What To Consider When Selecting A Location For Your Speakers
Many decisions need to go into designing a home theater, especially when it comes to speaker placement. If you're debating between in-wall, in-ceiling, and in-room speaker placement, it will help to know the following things you need to consider.
The Aesthetic
One main reason people debate about where to place speakers is due to the aesthetics of the space. Do you want the home theater to look sleek with all of the speakers hidden within the walls, or are you willing to put them within the room where you can see them? In-room speakers will require some sort of stand to place them on, which can be bulky and take up a lot of space. In-ceiling speakers will blend in and provide an unobtrusive look. It really depends on your personal preference and the space you're working with.
The Sound Direction
You'll definitely want to consider the sound direction when installing speakers. The best sound quality is going to result in a direct path to your ears with the speakers at ear level. This is best achieved with in-room speaker placement, with the speakers being on stands set at the exact height of your ears.
Things get a bit tricky when you have in-ceiling speakers, where the sound is pointing downward toward the seating position. In-wall speakers run the risk of having the sound reverberate in unintended directions within the wall.
The Acoustics
You must also consider the acoustics of the room that your home theater is located in. An irregularly shaped room may benefit from in-ceiling speakers since they can help project the sound in various directions to encompass the entire room. In-wall speakers may work best for a room that is rectangular and deep since the speakers can be positioned in a way that the sound is directed into the room.
Meanwhile, in-room speakers have the flexibility to be moved into whatever position is needed. They can be adjusted based on the size of the group in the home theater or pointed directly toward a single person watching a movie on their own.
The Installation Method
The easiest speakers to install will be in-room speakers on stands. If you want to get fancy with an in-wall or in-ceiling install, you need to do some serious planning to run the cables to the right locations. An existing room may need to have drywall removed to run the wires so that they are hidden. If you are constructing a room for a home theater, a built-in conduit can be a great way to run wires through the walls after construction is complete.
Contact a professional to learn more about speakers.