cash, check out the Yamaha speakers. I have the medium and large pairs and the rock! I believe they were the only speakers to use ferro-cooled tweeters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rubes Posted February 6, 2005 Author Share Posted February 6, 2005 I have an Onkyo TX-8511 receiver and I'm also wondering the best way to hook up four sets of speakers to it. Basically, it has the two speaker ports and I'm wondering if it's a bad idea to hook all four to one port through the use of one of those 4-port speaker switches. I'm just not sure what other way to do it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sound_n_Fury Posted February 6, 2005 Share Posted February 6, 2005 I'm looking to put some in-ceiling speakers in my dining area, and it's tough to find good information on those since there are much fewer to choose from. I know there are a lot of audiophiles around here, so I was hoping someone had some experience with these. I'm not looking to drop a load on them, but I'm looking for good quality... 229566[/snapback] Check out this site, there's some ideas on what's available: http://search.ecoustics.com/Editorial/Revi...eiling-Speaker/ Happy hunting! (I personally like the Paradigm CS or SA series) http://www.paradigm.com/Website/SiteParadi...es/CS_Specs.htm http://www.paradigm.com/Website/SiteRefere...ll/SA_Specs.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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