Perché gli altoparlanti da soffitto sono buoni (ne vale la pena) per l'audio surround

Mentre stavo ristrutturando il mio home theater, ho deciso di dare un'occhiata agli altoparlanti da soffitto per aumentare il mio suono surround, ma ho scoperto che avrebbero richiesto molto lavoro. Questo mi ha fatto chiedere se gli altoparlanti da soffitto valessero la seccatura.

Quindi, gli altoparlanti da soffitto vanno bene?

Gli altoparlanti da soffitto sono un'ottima aggiunta all'home theater, in particolare se stai cercando un'esperienza audio più coinvolgente. Devono essere progettati specificamente per i soffitti, ma sono un'aggiunta eccellente a una configurazione audio surround.

Leggi anche:Gli altoparlanti costosi sono migliori e ne valgono la pena?

Ho deciso di dare un'occhiata a ciò che rende gli altoparlanti da soffitto una buona aggiunta a una configurazione home theater e quanto lavoro è necessario per installarli.

Questo articolo esamina i motivi per cui potresti voler installare altoparlanti a soffitto e tutte le informazioni utili che potresti dover conoscere prima di installarli.

Se sei interessato a dare un'occhiata ai Bestseller di Amazon in Altoparlanti da soffitto e da incasso, puoi trovarli facendo clic qui.

Quando gli altoparlanti da soffitto sono una buona aggiunta?

È giusto dire che non tutti gli home theater trarranno vantaggio dagli altoparlanti a soffitto. Dopotutto, se hai solo una piccola stanza dedicata al tuo home theater, potresti già avere abbastanza altoparlanti.

Inoltre, se vivi in ​​una proprietà in affitto, potresti non essere in grado di eseguire i lavori necessari per installarli. Queste sono alcune delle situazioni in cui probabilmente vedrai i maggiori vantaggi dagli altoparlanti a soffitto:

1. Sono meno disordinati

Certo, gli altoparlanti di solito non sono considerati brutti, ma molte persone preferiscono ridurre al minimo il disordine il più possibile.

Se stai costruendo un home theater, avrai inevitabilmente dei cavi che passano ovunque, quindi almeno montare i tuoi altoparlanti nel soffitto significa che avrai qualche cavo in meno di cui preoccuparti.

2. Sono un buon modo per completare un sistema audio surround

Hai già un set di altoparlanti "normali" (pensa a altoparlanti o monitor da scaffale), quindi potresti non voler uscire e acquistare un nuovo sistema audio surround.

Gli altoparlanti da soffitto sono un modo potenzialmente più semplice per completare questo, poiché puoi montarli dietro la tua area salotto e usarli come canali posteriori.

3. Ti permettono di essere più flessibile con il tuo layout

Se scegli di montare i tuoi altoparlanti a soffitto, non dovrai preoccuparti troppo di posizionare i tuoi mobili intorno ai diffusori da pavimento.

Non solo questo significa meno cavi, ma se ottieni altoparlanti da soffitto girevoli, avrai molta libertà su dove posizionare i tuoi mobili.

4. Ti offrono un'esperienza più coinvolgente

Il suono surround è tutto basato sull'immersione, quindi perché non ottenere il massimo dal tuo home theater? I cinema utilizzano altoparlanti a soffitto per lo stesso motivo, quindi ha senso spruzzarne alcuni se puoi.

Quanti diffusori da soffitto hai bisogno in una stanza?

Quindi, se stai pensando di portare il tuo home theater a un livello superiore installando altoparlanti a soffitto, probabilmente ti sei già chiesto di quanti potresti aver bisogno nel tuo spazio.

Ho passato molto tempo a giocare con gli altoparlanti e il posizionamento per trovare il layout migliore per la mia stanza, e questa è sempre l'opzione migliore per decidere la quantità di altoparlanti.

Tuttavia, immagino che molte persone non acquisteranno altoparlanti solo per sperimentarli, quindi ecco alcuni suggerimenti utili per decidere quanti altoparlanti da soffitto sono necessari.

La risposta sarà diversa per tutti e dipenderà da cose come l'uso previsto, le dimensioni e la forma della stanza, il livello sonoro che ti aspetti e se hai altri altoparlanti collegati all'home theater.

Come regola generale, è meglio avere troppi altoparlanti che non abbastanza.

Cerca di trovare un equilibrio

Dovresti mirare a bilanciare i tuoi altoparlanti per garantire la migliore qualità del suono. Ciò significa idealmente accoppiarli, quindi ad esempio avere un paio di altoparlanti da soffitto dietro l'area salotto e forse un altro paio davanti. Bilanciandoli in questo modo otterrai una qualità del suono molto più costante.

Posizionamento degli altoparlanti

Ovviamente dovresti pianificare il posizionamento dei tuoi altoparlanti in base alle dimensioni e alla forma della tua stanza. Usando la regola di bilanciamento, assicurati che gli altoparlanti forniscano una copertura sufficiente per lo spazio, ma non ingombrano le cose.

Disegna una pianta approssimativa della tua stanza, incluso dove prevedi di posizionare i mobili in relazione alla TV o allo schermo, quindi decidi dove sarebbe meglio posizionare gli altoparlanti a soffitto. Cerco di puntare a un set dietro i sedili, e poi a tutti gli altri davanti.

Calcola il numero di relatori

Se li stai aggiungendo a un sistema di altoparlanti o audio surround esistente, generalmente avrai bisogno di un minor numero di altoparlanti a soffitto. Anche in questo caso, una singola coppia di altoparlanti da soffitto potrebbe essere più che sufficiente, in particolare se li combini con altoparlanti da pavimento o da parete.

È meglio utilizzare altoparlanti da soffitto come aggiunta alla tua configurazione, piuttosto che come sistema di altoparlanti principale. Ciò significa che dovresti puntare forse a un paio o due di altoparlanti da soffitto, e poi almeno due altoparlanti da pavimento.

Come risposta definitiva, in una stanza di dimensioni standard (un soggiorno di dimensioni medie), probabilmente userei un massimo di 4 altoparlanti a soffitto.

Se la tua stanza è particolarmente grande, considera 6 per coprire adeguatamente lo spazio. However, in a bigger room, you will definitely benefit from using a range of different speakers types, as this will allow you to cover the room better.

What Size Ceiling Speakers Should You Get?

We all probably know by now that speakers come in different sizes. Different sized speakers produce different sound levels, with larger speakers generally being louder. This isn’t always the case though, as you might find some amazing small speakers that pump out plenty of volume.

Make sure you shop around before buying so that you can find the speakers that are right for the size and layout of your home theater.

Standard Speaker Sizes

6.5″ Ceiling Speakers (Without Cover)

As standard, ceiling speakers usually come in either 6.5” or 8” diameters . As with other speakers, this size refers to the cone, not the speaker. This means the actual face of the speaker will be bigger, but not by much.

You’ll probably be able to find ceiling speakers that are bigger or smaller, but these are the most common sizes available.

For choosing ceiling speakers, I recommend this article by Crutchfield.

Which One Should You Get?

6.5” ceiling speakers are an ideal size for most standard size rooms. In a home theater, you probably won’t find you need the bigger type, as these are generally used in much larger spaces.

6.5” ceiling speakers are versatile and generally perform very well. A pair or two of 6.5” speakers will give excellent coverage to a standard size living space.

8” speakers are generally used in much larger spaces, but can still be good in home theaters. They’re much better for larger rooms, but the difference in bass can make them a good addition regardless of the size of your room.

The overall size increase means they pump out much more bass than a 6.5” speaker, and you might even find you don’t need a subwoofer with these speakers.

Generally speaking, you’ll need fewer 8” speakers than 6.5” speakers in a room of the same size, and having too many might make the bass overpowering.

A single pair of 8” speakers will probably do the job in most standard size living spaces, but you should also look to combine them with other kinds of speaker. However, if you have a larger space, consider at least two pairs of 8” ceiling speakers.

Where Should You Place Your Ceiling Speakers?

As with any other part of your home theater setup, it’s worth appropriately planning the layout of your speakers before cutting holes in your ceiling.

Your placement will also depend on your intended use, as background music requires a different setup to immersive surround sound.

Follow these tips when planning your speaker layout:

• There shouldn’t be any “gaps” in your sound. This will result in very unbalanced sound, meaning it’ll be really loud in some spots, and too quiet in others.
• If you’re using them as part of a surround sound setup, consider following a placement guide, but replacing the back channels with ceiling speakers. They can be most effective when mounted around seating areas.
• However, if you’re going to be using your speakers for various uses, think about what would be the best placement. You might not always want sound blaring out right behind your furniture, particularly if you only want background noise while entertaining.
• Also think about speaker layout in relation to where your furniture is, but also where it might be. You can’t move ceiling speakers in the same way as normal speakers, so it’s worth thinking about placement options that are suitable for now, but will also work in the future.
• If you’re using an existing surround sound system, and your ceiling speakers are simply an addition, then it might be worth just placing them in the middle of the room. This will save you any issues in the future, and will also mean you’ve got appropriate coverage for the whole room.

One of the easiest ways to figure out the right placement for ceiling speakers is to draw up a plan of your home theater room.

There are different ways of doing this, but I found it’s easiest to do a floor plan from a bird’s eye view, similar to what you might see in building blueprints. It doesn’t even necessarily have to be to scale, but this might help if you’re planning on getting technical.

Once you’ve got a rough sketch of your floor plan, add in your TV and furniture, either where it currently is, or following a new layout. This will allow you to decide on the best speaker placement before you start cutting. It’s best to try a few layouts before committing, just to make sure you’re happy with the placement.

Another really easy way to plan this is to just put the speakers on the floor in relation to where they’ll be in the ceiling.

If you feel like temporarily wiring them up, do so, and then play some music or an audio track through them. This will help you to figure out any blind spots, and whether you’ve got enough speakers to cover the room.

Things To Remember When Using Ceiling Speakers

Ceiling speakers really aren’t complicated to install and use, providing you do plenty of research first. Here are some helpful tips to remember when buying and installing ceiling speakers:

• Placement is important. Do everything possible to space them equally, and aim for around 6ft gap between speakers. If this isn’t possible because of the room’s size, then keep them as far away from each other as possible. Also, make sure they’re equally spaced away from any walls or lighting.
• Ceiling speakers are usually passive speakers, meaning they don’t need an external power source. You only need to wire them to your existing amplifier, which makes the job much easier, and means fewer cables to run along your ceiling.
• Ceiling speakers generally come in pairs, and are connected to stereo amps that divide signals into left and right. Plan your room accordingly based on this rule of pairs. However, there are some models available that come as a single stereo speaker, which is useful in some situations, but obviously doesn’t produce the same sound quality.
• Don’t forget to invest in good quality cables for your wiring. There’s no point in buying good quality speakers, only to lose sound quality through cheap wires. Also, remember that you’ll need more wiring than usual because they have to be run through ceiling voids, and then down to the amp.
• If you live in an apartment or shared building, consider investing in fire hoods for your ceiling speakers. Not only do these protect your speakers from fire, they also help to absorb some of the sound pumped out the back of the speakers. Some buildings might even require these to be fitted by law, so look into this too.
• If you’re concerned about there not being enough room in your ceiling void for the speakers, keep an eye out for ultra-slim models. They exist for this exact reason, but will likely cost a bit more than normal models. Generally, the thinnest a ceiling speaker will be is around 1.5”.

How To Install Ceiling Speakers

Ceiling speakers require more installation than probably any other part of your home theater. I only realized this through actually installing them, but you do need to be a bit handy to get the job done.

If you don’t think you’re up to it, then consider hiring a general contractor, as the job involves plenty of cutting. Here are the general steps to installing ceiling speakers.

1. Decide where to place your speakers and test the ceiling for supporting beams, wiring, and other such things. A stud detector is really useful here, as you don’t want to find you’ve drilled a hole in the wrong place after you’ve drilled it.
2. Drill a small hole and insert a piece of wire to test the area. Wrap the end in electrical tape to avoid any accidents, and run it around the rough diameter of the speaker. Providing there’s nothing in your way, you should be fine to install the speaker.
3. Once you’re happy with your planned placement, go ahead and cut some holes. This is best done with an electric saw or jigsaw, as these will get the job done quickest.
4. Then it’s just a case of wiring the speakers in. This will probably involve cutting another small hole in the ceiling near where you want the cable to come out, but other than that it’s not different from wiring up any other set of speakers.

These steps are based on your ceiling being made of drywall. If it isn’t, you might want to ask a contractor to take care of the cutting and drilling, as they’ll likely have the experience needed to get it done quickly.

A sound engineer or electrician would likely also take care of the wiring for you.

Check out this installation video below.

How to install in-ceiling speakersWatch this video on YouTube.

Conclusione

I’ve found that adding ceiling speakers to my home theater setup has made a big difference to the sound levels in the room. They also weren’t too hard to install, and have made the room feel much more like a theater than a standard living room.

The most important thing to remember when planning ceiling speakers is to base them on the size and shape of your room. It’s also worth considering what exactly you want from the speakers, as not every home theater setup will benefit from ceiling speakers.

Also consider your neighbors, as sound will generally carry more from a ceiling speaker than a floor speaker. Other than that, don’t forget to have fun improving the quality of your home theater!

I recommend that you read my posts on car speakers and studio monitors for home theater.

Here are the best selling in ceiling and in wall speakers on Amazon