7 Best In-wall Speakers For Home Theater (For Center, Front, Surround Sides, & Rear)

In-wall speakers are the best to give that adorable look to any home theatre.

These speakers give a wireless home theatre experience with robust sound and can save more space for other equipment to accommodate.

Almost every speaker comes with a cutout template by following that the speaker can fit very easily in the wall. The wires can be fished within the walls to other speakers in the room.

This is why many people are now choosing these speakers for the clean and professional look of their theatre room.

Infect my friend has installed these speakers just to wow friends and guests. Lol! It’s a weird reason to install these speakers but everyone has their own goals.

The best thing I like about these speakers is that I feel the sound coming actually from my surroundings and not from the giant speakers placed out there.

But every great thing comes with challenges. The sound from these speakers can easily bleed into the attached room and for that you need insulation. Read the FAQs at the end and you will get the idea.

I have bought many in-wall speakers for my business, installed them for clients, and tested them out in my friends’ houses. That’s why I am the best person to educate you about it.

Let’s start discussing each one.

Our Top Tested & Reviewed Products At A Glance

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Speaker	Amplifier Power Required (RMS)	Sensitivity	Frequency Response	For Which Channel Position?	Ratings	Today’s Best Deals
Polk Audio 255c-RT	Up to 150 Watts	90dB	50Hz to 25kHz	Center Channel	5/4.9	Check Price On Amazon
Micca M-CS	Up to 120 Watts	90dB	60Hz to 20kHz	Center Channel	5/4.6	Check Price On Amazon
Polk Audio 265-RT	Up to 50 Watts	91dB	45Hz to 25kHz	Front Left & Right Channels	5/4.9	Check Price On Amazon
Klipsch R-5650-S II	Up to 50 Watts	92dB	60Hz to 23kHz	Front Left & Right Channels	5/4.8	Check Price On Amazon
Polk Audio RC85i	Up to 50 Watts	90dB	50Hz to 20kHz	Surround Sides Channels	5/4.9	Check Price On Amazon
Klipsch R-3650-W II	Up to 50 Watts	92dB	60Hz to 23kHz	Surround Sides Channels	5/4.7	Check Price On Amazon
Micca M-6S	Up to 50 Watts	90dB	40Hz to 20kHz	Surround Rear Channels	5/4.9	Check Price On Amazon

Center Channel Reviews & Ranking

Polk Audio 255c-RT – Best In-wall Center Speaker

This is a 2-way speaker and the best in-wall center channel speaker.

It consists of two 5.25-inch woofers and a 1-inch Tweeter. The grill is fully paintable. It is magnetically secured so the audience can get the pure and unfiltered sound of the speaker.

Another thing I like about the grill is that it can cover the whole speaker. That’s why you don’t need to paint the edges of the speaker.

I installed this in my client’s theatre room. I chose this one because my client doesn’t care about the budget, he cares a lot about the sound experience.

The installation was easy and I was able to install it within 48 minutes after unboxing it.

The cutout template was convenient and precise in size. I did not paint the grill because my client wanted It that Way.

After installation, I tested it out with movies and music. The highs of sound were crip and well defined, the mids were punchy, and the lows were deep.

The dialogues were crisp and I easily understood them. My client also praised the dialogue quality. He told me that, “I am understanding the dialogues better than before”.

The lyrics of the songs were also clear and stand out from the rest of the music. The tones of the music were defined and deep.

For a cleaner look, you can choose in-ceiling speakers for Dolby Atmos to go with it. Read my review about it.

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Micca M-CS – Best Budget Center Channel

It is the second-best in-wall Centre channel on this list but the best budget one. There is no better speaker than this under $70.

It has two 5.25-inch woofers and a 1-inch tweeter.

Mica has made it very easy for those who want the complete home theatre experience on a budget. With their speaker set, anyone can set up whole-home theatre audio for $250.

This speaker is well balanced in all levels of the sound. The highs are tight, the mid is punchy, and a deep low end is present. The low end is not robust and thumping and can’t replace a subwoofer.  The low end is fit and enough for a good center channel experience.

My client wanted the best budget Centre channel speaker. I chose this one to install in his theatre room.

The installation process was easy and Swift but the painting was a little bit of a hustle.

I tested it out with movies and music. The movie experience was amazing and everything felt real.

The dialogues were clear, tight, and deep. The movie experience was immersive and I and my client enjoyed it a lot. The experience was the best under the $100 budget but can’t beat the hi-fi speakers’ quality.

The music experience was good but not the best for me but my client had no issue with it. That’s why I will recommend this speaker for music for those who are not audiophiles.

The lyrics’ clarity was good and the best in this price range.

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Front Channels Reviews & Ranking

Polk Audio 265-RT – Best For Front Left & Right Channel

The front left and right channel speakers are the second most important after the center channel. 

Because when the character is in the left or right of the screen then these speakers will be used for the dialogues. Also, many sound effects of the moving objects from left to right will come out of these speakers. Like center speakers, these speakers too should have all the levels of sound.

That’s why you should always try to pick powerful speakers from a reputable brand for the front.

This is a 3-way speaker with two 6.5-inch woofers and a 1-inch tweeter with a port. 

The port alone is very beneficial for the sound signature of this speaker. Because the speaker was able to throw sound at a very high volume without any distortion.

I installed the speakers in my client’s theatre room for the front left and right. I and my client were both blown away by the sound quality of it.  Both the speakers were synchronized very well with each other.

The movie experience was amazing Because the sound of moving objects behind the characters on the screen really transitioned from left to right of the theater room.

I Loved The Way It contributed to the overall 3D audio bubble of the movies and music.

These speakers can be used in the front, in the side, and in the rear left and right positions.

But I will recommend this only for the front because on the side and in the rear, speakers don’t have that much work to do. For that little work, you need a low profile of speakers and those will save you a lot of energy and money in the long run.

To have the best audio you must pair these speakers with the best receiver. Click to read my review about it.

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Klipsch R-5650-S II – Best Budget In-wall Speakers

This speaker is the second-best for the front left and right. This speaker is equipped with 1-inch dual tweeters and one 6.5-inch woofer.

The tweeters are angled opposite to each other and that’s why it is throwing more room-filling sound.

The woofer has a cerametallic cone and it looks amazing without the grill. The grill can be attached to the speaker magnetically. It can be painted to match the surrounding.

My friend has this in his theatre room and I tested it out with movies and music.

The vocals were Deep and clear both in the movies and music. The tones were just hitting right.

The Mids were punchy and deep and the highs were tight and clear but it was lacking in the lows. The lows were there but the effect was not impressive enough to make them the best front left and right speakers. That’s why they are the second.

My friend is using them in the rear position too. But again I will not recommend these speakers for the rear position. Because they are high profile as compared to the rear channel.

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Surround Sound Channel Reviews & Ranking

Polk Audio RC85i – Best For Surround Sides Channels

This is a 2-way speaker and comes in pairs. They are the best for surrounding sides because they are throwing the best sound effects I have ever experienced.

It consists of a 1-inch tweeter and an 8-inch woofer. 

The grill is paintable but can’t cover the whole speaker. 

That’s why the installation is a little harder than the rest of the speakers on this list. Because you have to paint the bezels of the speaker as well after painting the grill.

A plastic cover is provided to cover the speaker when painting the bezels but still it is extra work to be done.

My friend has installed these speakers in all of the positions of the 7.1 surround sound system except the center channel position.

I like their performance in each position but I love them in the surrounding left and right sides. 

Because it was delivering clean and immersive sound effects from the left and right. I was literally feeling like there was someone on the left and right of my couch.

I watched war movies and they were more thrilling than before. I just played a few scenes of The Conjuring movie and it was scarier than before. Because the sound effects were immersive.

I like them for each position but I will recommend them only for the surrounding sides.

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Klipsch R-3650-W II – 2nd Best For Surround Sides

This is a 2-way speaker and the second-best for surrounding sides. It has a 1-inch Twitter and a 6.5-inch woofer.

The grill is paintable and can attach magnetically.  The best part of the grill is that it covers the whole speaker front. The grill is paintable and can blend into any wall flawlessly.

The grill attaches to the speaker very strongly and I have never experienced any wobbling of the grill on high volume.

But if you don’t want a clean look but a fancy one for a theatre room. Then these speakers can look fancy without the grills.

I installed these speakers in my client’s theatre room because I was unaware of the PolkAudio RC85i at that time. Sorry, Charles if you are reading this now.

The movie and music experience were good. I enjoyed the sound effects in the movie and the tones in the music were refined and full.

The whole experience for a normal person can be top-notch but audiophiles can pick some failings in the sound levels. 

The lower end was not impressive enough to deliver the sound effects perfectly.  But mids and highs were punchy and tight. 

We don’t expect a huge bass out of surrounding side speakers. But a little amount of low end combined with Punchy and tight Mids and highs can deliver sound effects with a natural feel.

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Micca M-6S- Best For Rear Left And Right

This is a 2-way speaker with a 1-inch tweeter and a 6.5-inch woofer. 

I recommended these speakers for the rear channel because they are very cheap and the best in the mids and highs in this price range. 

You can get a pair for under $100. You don’t need robust, high price, and power-hungry speakers at the rear. 

You just need low-profile and low-price speakers that are good in the mids and highs.  

Because all the heavy lifting is carried out by the front and Centre channel speakers. Apart from sound effects, rear channels don’t have that much job to do. The low end is always carried out by the subwoofer.

At the rear, with good mids and highs, speakers are needed but this speaker has the best. 

I installed this in my client’s theatre room and we tested it out with movies.

In the huge battlefield scenes, I felt like there were soldiers behind me. The experience was immersive and lifelike. 

I watched live football games and felt like I was in the middle of the game chasing the ball.

The in-wall speakers are good to hide wires. Read more of my 15 tips to hide wires in a theater room. You will love the cleaner look.

FAQs

How long do in-wall speakers last?

If the electronics at the back of each speaker are taken care of quite well and the amount of needed power is delivered then it can last from 6 to 8 years or for decades if taken care of well.

Do in-wall speakers sound worse?

The in-wall speakers have a lot of space at the back and that’s why they can have more bass and less distortion in a general. That’s why the sound will be good, not worse.

But if there is insulation or any other material in the wall, it can drastically affect the bass and sound.

You can create a wooden (Baltic Birch Plywood) DIY box to fit at the back of the speaker to resolve this issue. It will make the whole sound signature better.

How can I improve the sound of my wall speakers?

You should choose a speaker with a pivoting tweeter. You can then point this tweeter at the seating area for the optimal experience.

You can try the DIY back boxes for the speakers as well. Just create a wooden box by taking the measurements according to the cutout template provided with speakers in the box.

You should build it sleek so you can tuck the insulation material around the backbox of the speaker. This will prevent the bleeding of the sound to the adjacent room and the box will make the overall sound natural and flawless.

Should I put insulation behind in-wall speakers?

If your theater room shares the same wall with another room then you should put insulation behind the speakers to prevent the bleeding of the sound to another room.

But insulation material can affect the sound. To keep the sound pure and clean you should consider building a back box for each speaker. Follow my method in the above answer for that.

Is it easy to install in-wall speakers?

Yes, it is easy if you are a little used to hardware tools and have done a few DIY projects around your house. But if you are not used to hardware tools or are uncomfortable with them then it can be difficult for you.

These Tools Will Be Used:

• Stud finder
• Pencil or any other marker pen
• Level
• Sheet Rock saw

Helpful Resources For The FAQs To Read More

1. This was my opinion, read here more on LifeWire. (Resource for the second answer)