ceiling speakers..are they worth it?

sam1970

We are in the middle of a major house renovation project and a friend has suggested installing ceiling speakers in various areas. I am not too convinced considering that bluetooth speakers are widely available, more versatile and cheaper. Am I wrong? are there any advantages?

theonlywayisup

We converted our barn some years ago and have ceiling speakers (flush and the same colour as the ceiling) in each room. We do have this linked to a multiroom system which is in a small room with all the "kit" (Sky, DVD, Music player etc etc). The bonus is that you just have the audio on and no actual player in sight, or the TV on and no sky box underneath.

I'm fairly OCD and the thought of speakers in the ceiling was horrendous but they are very discreet and I wouldn't be without them now.

brightontraveller

Putting speaker and multiple network cables in every room cost peanuts in respect of major overhaul is a no brainer bluetooth, wifi etc creates limited choice...

You add the speakers etc as required

sam1970

thank you guys for the replies. So if I am planning to have different satellite boxes in different rooms, how that will work? Will all the speakers play from the same feed or can I have different speakers connected to a different source?

another_casualty

Ceiling speakers are cool .
You will either have to get a surround sound amplifier, or an amplifier that takes 2 sets of speakers ( 4 in total ). It depends on how many rooms you're putting them in also. Don't forget decent speaker wire
at least 79 strand .( quite thick , and the opposite of the thin bell wire stuff. Cheap too, from Ebay / richer sounds etc). I use qed 79 strand . Some amps switch a/b , or both , so you can decide if you want one room only or both at the same time .
The amp will have sockets for whatever you plug in (tv/ sky box etc)
You may get away with one amp for everything . Of course you'll need the interconnects to put it all together .
Regarding the last question , you may need an amplifier for each room if two people are watching sky boxes . Not 100%

Hope this helps

dickibobboy

Good thread as i was looking into something similar, i have the know how on connecting everything up but does anyone recommend any decent speakers to go in?

My main aim is for one in the bathroom connected to an amp but don't want it to look like a shop speaker when you look up!

MisterP123

another_casualty wrote: »

Ceiling speakers are cool .
You will either have to get a surround sound amplifier, or an amplifier that takes 2 sets of speakers ( 4 in total ). It depends on how many rooms you're putting them in also. Don't forget decent speaker wire
at least 79 strand .( quite thick , and the opposite of the thin bell wire stuff. Cheap too, from Ebay / richer sounds etc). I use qed 79 strand . Some amps switch a/b , or both , so you can decide if you want one room only or both at the same time .
The amp will have sockets for whatever you plug in (tv/ sky box etc)
You may get away with one amp for everything . Of course you'll need the interconnects to put it all together .
Regarding the last question , you may need an amplifier for each room if two people are watching sky boxes . Not 100%

Hope this helps

Just a quick tip with regard to speaker cable. TLC do a very reasonably priced 79 strand version which is unbranded. Does a great job and comes recommended from many AV enthusiasts.

I'm no audiophile so won't go into many more recommendations. I do have ceiling speakers but only as a compromise for surround speakers in the lounge.

another_casualty

Good point mister
Yeah, so long as the speaker cable is thick, then it doesn't matter what brand it is .
Thanks

another_casualty

dickibobboy wrote: »

Good thread as i was looking into something similar, i have the know how on connecting everything up but does anyone recommend any decent speakers to go in?

My main aim is for one in the bathroom connected to an amp but don't want it to look like a shop speaker when you look up!

Good question .
The bog standard ones cost about £30 a pair. ( skytronic etc). They do look a little bit like being in a supermarket but are good .
Sounds like you may have to pay a little more for a known brand like kef etc . Maybe richer sounds or Sevenoaks audio etc ?