Audiophile007

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Price Paid:  $95.00 from Installer

Summary:
I had these installed in my wall next to my plasma. It made a world of difference from my regular TV sound that I had to deal with after the initial purchase of my new TV. The sound is great and especially in the sweet spot of my room. I was once again extremely impressed with the value that you get with these speakers, not to mention the high quality (which is tough to find 'a high-end' speaker where you get more than you pay for).

Strengths:
Great sound quality at an unbelievable value.

Weaknesses:
Not great bass

whatthedileo

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Price Paid:  $80.00 from Amazon.com

Summary:
I wanted to have great music in our large detached garage, but I didn't want to take up floor space because we have big parties out there. I already knew that at my price point, bass was going to be non-existent. But I wanted to have a fighting chance of bass, so I chose 8" woofers - I bought a total of qty(8) - four upstairs, and four downstairs. I'm glad I did, because although these speakers have no real bass at all, I'm sure a 6.5" (or 5.25, especially) would be even tougher to produce any low-end grunt. I believe swivelling tweeters are a MUST for in-wall speakers. You have to compromise on placement, and don't have the luxury of toe-in (angling speakerstoward listener), so swivel tweeters tkae care of this very nicely. I had a pair of Wharfedales that swiveled Left-Right, but not Up-Down. The Phoenix Gold (AudioSource) in-walls swivel in every direction, so I was able to mount them higher than usual - above everyone's heads so the sound does not become muffled.

Installation is very straight forward. You will need a dywall saw or a Rotozip, but the dog-leg screws are perfectly capable to anchor the speakers in place. I have not yet painted the frame/grill, but look forward to it making a very nice seamless look in our garage.

How to cope with lack of bass? A Boston Acoustics powered 10" sub in the utility room, and four 10" passive subs in the rafters, powered by an Onkyo Amp. When in full effect, this place now rocks like a Saturday night dance club. I'm extremely glad I went with in-wall speakers, and the Phoenix Gold/AudioSource system gave me excellent price for an 8" woofer unit.

Strengths:
Price, swivel tweeter, 8" woofer, ease of installation.

Weaknesses:
Power rating is bogus - actual power handling is about 60w (which is excellent if you do not try to send BASS to these speakers), poor bass response from an 8" driver (and I have four of them in one room!).

Similar Products Used:
No-Name 6.5" in-walls in our house. I power them off our plasma. Of course, no real bass, but we don't do critical listening with these speakers. They lack the swivel tweeters, which is unfortunate because they are mounted about 8 feet in the air, making it tough to sit in the sweet spot!