# Trying to make the wife happy need help



## yepvegas (Jul 13, 2010)

Ok the plan was to build the TriTrix knock down kit from PE. Wife was on board I was happy. Now she wants me to hide the speakers so an inwall may be the way to go. Is it possible to get the same sound quality and Volume for music as well as HT???? the other issue is price. I figured with the TriTrix and finishing them in a maple laminate would put be close to 300 for the pair. The only reason I am willing to give in to her wishes on this is that down the road we plan on finishing the basement with a theater room and I can build what ever I want as loud as i want as big as i want:flex: . ( she has no Idea what she has agreed to). Any Ideas would be helpful. Currently we are using small Polk book shelf speakers. they are ok but not great. I already have the sub and I have a pair of inwalls for the rears, that I plan to install in the ceiling since the couch is against the back wall. The room is 15 from tv to couch and 17 wide. I have a Yamaha reciever good for 110RMS for the surrounds and front. Center Channel is Bose:sad: i want to get this ordered today before she changes her mind again...:rolleyesno:


----------



## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

In walls are always a compromise and unless you spend a fair bit more than normal speakers your not going to be very happy. Placement becomes even more an issue and makes it even harder once installed if there are quality issues to fix them. In wall speakers cant just be placed in a wall if its an exterior wall and need to be mounted in between two studs so that may also not be symmetrical.


----------



## bambino (Feb 21, 2010)

The best inwalls come with back boxes so that they sound as close to a real speaker if you will. But there are still issues as pointed out above.:T


----------



## yepvegas (Jul 13, 2010)

What about mounting height is there a recomended height for the speakers when considering HT? I was looking at the DIY Project "Phantoms of the Theater" on PE. Any thoughts on that. I took some measurements a while back and the studs fall into the right place so centering the picture will be ok. These will not be on a exterior wall. Any thoughts on adding insulation to the wall?


----------



## waldo563 (Apr 26, 2009)

tonyvdb said:


> In walls are always a compromise and unless you spend a fair bit more than normal speakers your not going to be very happy. Placement becomes even more an issue and makes it even harder once installed if there are quality issues to fix them. In wall speakers cant just be placed in a wall if its an exterior wall and need to be mounted in between two studs so that may also not be symmetrical.


Tony,

Why can't in wall speakers be placed in an exterior wall? Is it because of the insulation or is there some obvious reason which escapes me?
Thanks


----------



## bambino (Feb 21, 2010)

If they are fronts then i'd suggest ear level or not much higher.

On my inwalls i took 1/4"x1.5" wood and glued it to the inside paremeter of the sheetrock where the dog ears clamp, i then used automotive sound deadening mat on the front back and sides and sealed all around where the sheetrock meets the studs with caulk then sprayed automotive undercoating on top of all that.
It seemed to make them sound better then they did when i origionly just cut a hole and mounted them but they still can't keep up with or sound as good as bookshelfs of the same size:T

P.S. mine are for rear duty surround with towers up front so they are only used for movies and the occasional 5 channel stereo.


----------



## bambino (Feb 21, 2010)

I have mine on an exterior wall.:scratch:


----------



## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

waldo563 said:


> Tony,
> 
> Why can't in wall speakers be placed in an exterior wall? Is it because of the insulation or is there some obvious reason which escapes me?
> Thanks


Yes, there are several reasons that it is not a good idea. Placing speakers in a wall with insulation will dampen the acoustic properties of the wall around the speaker and will cause it to function incorrectly. Cutting through the vapour barrier will introduce moisture and not only damage the speaker but cause mold to grow. The insulation may also be a fire hazard if touching the speaker particularly where the wiring is.


----------



## waldo563 (Apr 26, 2009)

Tony,

All valid points which I will have to remember the next time I install in-wall speakers in an exterior wall. :doh: I wonder if it would help with the acoustics and vapor barrier issues if I retrofitted the installation by building a sealed enclosure similar to what is described by bambino. Hopefully, moisture is not big issue since I'm living in a fairly dry climate and since these speakers are powering my wife's AV setup they are never driven very hard which should mitigate any fire hazard somewhat. Thanks for the input.


----------



## bambino (Feb 21, 2010)

No insulation, or moisture to worry about with the way i have mine setup, they kind of ended up in enclosure all there own the way i did it.:T


----------



## yepvegas (Jul 13, 2010)

Thanks for all the input my wife gave in and i am building the TriTrix TL from PE this week. Thanks for the input i was thinking of some inwalls in different room on the outside walls so i will keep that in mind or look for a different solution.


----------

