In-ceiling speakers that match ascends

[Derek]

As some of you may remember, I started looking at in-ceiling speakers about a year and a half ago for a new house I was building that would timbre match my ascend speakers. This setup is used exclusively for home theater.

Originally I planned on using my existing 340c for the center with 170s for the left and right front channels. The in-ceiling speakers are the left and right surrounds and the rear center. However, once the house was done, I realized that the room was WAY bigger than my old room, so I bought a pair of 340's for the left and right main channels.

The in-ceiling speakers I settled on are these:

http://www.proficientaudio.com/c660.html

They are angled at 15 degrees so that they are somewhat aimed at the listener. I thought that was a pretty cool concept. I have read that proficient audio is the custom installer version of the speakercraft aim series. I'm not sure if this is true or not, but they are appear to be very similar.

I also looked at the b-flat speakers from audio concepts. The b-flats are a little cheaper, but I thought the angled speakers would work better.

These speakers appear to be built very well. The crossover looks like to be very well designed using beefy caps and inductors. It isn't a cheesy single cap crossover. The drivers also look well built, and everything fits together nicely. So far so good!

After about a year and a half of waiting, I was finally able to install them last weekend. Installation was very easy, only requiring a 8.25" hole in the ceiling. However it took about 3 hours for the instalaltion because I spent a lot of time measuring and aligning the speakers so that they are exactly where I wanted them. It is a lot harder to change the location of these speakers than the 340's! I was only able to install 2 of them (the left and right surrounds) because the place I ordered them from only had 2 left. It turns out that this may have been a blessing because there is a floor joist right in the middle of the room where the rear center would have to go. I'm am still deciding what to do about this. I may only end up with the 2.

So, how do they sound? So far, they are very impressive. They are not an exact timbre match for the 340's, but they sound very close using the test tones built into my receiver. For surround work, they get the job done. I couldn't tell that the sound was coming from above me, and they sound very clear. I can't wait to rewatch some of my dvds to really see how they sound!

I don't listen to multi-channel music, so I don't know how they would sound for that. The tweeters are aimable, but I haven't tried playing with that yet. I plan on spending more time listening and adjusting with them this weekend.

So, if you are looking for in-ceiling speaker to match your ascend, I highly recommend the c660 for proficient audio. I got mine at beach audio for $113 each, but they no longer carry them. You can find them online at other places for about $120 each, which still seems like a great bargin (considering the speakercraft aim stuff is really expensive).

I'll post some pics this weekend.

Derek

[debron]

Now that you've had them a couple of weeks, how do you like them. Also, still waiting for the pics.

[Derek]

I still love them! No complaints thus far.

I just received the third speaker for the surround center channel this week, so I'll take a few pics before I install it.

Derek

[jamesg]

Proficient Audio. Thanks, Derek. We get a couple of calls a month asking for a recommendation for in-wall/in-ceiling speakers. Sonance is who I usually recommend.

[Derek]

Those Sonance speakers look very similar to the proficient speakers, but look to be a bit more expensive. Their top of the line 6.5 in-ceiling speakers sell for $1k a pair!

Derek

[Derek]

Well, Beach Audio sent me the wrong speaker by mistake (c650 vs. c660) so I didn't get to install it last weekend. However they were very easy to deal with and have already shipped me the correct model (I hope!). Hopefully I can get it finished this weekend.

Based on this customer service experience so far, I would recommend Beach Audio as a decent internet dealer.

Derek

[andydc]

I also think I don't have room to put on-wall speakers such as the 170 (for WAF reasons). So I'm thinking of going in-wall for sides (maybe) and rears (certainly).

James, you say you recommend Sonance? If I want to occasionally listen to multichannel music, which particular Sonance would you recommend to match my 340L/R/Cs for sides. And which for rears (for HT)?

Thanks,

Andy

[FoundSoul]

Sorry to dig up a thread from the dead but I'm crossing the same bridge here, planning to use Sierra-1's for L/C/R and need to make the rear channels of the 7.1 system disappear since it's a family room and there is just no place to put any boxed speaker... (20x20 family room in a new construction)

The wife must be appeased by sacrifice and will only be appeased by allowing the walls of the house to consume 4 rear speakers. ;)

So here I am. I'm looking to do the 'best I can' to timbre match the rears to the L/C/R Sierra-1's though I know it may not be perfect. I'm primarily listen to the mains for 2-channel music, so the rears (in ceiling) should server primarily as surrounds/special effects for HT.

In an effort to timbre match and in the research I've done, it seems the biggest deal should be to match the tweeter type as closely as possible. Doing that and looking for the 'best reviewed' in-ceilings with matching tweeter types (just described as 'soft dome'). I 'think' I've narrowed the selection down to Noble Fidelity's L-85 or more specifically their L-85 LCRS which is the same speaker in a 15* directional mount.

http://www.noble-fidelity.com/data/Reviews/L85_eprint.pdf

I can audition these as they offer a similar plan to Dave's, try them and if you don't like them send them back. But I guess I'm just looking for input on if I'm going about attempting to get the closest timbre match possible the right way. I'm no pro at this...


So Dave... when are the Sierra-1 in-ceilings coming out? :)

I'd consider the Sonance as well, but quickly got lost amongst so many product lines/models on their website. Is there a particular model that timbre matches the Sierra-1's well and performs admirably enough to match them together without shame? ;)

[dallas]

Sorry to dig up a thread from the dead but I'm crossing the same bridge here, planning to use Sierra-1's for L/C/R and need to make the rear channels of the 7.1 system disappear since it's a family room and there is just no place to put any boxed speaker... (20x20 family room in a new construction)

The wife must be appeased by sacrifice and will only be appeased by allowing the walls of the house to consume 4 rear speakers. ;)

So here I am. I'm looking to do the 'best I can' to timbre match the rears to the L/C/R Sierra-1's though I know it may not be perfect. I'm primarily listen to the mains for 2-channel music, so the rears (in ceiling) should server primarily as surrounds/special effects for HT.

In an effort to timbre match and in the research I've done, it seems the biggest deal should be to match the tweeter type as closely as possible. Doing that and looking for the 'best reviewed' in-ceilings with matching tweeter types (just described as 'soft dome'). I 'think' I've narrowed the selection down to Noble Fidelity's L-85 or more specifically their L-85 LCRS which is the same speaker in a 15* directional mount.

http://www.noble-fidelity.com/data/Reviews/L85_eprint.pdf

I can audition these as they offer a similar plan to Dave's, try them and if you don't like them send them back. But I guess I'm just looking for input on if I'm going about attempting to get the closest timbre match possible the right way. I'm no pro at this...


So Dave... when are the Sierra-1 in-ceilings coming out? :)

I'd consider the Sonance as well, but quickly got lost amongst so many product lines/models on their website. Is there a particular model that timbre matches the Sierra-1's well and performs admirably enough to match them together without shame? ;)

I wouldn't want in ceiling, but I do like the look on "on wall" speakers. If you dont' knwo what I'm talking about... the relativeley flat speaker enclosures that can be hung on a wall like a picture. No omni directional brackets.

[FoundSoul]

I wouldn't want in ceiling, but I do like the look on "on wall" speakers. If you dont' knwo what I'm talking about... the relativeley flat speaker enclosures that can be hung on a wall like a picture. No omni directional brackets.

I've considered this. However the layout of the room has one side and much of the rear being open/no walls, and with a couple structural supports beams in a least one place being the only spot to logically put a rear in-wall, but that you can't put an in-wall in.

I'm stuck with in-ceilings. Anyone have any thoughts on my questions above?

[rogerm]

I've considered this. However the layout of the room has one side and much of the rear being open/no walls, and with a couple structural supports beams in a least one place being the only spot to logically put a rear in-wall, but that you can't put an in-wall in.

I'm stuck with in-ceilings. Anyone have any thoughts on my questions above?

I have a friend who just installed in-ceilings and I was impressed with how good they sounded. His are the Angstrom Ambienti's from Canadian mfg. Angstrom Loudspeakers. www.angstromloudspeakers.com/

[FoundSoul]

Update for anyone who cares (or who finds this thread late pondering the same question)

Here's where I stand now...

From what I can find, there are four main things to consider when doing what I'm trying to do here. Listed in no particular order they are:


Match the tweeter type.

Match the mid/woofer type.

Crossover properties.

Should the match not be perfect (and it won't be), a per channel EQ can go along way to solve many woes and help perfect the match.


That said, I'm still really interested in using the Noble Fidelity L-85's somewhere in my home (maybe in the master bedroom distributed audio) but I don't think they're going to fit into the HT setup. The tweeter type matches the Sierra-1's (soft dome) but the woofer on the L-85 is kevlar which is a very different material from the poly woofer on the Sierra-1.

So I've got it narrowed down to two options at this point. Both with the required silk dome/soft dome tweeter, and poly mid/woofer combination. As for the crossover situation, that's up in the air as far is I know, I don't know how to make a call on this ahead of time. Am I just concerned about the xover frequency between the high/mid? Or is the concern about the electronics the xover is made up of? Or both?

Anyways-- here is what I've narrowed it down to:

1) Polk TC60i -- $519.90/pair MSRP, $279.76/pair Web Price
Excellent reviews across the board. I've listened to their big brothers the TC80i's in a local Fry's store, not the best listening environment (noisy open area) but they seemed to hold their own better than I expected with the higher end LSi9 bookshelves for the most part which surprised me. These smaller 6.5" versions should sound similar but match the smaller drivers in the Sierra-1's better, and blend into the room better.


2) Sonance Symphony S622TR -- ~$200/pair web price from various vendors, seems like stock is thin though
These are the models DaveF recommended to best match the Sierra-1's, hard to argue with that. To boot, they are cheaper than the Polks. Availability seems to be tight through the internet sellers, though looking on Sonance's website is appears they don't do authorized sales through internet sellers anyways so warranty would be void/etc. Price will likely be higher through an authorized seller, in range of the Polks I bet.



So I'm torn still, the Polks with brand and the sound we trust, or the Sonance (that I've never heard of) that DaveF suggests, who I think knows what he's talking about ;).

Thankfully... I've got time. They broke ground on the house yesterday, we close on Halloween. Time to find a local Sonance dealer and go give those puppies a listen.

[logicology]

I have the exact sonance speakers you mentioned for my surrounds. They really do blend beautifully. I could only find them on eBay. There a couple certified sellers on eBay. Make sure they are certified distributors so that the warranty is effective.