The 10 Best In-Wall Speakers

For a home theater's front wall, the Klipsch R-5502-W II is the speaker to build around. A horn tweeter sits between two small woofers, so voices stay clear and loud even on a modest receiver. It works upright for the left and right channels or on its side under a TV as the center, which makes three of them a matched set. The horn can sound bright in a hard, echoey room, and each box holds one speaker.

Sold as a pair, the Polk Audio RC85i is a simple, affordable route to stereo music in a living room or to a set of side surrounds. A big woofer gives it fuller low notes than its slim depth suggests, and the tweeter swivels so you can point it at the seats. Moisture-resistant parts let it go in a steamy bathroom or a kitchen. Its upright shape suits side walls, but under a TV a wide center model fits better.

Big rooms and front channels suit the Polk Audio 265-RT, a tall three-way speaker with two cone drivers around a tweeter and a port that helps the bass. One switch tells it whether it sits near a corner or side wall, and another softens the treble in a lively room. The thin grille takes paint, so it can blend in. It needs a tall stud bay, and since it's priced per speaker, a full front wall adds up.

Music comes first with the Elac Debut IW-D61-W, voiced by Andrew Jones, who also designed Elac's popular Debut bookshelf line. A woven aramid-fiber woofer and a tweeter set in a deep waveguide aim for smooth, even treble across a wide couch, so the seats at the ends hear nearly what the middle hears. It works as a stereo pair or as surrounds. The small woofer is lean on bass, so plan on a subwoofer.

Homes already on Sonos should look at the Sonos In-Wall by Sonance, a wired pair designed to run from a Sonos Amp. Hooked up that way, the Sonos app tunes them to the room with an iPhone or iPad and adds them to the rest of the house for streaming. The grilles can be painted to match the wall. Without that amp they are an ordinary passive pair, and the amp costs more than the speakers.

Background music in a kitchen, bedroom or home office doesn't need much, and the Micca M-6S covers it for little money. Built-in tabs clamp onto drywall or wood paneling, so no brackets or back boxes are needed, and the silk-dome tweeter pivots toward where people sit. It fits shallow walls. Bass is light, and it needs more amplifier power to play loud, so it suits casual listening more than movie nights.

Crutchfield names the Focal 300 IW LCR6 its top in-wall choice for home theater, and it's built for a serious front wall. A separate midrange keeps voices full and natural, and small switches trim the tweeter and midrange to suit a bright or dull room. The mid and treble panel rotates, so it works upright or on its side, and it clamps in without tools. It's a big spend for each speaker.

Stereo music in a den or family room is the job for the Klipsch R-5800-W II, which puts one large woofer under an aimable horn tweeter. The big cone gives songs more weight down low, and two switches cut the treble or the upper bass if a room sounds harsh or boomy. A knock-out in the frame can hold a remote-control sensor. Like most horn designs, it can turn bright with loud, busy recordings.

Side walls in a surround setup are where the Klipsch R-5650-S II belongs. Two horn tweeters face different ways, spreading sound around the room instead of aiming it at one seat, so effects feel wider and less pinned to a spot. The box holds a pair, with grilles and mounting brackets. Its single modest woofer is meant for effects and ambience, so it is a poor choice for the front speakers.

People pick the JBL Arena 8IW for a grille with almost no visible frame; once painted, it reads as a plain panel on the wall. JBL says its sound takes cues from the company's studio reference monitor, and a large woofer gives music and movies some body. A sturdy bracket holds it firmly in drywall. Independent reviews of it are hard to find, and it is priced per speaker.