7 Great Places for In-Wall or In-Ceiling Speakers

In-ceiling or in-wall speakers are very popular for home theater and media rooms where people want the focus on the screen and not on big speakers. Built-in speakers are especially popular for living rooms or family rooms where home furnishings and walking traffic take precedence over electronics, but quality sound is still desired.

Ceiling speakers or in-wall speakers (also called architectural speakers) are perfect for other parts of the home too. Any place you listen to music and don’t want floor or shelf speakers getting in your way is a good place for an architectural speaker. If you have an intercom system or a home security system (that sends alerts to the speakers), putting speakers in less-than obvious rooms is also an important safety issue. Here are 7 of our favorite places to consider installing some.

Kitchen
You and your family probably spend as much or more time in the kitchen then you do in the living room, but your main stereo system is probably a countertop radio. In a kitchen, where the walls are busy holding up cabinets, ceiling speakers make the most sense. With a whole-home audio system you can enjoy music or the morning newscast while eating your breakfast.

Bathroom
You don’t have to be one of those people who sings in the shower to appreciate speakers in the bathroom. Many speakers are designed with water-resistant parts so even a steamy shower won’t harm your music fidelity.

Outside
The backyard, especially if you enjoy cookouts and a pool, is an obvious place for weather-resistant speakers. But what about the front yard, the riding stable or the garden area? Anyplace people spend time is fair game for music.

Walk-in Closet
If you have large walk-in closets (we’ve seen some as big as master bedrooms) you probably don’t want to miss part of your favorite song or an important weather report because you stepped into the closet to find your slippers. Often just one speaker will suffice here.

Kids’ Room
It’s not a newsflash to report that kids can be messy and sometimes break things. In-wall or ceiling speakers keep the woofers and tweeters out of your kids’ way.

Home Office
Do you spend a lot of time in your home office? If the answer is yes, then why settle for an iPod dock, Bluetooth speaker or your laptop’s built-in speakers for your music. Architectural speakers don’t take up desk space, and they sound great.

Garage
If you’re a car hobbyist or use your garage as a workshop, this is another great place to install a couple of speakers. It’s also handy when they’re connected to an intercom system, so other people can reach you when you’re busy working on your classic car collection.