Outdoor In-Ceiling Speakers for Amp?

  • 24 March 2021
  • 3 replies
  • 155 views
M

I'm building a new construction house and I'm thinking about adding a pair of in-ceiling speakers to the covered deck, which would be wired to a Sonos amp in the IT closet.

I was quoted about $1800 for the full setup including parts and installation. The quote says they would provide the Klipsch CS-16C II speakers... But I can't find much about those on Google, so I'm a bit worried that they're not the best quality.

What do you guys recommend for in-ceiling outdoor rated speakers for use with the Amp? I could try to get a quote for some different ones instead.

And does that quote seem ridiculously high? Seems like about half parts and half labor (based on the price of the Amp and $100 speakers plus adding room for wiring, brackets, etc.). The IT closet is in the basement with my network gear, so they'd need to run wires upstairs then out to the deck on the opposite side of the house and provide brackets, do the wiring, etc.

The alternative would be to just buy a couple Move speakers... but the in-ceiling seems a lot cleaner.

Thanks!!

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3 replies

Airgetlam

Sonos has partnered with a company called Sonance for co-marketing, and the Architectural line is what they suggest for the Amp. Note that Sonance has other lines of speakers that are not in the Architectural line. Due to some whiz-bangery that isn’t clear to me, that allows up to three pairs of that line of in-ceiling speakers to be connected to a single Sonos Amp. I’ve not installed any, but my impression is that in-ceiling speakers always tend to be more expensive than I think they should be, but there’s a lot of effort involved in getting them installed properly. As to whether that quote is appropriate depends on all sorts of environmental factors, so it’s hard to have a real judgement there.

At the very least, look around, do some googling for in-ceiling speakers, look at other options and costs before taking a decision. Even get a second quote from another company for installation. 

At the end of the day, you’re the one who needs to be satisfied. 

Bruce
melvimbe

I have these Polk Audio speakers and have been pretty happy with them.  It looks like those Klipsch model is a contractor series, which is probably why the lack of reviews.  I don’t know what to think of that.

I personally would not pay $1800 for this. The speakers look to be had for rather cheap, maybe $100 for the pair tops.  The wiring is also pretty cheap, so you’re likely paying over $800 for the labor.  

The difficult part of this is the wiring, which really should be done during construction.  That I would have done for sure, and have done so in the past myself.   Cutting a hole in the ceiling for the speaker is pretty easy to do, as is setting up the Sonos amp.  If you’ve done stuff like this before, I would highly consider doing that work yourself.  If you want to have the builder do just the wiring, and an electrician or AV specialist come out later for the rest….I don’t really know if you can save money.

Also, builders tend to use the cheapest wiring the can get, I would make sure they use good cables with the right gauge for the length of the run.

Danny
melvimbe

 I’ve not installed any, but my impression is that in-ceiling speakers always tend to be more expensive than I think they should be, but there’s a lot of effort involved in getting them installed properly. As to whether that quote is appropriate depends on all sorts of environmental factors, so it’s hard to have a real judgement there.

 

It’s really not hard to install, assuming the wiring is in place already.  It just feels like a big step to cut into your walls when you’ve never done it before.

@micheblea83 I forgot to mention...if you think you’re ever going to want an outdoor TV, then I would have the wiring (HDMI) done during construction as well.  You will want one line connecting TV to the amp and another line connecting TV to sources if you want that...possibly also to the tech closet.

Danny
M

I'm building a new construction house and I'm thinking about adding a pair of in-ceiling speakers to the covered deck, which would be wired to a Sonos amp in the IT closet.

I was quoted about $1800 for the full setup including parts and installation. The quote says they would provide the Klipsch CS-16C II speakers... But I can't find much about those on Google, so I'm a bit worried that they're not the best quality.

What do you guys recommend for in-ceiling outdoor rated speakers for use with the Amp? I could try to get a quote for some different ones instead. https://1921681001.id/

And does that quote seem ridiculously high? Seems like about half parts and half labor (based on the price of the Amp and $100 speakers plus adding room for wiring, br https://19216811.cam/ ackets, etc.). The IT closet is in the basement with my network gear, so they'd need to run wires upstairs then out to the deck on the opposite side of the house and provide brackets, do the wiring, etc.

The alternative would be to just buy a couple Move speakers... but the in-ceiling seems a lot cleaner.

Thanks!!

issue got solved!!

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