1. PICK THE RIGHT TYPE OF IN-CEILING SPEAKER FOR YOU
Traditional in-ceiling speakers like Bose consist of a speaker with flush fitting grille and ports for mains power and speaker cables. These typically need professional installation, with holes being cut and cables routed through the ceiling to wall plates, which then offer connections to traditional Hi-Fi amplifiers.
2. INTEGRATE BEFORE YOU DECORATE
f you want to enjoy a truly invisible hi-fi at home, you’ll need to integrate it into part of a renovation. Because unlike the best soundbars, which are easy to add in any time, nobody wants to be tracing cables into freshly dried plaster.
3. INSTALL IN-CEILING SPEAKERS WITH CARE
If you’re handy with a toolbox, and are comfortable wiring up electrical devices, and have already mastered things like soundbar mounting ideas, you will be able to install many available in-ceiling speakers.
4. GET THE RIGHT NUMBER OF SPEAKERS
Typically, ceiling speakers like Sonos Sonace come in pairs so you can enjoy true stereo sound. As a rough guide, for rooms larger than 3m2 use one pair of ceiling speakers, and for rooms bigger than 5m2 two pairs of ceiling speakers will offer a more balanced sound. Some speakers like Zuma however, are designed to bathe a room in sound, and in a small space, just one unit might be ideal. Music streaming over Wi-Fi has also made it easier to create a multi-room music system, with the ability to play in various rooms, wake up to your favorite radio station, or turn the whole house into a nightclub, without a traditional speaker in sight. If you want surround sound for movie nights, you will need several more speakers with between five and seven surround speakers including one of the best subwoofers for bass mounted into the wall (and ceiling if you want the latest immersive experience from Dolby Atmos).
5. ENHANCE THEIR INVISIBILITY
Most in-ceiling speakers come with a low-profile, flush-fitting grille that blends into the decor. Many, including the Sonos Sonace collection, can be painted to match your living room ideas and color scheme, while Amina has redesigned the way their speaker works and can be plastered over and painted, for a truly invisible, but still great-sounding solution.
6. PLACE THE SPEAKERS IN THE RIGHT ROOMS
Most leading brands offer humidity and moisture resistant options, meaning you can use in-built speakers in bathrooms and as part of any kitchen idea. But be sure to look for speakers with at least an IP44 rating and they will be impervious to splashes, while IP68 is fully waterproof.
7. BUDGET CORRECTLY FOR IN-CEILING SPEAKERS
Not including installation, you can add music to a single room extension for as little as $200/£150, while a whole home full of ceiling speakers costs more than $6000/£5000. Individual in-ceiling speakers typically cost from $75/£50. These are ‘passive’ so will also need a separate amplifier or music streamer to work. Active ‘streaming’ speakers are typically more expensive, with Bluetooth options costing from $300/£220. A single £50 speaker may be OK for a tiny space, but to get the best sound you need them carefully dotted throughout your home. Most brands mentioned here offer multi-speaker bundles, including some with amplifiers, for added convenience. You can find exceptionally cheap retrofit speakers on Amazon, but in our experience, they won’t sound good and should be avoided. As with most audio products, it is worth sticking to established brands for the best possible quality.