Ceiling Speaker Recommendations

[srdaniel]

Now that I have a ceiling in my garage, I'd like to punch some holes in it and put in some ceiling speakers. My main intended use is to simply listen to radio/music as I work in the garage, not hosting rock concerts for the neighbors. I have an (older) JVC RX-517VTN amp but I'm not sure what speakers I should get.

It supports 4 front, 2 rear and 1 center speaker. The output wattage varies based on settings/number of speakers connected (not sure which yet).

I'm not looking for anything super fancy/expensive but I don't want such cheap speakers they blow out or get all static'y within 6 months either.

1) I'm thinking of installing a total of 5 speakers, in the same pattern as on a dice(die). I'm not sure if I should install 4 front and 1 center or 2 front, 2 rear and 1 center (but I'm not against installing more, just not sure on how I would do the layout).

2) Do I try and find speakers that match the (RMS) wattage as close as possible (as well as the 8-16 ohms, each speaker connection says 8-16 ohm) or do I just make sure the speakers are rated at least that much (RMS) wattage?

Any thoughts, opinions on layout, speakers, or even completely different solutions are most welcome. Oh, my garage is a large'ish 3 car model.

Daniel

 

[BFBOB]

That question is kinda like "what car should I buy?"
Go to a retailer that has displays and listen. Get what sounds good to you. With today's speakers, power handling isn't much of an issue short of concert volume.

That said, I'm in the business - I use Proficient for my customers who want good sound at a good price but aren't audio snobs or headbangers. Never a complaint. Proficient is at least theoretically a trades-only brand, but a little websurfing may find a source for the public. Or, go back to paragraph one.

For my customers who are audio snobs, I refer them to paragraph one. You buy 'em, I'll install 'em.

As for placement, the front, rear, center layout is for surround sound accompanying movies. It would be at best useless for what you're doing, and probably sound really, really weird as you walked around the shop. Use the front - right-left only and set your receiver for stereo. You didn't say how big your garage is, but for most normal sizes, four speakers will work well. Put two in parallel on each of the front channels. Probably they'll sound better with the right channel at the front of the garage and the left channel at the back. That should give the best consistency of sound as you move around. If you like older rock - from the sixties or so, it may work even better set to monaural (if your amp has a mono setting!) They were really playing around with stereo separation in those days, and I find it disconcerting to be standing too close to one speaker during a song I know well and thinking, Hey, where's the lead guitar?! In a garage, you won't be standing around perfectly centered between the R and L channels.

One final note (pun intended). Some amps have a 4-speaker stereo setting, in which the front and rear left speakers are the same, and the front and rear right speakers are the same. Not real common, but if your amp does have this, you can use the four channels for your four speakers and it will sound exactly like the setup above, and be marginally easier on your amp.

 

[BFBOB]

And another thing - in that environment I'd enclose the backs of the speakers in a dust-resistant box. Make it pretty big - say rafter-spacing wide by a foot deep and 2 or 3 feet long. Any speaker poking through into an attic needs protection. Being picky, don't use plywood. It can resonate - use chipboard of some sort - MDF, OSB, etc. Much deader acoustically.

 

[sselander]

Monoprice has some decent ones, along with great prices on wiring.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/search.asp?keyword=ceiling+speakers

 

[kschauwe]

http://www.parts-express.com/cat/in-wall-ceiling-speakers/92

 

[offroadsteve]

I just wanted to comment to say I agree with everything BFBOB said. Online retailers will get you a good price, but you can't hear what your buying first. I'd try to find a home theater or other home audio retailer and listen to various speakers.

Great, great advice on placement and balancing. I have nothing more to add.

 

[sands35]

for background music? Cheep ones. You'll never hear the difference with expensive ones. Especially with all the hard walls / floors in a garage. Music louder than low conversation levels will just echo.

 

[ChargedUp!]

Any are going to lack bass so keep that in mind with the smaller sized ones. I have Pinnacle branded ones for my home theater but have a 15" sub to handle bass.

 

[MDSPHOTO]

I installed Martin-Logan Passages in my ceiling for my home theater and love them. They have speakers for every budget.

 

[Isissound]

For most of my customers when they ask for budget speakers for just this application I normally steer them towards Russound or Emphasis speakers. These will sound great for your application. when you go to install them if there is no insulation in the ceiling currently take some insulation and block off either side of the ceiling bay it will help improve the bass response of the speakers and it tends to liven them up.

 

[PT Doc]

I question installing surround sound in the garage. I would do two pairs of front channels so you would have r and l, 2 each. Place in orientation that you will stand in most. Maybe put a selector to be able to exclude a pair from playing.

 

[OJ Bartley]

I have read a lot of positive reviews for the Monoprice speakers, especially for the price. I wouldn't use them in a main setup in the house, but I am considering their in-wall speakers for surround duty. I wouldn't have much of a problem using them in the garage for (very) casual listening.

Well, I guess the one exception to that is the fact that I don't want any major perforations in my ceiling, because the bedroom above the garage is already prone to be cold in the winter and hot in the summer. If you don't have that to worry about, I'd go Monoprice.

 

[Scott P]

I have a couple in-wall speakers for surround sound in the house from Home Theater Direct. They were very helpful in helping me select the ones to match my front speakers and they worked very well.

 

[porschedude996TT]

I put nine of these in my shop. They work well and they are inexpensive.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/HOME-THEATE...H-MOUNT-RECESSED-/200255229230#ht_1988wt_1369

 

[68rustang]

Stay away from whatever brand they sell at HomeDepot and Lowe's, they ****. Bad. I bought a pair on a whim for the old house. I think they were "On-Q" or LeGrand or something. In that same house I had a pair of Polk Audio 2-channel in ceiling speakers for my rear surround in the family room. They sounded great and were pretty inexpensive through Fry's. In the new house I have been using Monoprice in-wall speakers and have no complaints. The last pair I bought was an Open box closeout for $20/pr!

 

[mayday0017]

Sonance, best speakers by far you can buy for your money... Super high end product that almost no one knows about. Buy them used on Ebay and get the higher end ones and you won't be disapointed. Cinema Series stuff is amazing!

 

[BFBOB]

wireless speakers.
Make life easy.

No such thing.

Just like "totally wireless" alarms. They need power. Yeah, they talk to the signal source without wires, but they still need power. Might be a plugin AC adaptor, might be batteries. Either way...

I just installed a "wireless" alarm today. My first question to the customer: "Does the house have power?"

It happens. Especially with contractors. "Hey, you said it was wireless, whaddya mean it needs a wire to an outlet??" My answer- Okay, I'll put it on a car-size battery. It'll run for about a month. But, if you expect me to come out and swap batteries for free, find another alarm company.

 

[Jtoddaz]

Garage= Monoprice, You cannot beat these for the money.

If you wanted a little clearer sound, I would go with the Speakercraft Aim8 series. Aim8 one would be fine, and the cheapest. A plus is they are already enclosed.

I have a mix of these, Polk, Klipsch and Definitive Technology ceiling speakers around the house. Speakercraft would be top notch.


FYI, you could buy 5-6 Monoprice for the price of 2 Speakercraft...


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[SiGmA_X]

Thanks for the info guys. Added to my 'future garage' bookmarks!

 

[srdaniel]

Sweet, lots of brand recommendations but how do I know which ones to get as far as wattage and such goes?

 

[Criss]

I have had good luck with speakercraft.

 

[70chevellegsp]

For your garage, where you will have ambient noise, horrible acoustics, and you will not have a chair in the 'sweet spot' to critically listen, mono-price, or any other inexpensive speakers of reasonable quality will do fine for you. Don't connect 2 speakers each to the left and right channels. Hook up to "A" and "B". This will keep your receiver happy and not overheat or ruin it. If you don't have a "B" setup on your receiver, pickup a speaker selector box for $50 or so. Check mono price for that also if you need it. The spec you want to be aware of with speakers in the garage is the sensitivity. The higher the number, the less power you need to get higher volume levels. +-90 is about average, 93+ will be hot, and under 88 is potentially going to give you low listening levels. Good Luck!!!

 

[rshadd]

Check out Niles Audio. I have these in a few of my rooms and they sound great.
http://www.nilesaudio.com/product_d...nt Loudspeakers&categoryID=Speakers&catcdID=1

 

[ekraft84]

Another vote for Monoprice. Cannot beat the quality for the prices IMO.

I went with 4 in-wall speakers, along with their in-wall center channel and sub. Overall sound quality is great.

 

[whatuusay1]

Another vote for Monoprice. Cannot beat the quality for the prices IMO.

I went with 4 in-wall speakers, along with their in-wall center channel and sub. Overall sound quality is great.

Another vote for Monoprice.. I have lots of gear from there (all good stuff - excellent prices). I used their speakers in a bedroom theater as well as background speakers (home/office) and they are great. I've also had great luck with the outdoor speakers for a gym area. Very good quality and the prices cant be beat.

 

[litljay]

http://www.parts-express.com/cat/in-wall-ceiling-speakers/92

I used Dayton in my previous garage. They worked well.

 

[tarbellb]

Another vote for www.monoprice.com. They absolutely kill it with pricing vs performance. Basically if they sell it, I will likely buy it from them.

For reference: Top quality flat panel TV mounts are about 75-50% cheaper through them.