Lowes flat in-wall speakers: any good?

[DA]

Hi all,

wondering if there is some real-world experience out there that someone can share on these speakers. I think the trade name is Onsia? Anyways, local Lowes has a display with demos but a busy noisy store does not make it easy to test any sound system. I'm looking for something rather inexpensive (as speakers go) and these would fit the bill unless they are complete junk. I was even thinking that if I later find something better I can afford, I may even simply leave these flat ones IN the wall. Or, since the room does not permit more than two in-wall speakers (front left and right) just buy floor standing backs and front center.

So, anyways, how do they sound in real life and are they as easy to conceal as the ad says?

Thanks!

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[Phisherman]

When I did the research the in-wall speakers were not as good as the bookshelf type. One thing, the sound will easily pass to the other side. The in-wall speakers can't be adjusted to point at the listener as the bookshelf type. I bought Athena speakers for my theater room, a low-end professional type and I'm very satisfied. There are many brands and I suggest listening before buying, but keep in mind the speakers will sound different in another room. If you could care less about the sound quality, the in-all speakers are fine.

[J. Clarke]

There's a thead on avsforum discussing them

that you might find of interest.

To conceal them you cut out a section of drywall, put them up in place of the cut out section, and then tape and mud them like you would a piece of drywall. If you find replacing a 2x2 foot section of drywall "easy" then they're easy.

The impression I'm getting is that they're OK as in-wall speakers go.

[J. Clarke]

Bear in mind that he's not talking about cone speakers behind a grille. The ones he's talking about are NXT-type flat panels that look from the outside like just another piece of drywall. One of the benefits of NXT technology is high dispersion, so it's less necessary that the speaker be pointed at the listener.

I also doubt that the sound quality will be as good as a decent set of bookshelf speakers, but still may be fine if he's not an audiophile.

[Mortimer Schnerd, RN]

If you're in the market for speakers, let me suggest another source you might not have considered: in my town we have a place where they recone older speakers. They almost always have sets of speakers that were dropped off but never picked up. I have a nice pair of Infinities in my master bath mounted on the wall above the vanity with a French cleat that I bought from them for a song, pardon the pun. And I got a huge set of JBL studio monitors in my living room that I wouldn't have been able to afford or justify otherwise that I got from them.

There might be slight surface blemishes but the speaker cones themselves are brand new and they sound fantastic.

Did I mention relatively cheap?