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In-wall speakers are esthetically pleasing and are home theater design-friendly. But do they also sound great? Well! They can and can’t sound better. You just have to follow a few steps to make them sound great. Ok. How to make in-wall speakers sound better?
Here are the steps. At A Glance:
- Don’t push the Subwoofer into the wall
- Don’t Angle The In-wall LCRs
- Buy From A Brand That Sounds You Already Like
- Place the In-Wall LCR behind the screen
- Install It Properly To Kill Vibrations
- Install a back box For Them
- Soundproof The Speakers
- Paint The Grill Properly
- Position its tweeter to ear level
Read the below details of each step to know the reason behind it.
How To Get The Best Sound Out Of In-wall Speakers?
There are speculations in the market that suggest in-wall speakers don’t sound good. But their sound can be better by just changing a few things here and there. Read each step thoroughly to perfect the sound of your theater room.
Don’t push the Subwoofer into the wall
If your whole system is based on in-wall speakers then it is very good, but don’t install the subwoofer in the wall.
First, there is no single absolute point in the room where a subwoofer will sound good. You have to continuously find the point where the subwoofer will hit you better.
Second, the subwoofer will create unnecessary vibrations in the wall that will interfere with the overall sound quality.
Third, drilling a hole in the drywall that can accommodate a subwoofer in it is a very difficult task to do and also the aesthetics of it will not look good at all.
Know if the dual or single subwoofer is right for your home theater. Don’t forget to read the poll results I have conducted.
Place the In-Wall LCR behind the screen
You need to feel the characters on the screen are actually talking to you and not a speaker at the corner. That’s why placing the LCR speakers behind the acoustically transparent screen is the best idea to feel the realism of the dialogues and many more actions.
If your home theater is TV-based, then try to put the center speaker below and the left and right speakers very close to the TV. This arrangement will give you the best possible sound.
Don’t Angle The In-wall LCRs
Just install the LCR speakers in the wall straight vertically without any angle. By angle, I mean that don’t point them at you.
There are no movies and TV shows that are encoded in a way that will support such an arrangement. But if the tweeter of the speaker is adjustable, then you can point the tweeter at you. But only tweeters, not whole speakers.
Read this review guide about the best home theater in-wall speakers. I have reviewed the top 7.
Buy From A Brand That Sounds You Already Like
The in-wall speakers are a little gamble to play when it comes to a better sound. That’s why buy them from a brand that you already like.
For example; if you like Polk audio tower speakers, then you will also like their in-wall speakers. Because every company has the same pattern in their techniques and the same engineering team to design these all speakers.
That’s why I recommend buying it from a brand that you have already tested out.
Install It Properly To Kill Vibrations
Install it by following the instructions provided by the manufacturer. Or at least install it firmly so that the speaker mounting clippers hold tightly to the drywall.
Otherwise, there will be a vibration sound that will make the overall sound worse for you.
Install a back box For Them
Install a back box that will create a vacuum behind the speaker. This back box will control and perfect the back and forth movement of the speaker coil.
In this way, it will refine the shape of the sound wave. You will get a more accurate and better sound in this way.
Know more tips on how to boost the home theater bass. Get my proven 9 tips to perfection.
Soundproof The Speakers
If the sound of the in-wall speaker is not contained and leaks to other rooms, then soundproof it.
In this way, the sound energy will be contained in the theater room and will give more accurate sound and the sound will also not leak to other rooms.
Tuck a soundproofing material behind the speaker or speaker back box. Fill the surrounding area of the speaker with any good-quality soundproofing material.
Read my this guide to know how to soundproof the home theater. This is a step-by-step guide.
Paint The Grill Properly
Paint the grill by following the manufacturer’s guidelines. Almost all the manufacturers provide instructions for this purpose.
However, if you don’t get instructions from them. Then paint the grill of the speaker with spray paint that doesn’t block the holes of the grill. Otherwise, the block holes will affect the sound.
Follow this YouTube video below.
Position Its Tweeter To Ear Level
You can’t angle the in-wall speakers, but you must install the speakers in a way that their tweeter is at your ear level.
It should be at a height where it can match your ear when you are seated on the sofa.
This will ensure the best possible audio experience.
Read my this guide to know how to optimize home theater audio in 5 steps. Make your friends Jealous.
Did you get something out of this in-wall speakers guide? Hold On We Have Something Exciting To Share.
[the_ad id=”4771″]FAQs
Should you put insulation behind in-wall speakers?
If the speakers are enclosed properly, then put the insulation behind them. Otherwise, avoid doing so because it can result in fire hazards if the wires are exposed.
Putting insulation behind the speakers is a good step to take, but safety comes first. Check all the steps of safety first.
Are in-wall speakers any good for music?
They are good for music. But better for movies and TV shows. Because for music there are many heavy-duty speakers that can beat in-wall speakers. I said better for movies because in movies you can keep it behind the screen, and it will give a realistic touch to the movie’s dialogues.
Do in-wall speakers sound worse?
They sound above average but not worse. You can make them sound better by just following a few steps such as soundproofing home theater, acoustically treating home theater, and following this guide for optimizing the speakers themselves.
Should I box in in-wall speakers?
You should box it because it will somehow work to soundproof the speaker and will also produce a vacuum behind it. I have already discussed in this article above why it is important to produce a vacuum behind the speakers.
Can you put regular speakers in-wall?
You can do anything, nothing is impossible. But the question is, is it the right thing to do? No, you should not put a regular speaker in the wall.
These speakers are not designed for in-wall purposes. You should not put heavy-duty speakers like bookshelves in the wall. However, you can try with very small speakers.
Helpful Resources For The FAQs To Read More
- This was my opinion, read more about it on Sound&Vision Blog. (Resource for the first answer)
- This was my opinion, read more about it on an AVSforum thread. (Resource for the fourth answer)
