Ceiling Speakers for HT

[amkr]

Hi Guys,

 

I've almost settled on a pair of ceiling speakers for my HT setup - a pair of Yamaha NS-IC800's.

 

I was looking at the specs and noticed that the IC600's appear to have better response.

 

 

That makes me tempted to save a few dollars and get the 6" NS-IC600 speakers instead.

 

Am I reading that right or have I got it all mixed up?

[blybo]

As long as they go below 80 they should be fine, as both the 800 and 600 do. However, have you heard them? Do they match the timbre of your other speakers?

 

My parents bought a Whatmough 5.1 system and used their matching ceiling speakers for surround effects. Great result in a room that simply couldn't use wall mounted surrounds.

[betty boop]

as far as I can see the ic800s have a better response and better power handling. i.e. go lower 50hz and handle 140W. if can fit in and given the small likely price difference Id go the larger driver 800.

 

if running into a ceiling space also consider the use of a back box. likely have more impact than anything on the driver...actually giving it an enclosure...not sending as much sound in your ceiling cavity as out in your room and also giving some protection....

 

id also encourage the use of matching ceiling speakers to whatever else you are running. just about all consumer brands have ceiling speakers to match from affordable to top line so worth doing

[amkr]

Thanks Guys.

 

DOH!

i read them both as Hz because I am an idiot...

50Hz - 28kHz is clearly wider than  65Hz-28kHz

 

Regarding timbre matching, they will be used for atmos and I currently have a 'thrown together' system as it is.

 

I'm still trying to persuade the other half that we need some nice floorstanders, I'll make sure they are matched front-center and rear but I'm not too worried about the ceiling

 

Back box out of MDF is definitely on the 'to-do' list. if for nothing else than to have somewhere to lay insulation ontop of.

Part of the reason I like the yamaha speakers is the fact they are well sealed

[BaileyAV]

are these atmos speakers or in-ceiling surrounds?

[amkr]

these will be used as ATMOS speakers.

[BaileyAV]

http://www.atlantictechnology.com/products/wall-ceiling-speakers/ic-6-oba/

 

http://www.tdgaudio.com/nfc-83a.html

 

2 speakers that are actually designed for atmos height

[amkr]

The only concern is the angle at which they will dissipate sound.

 

The yamaha's have been used in quite a few atmos installations successfully.

 

Additionally, they are readily available and I can afford them

[BaileyAV]

we are all different but i wouldnt touch yamaha with a 10 foot pole for my business.

 

both other brands are readily available. the TDG ones are cheaper than the atlantics. theres no need to worry about the angle they are literally made to be used as atmos speakers.

 

if you just want a comparison of the 800 and 600 however for atmos height speakers there is nothing the 800's can do better than the 600's. they can both get below 80hz which will be the cutoff  in the receiver so save your money and get the 600

[amkr]

Thanks, appreciate it

If I had the cash is splash out for some krix ceiling speakers.

But I just bought my first house so I'm more towards the poverty line than I would prefer

[BaileyAV]

btw you can pick up krix in ceilings for 600 for a pair retail... you could talk down a dealer a little bit from there too? plus they all come with enclosed back boxes so you wouldnt need to buy one

[amkr]

thats about $350 more than I've got to spend

 

Thats why the Yamaha speakers are on my radar, they are as good as I can find for ~$250.

 

I'm pretty handy so would be making my own enclosed boxes

Edited February 5, 2016 by amkr

[BaileyAV]

ah i only looked at the first price on google shopping which was 600 odd but it was for an ns-ic800w from harvey norman

[amkr]

ah i only looked at the first price on google shopping which was 600 odd but it was for an ns-ic800w from harvey norman

 

Yeah, typically you can get them around $350 a pair. But I can get them for $257 landed at my door from USA.

[betty boop]

Thanks, appreciate it

If I had the cash is splash out for some krix ceiling speakers.

But I just bought my first house so I'm more towards the poverty line than I would prefer

 

what are the rest of your speakers though ?

 

e.g. theres focals at $385 a pair rrp ! goes to show wiht most bands they have budget to upper end  

http://www.lenwallisaudio.com/products/speakers/in-ceiling-in-wall/ic105

[BaileyAV]

also just to note so people know - there is absolutely no need to timbre match the atmos height speakers.

 

you timbre match the front 3 because voices/sounds can travel across all 3 and they need to sound the same but its rare for a sound to go back to front and be pronounced enough that you will notice a timbre mismatch.

[blybo]

Yes I'm a Focal fanboi but I'd definitely go them over the Yammie. Yamaha make some very good speakers, but probably not at this end of the market I'd suggest.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[amkr]

The focals are still out of budget

[blybo]

Not trying to tell you how to suck eggs, but those speakers are going to be up there for quite some time, I wouldn't cut corners now to save money. Better to wait a month or 3 to save the extra couple $100.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[betty boop]

The focals are still out of budget

 

what are the rest of your speakers though ? 

[amkr]

As above;

Rest of the setup doesn't exist yet.

Currently running the Andrew jones pioneer speakers up front with jamo surrounds and sub.

Ideally I want to run B&W 684's up front with smaller surrounds.

Regarding how long they will be up there, sure they will be there for a while - but they are only there to provide atmos effects.

If I wait and increase the budget then that delays or restricts what I can get for fronts and surrounds - which will be more important in my application.

I'm hoping I can go and have a listen to these Yamahas and a few more expensive speakers soon, the Yamahas get excellent reviews so if they sound ok to me - I don't see any reason to spend more.

[betty boop]

the 684s are a $1900 speaker. atmos is for effects but keep in mind the kind of sound stages they run in surround mixes these days. its not like there is just a bit of ambience or something going on from them. they work the whole sound stage with discrete signals. object based audio very much relies on a set of speakers to place objects in space. that relies on the speakers working together. also keep in mind while can throw anything in holes to create sound you will still hear sounds quite clearly through these speakers and if they stick out like a sore thumb and too far off in quality vs the rest you'll hear it. 

 

people  I think disregard surrounds far too much than they deserve. when in fact the surround mixes we get these days they really deserve a bit more attention than they get.

 

all that said If dont have the budget I dont understand for instance why you are investing in atmos speakers first ? if investing in the atmos speakers are going to delay investment in mains and surrounds why not get the mains and surrounds first instead?. probably more important to the overall effect and end result.

 

additionally I would actually say the no1 and no 2 most important speakers in a ht setup are a centre speaker and sub. if have a limited budget and building an av system that is where funds should go backed up with a good av amp to support.

 

speakers are well worth investing in ...kind of thing will long live through other system upgrades where things like AVRS will come and go...speaker sets remain. so better off buying once and buying well in that case

[amkr]

Suffice to say, I have good reason to invest in atmos speakers before upgrading the rest of the system.

[amkr]

Just to come back with my tail between my legs, I ended up with the krix ceiling speakers.

 

Auditioned a bunch of front speakers and loved the Krix sound, With the aim of buying a set of harmonix in the near future I decided to go with krix for the ceiling too.