Speaker Types

Floor Standing Speakers

Generally, the highest quality sound will be reproduced from Floor Standing speakers. These are speakers which sit directly on the floor and are often referred to as tower speakers because of their tall profile in upwards of 4 feet or more.

Book Shelf Speakers

Depending on their size and quality of material, Book Shelf speakers can often come close to reproducing the high quality sound of Floor Standing speakers yet have a considerably smaller profile. Their size options can range from rather large comparable to a milk crate to far smaller profiles.

Cube / On Wall Speakers

If your familiar with the brand BOSE chances are you are familiar with the Cube / On Wall speaker. These speakers can be attractive due to their small profile and in many case they produce a good sound quality. Concealing the wire to these types of speakers will vary depending on various characteristics of a room such as: available attic space, type of wall construction or obstructions inside the wall such as blocking, insulation, other wiring or duct work, water pipes etc.  

In Ceiling Speakers

In ceiling speakers range in size and are circular in shape. They are available in 5 1/2″ which are perfect for small ceiling areas, 6 1/2″ the most commonly used size, up to 8 1/2″ which is perfect for rather large ceiling spaces and higher end surround sound systems where the Quality of Sound is pretty important. The speakers typically have as many as 4 clips which are activated using a Phillips head screw drives and secure the speaker to the sheet rock for installation. The clips, although vary by manufacturer, might allow for 3/4″ to 1″ depth of ceiling material for fastening to the ceiling. New Construction rings can be bought and installed during the construction of a home for later, more easy installation of a speakers. The sound quality of these speakers will vary from average to really good depending on whether the speaker is upgraded from Polypropylene to either a Kevlar or Graphite Woofer material.

In Wall Speakers

In wall speakers are virtually identical in characteristic to In ceiling except In Wall speakers are generally rectangular in shape.

Painting In Ceiling or In Wall speakers

Usually you can paint the visible grill portions of both in ceiling and in wall speakers. There are two things to keep in mind when attempting to paint these grills. One, the holes of the grill are tiny and clog with paint easily therefore you’ll need to thin the paint as much as 8 times to help reduce the chance of clogging. Second, typically concealed behind the grill is a felt cloth adhered to the back of the grill with a sticky adhesive. This felt cloth needs to be gently removed and carefully stored during the painting/drying process and then should be re-installed inside the grill during the final installation process. The grill will not normally install easily into the speaker if the installation clip screws are tightened too much. Some in wall speakers have been available whereby they are 100% concealed, undetectable, during the sheet rock installation process. Information on Surround Sound receivers is here.