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harperpeck
Trending Lyricist I
January 30, 2026

Placing In-Ceiling Speakers vs Ceiling Mounted Era 300s for Surrounds

  • January 30, 2026
  • 35 replies
  • 843 views

I have a very unusual open layout living room that we are currently renovating. Originally my plan was to put 8” ceiling speakers in to act as rear surrounds for an Arc Ultra + Sub. However after opening up the ceiling we found that there is only space for 6” speakers between the joists in the ceiling. Additionally the gap between the joists for the placement that I had thought would be best for the left speaker we ended up being too tight to even install the 6” so it would require relocating it 2’ to the right. I’m wondering if it is worth doing this placement with the left speaker being much more central than I would have liked and not being symmetrical with the center of the TV to the right speaker. I could also move the right speaker in to make them both equidistant from the center of the TV.

 

However given this I was considering alternatives and thought about ceiling mounting 2 Era 300s instead of the In-Ceiling speakers. I’m wondering if anyone has any recommendations for this layout. I’ve attached a diagram below showing the original placement that we were hoping for as well as roughly where the left speaker would end up having to be mounted. Would really appreciate anyone’s advice on what might sound best!

 

Thanks!

 

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    Stanley_4
    Stanley_4
    Grand Maestro
    January 31, 2026

    Plywood and strand-board came in 8 and 12 root lengths. Lumber in 8 and 12 lengths are also usually stocked. PVC is usually sold in 20 foot lengths.

    Most lumber stores will be happy to do basic cutting to size, usually free for the first few cuts per sheet or tube. 

     

    The boxes look interesting but getting the 300s inverted on them might be a problem.

    AjTrek1
    AjTrek1
    January 31, 2026

    Plywood and strand-board came in 8 and 12 root lengths. Lumber in 8 and 12 lengths are also usually stocked. PVC is usually sold in 20 foot lengths.

    Most lumber stores will be happy to do basic cutting to size, usually free for the first few cuts per sheet or tube. 

     

    The boxes look interesting but getting the 300s inverted on them might be a problem.

    Can’t see why inverting the speakers would be an issue. You’re just turning them over on a relatively flat surface. As the crates have openings all around the sound will travel through with minimal interference. Not perfect but should yield enough audio to evaluate. Although, IMO testing is probably not necessary as I said earlier I’m inclined to agree that the Era 300’s will provide a better experience than the in-ceiling speakers.

    Together Everyone Achieves More = T.E.A.M.
    harperpeckAuthor
    Trending Lyricist I
    January 31, 2026

    ​@AjTrek1 ​@Stanley_4 you guys are both awesome thank you so much. Love the idea in that second diagram. We are actually mid construction right now so floor and walls are already open along with some holes in the ceiling (it’s basically a full renovation) which actually makes it a bit tricky to test sound right now. My only concern is once all is said and done the Era 300s might just look too out of place on the ceiling. I am totally fine with it but sadly other people also have say in the aesthetics 😂. And once the renovation is done we won’t be able to open up anything else or run wires so this is kind of the one shot I have to get everything where things could potentially go.

    As tempted as I am to just commit to the 300s, I think what I’m going to have to do is do is put both speaker cutouts where ​@AjTrek1 places the Era 300s in his second diagram and then also put power just outside of the cutouts for the 300s to give me both options.

    I’m so tempted to put additional speakers in the nook and kitchen - noise complaints be damned! It might be total overkill but would be so nice 

      AjTrek1
      AjTrek1
      January 31, 2026

      If you decide to use in-ceiling speakers for surrounds you’ ll need a second amp for speakers in the Kitchen and Nook. To get around the noise level (for that other person 😂) you can place a wall mount volume control on each speaker.

      Just a thought 😊

      Together Everyone Achieves More = T.E.A.M.
      Stanley_4
      Stanley_4
      Grand Maestro
      February 1, 2026

      Forum ate my longer post 

      Maybe white 300s to blend in better

      Maybe SoundSkins for more color options

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