If you don’t want to make a semi-permanent alteration to your home you should also take a look at our list of the best speakers. There’s plenty of options for every price range. For all others, read on to see our list of the best in-wall speakers. The moisture-resistant construction of the RC85i makes it ideal for use both indoors and outdoors, including bathrooms or saunas where moisture can easily make its way through the speaker’s grille. Fortunately, nearly everything about the RC85i makes it a top-notch choice, including the audio clarity that is second-to-none in the in-wall speaker space. Available for both 5.1 and 7.1 sound systems, we’re confident saying that once you have these Polk speakers installed, you’ll never want to leave home. Channels: 2-way | Bluetooth: No | Paintable Enclosure: Yes | Output Wattage: 100 watts | Waterproof: Moisture-resistant The tweeter and midrange drivers are built on an adjustable swivel allowing homeowners to “point” the high-frequency sounds in the right direction or listening position. With each speaker packing between 50-150 watts of power, there’s little question that they pack a punch that’ll delight enhance every Netflix binging session. The white mesh cover is painted to already match existing white walls, but it’s removable for easy painting to match any color in your home. Channels: 3-way | Bluetooth: No | Paintable Enclosure: Yes | Output Wattage: 150 watts | Waterproof: No It’s different from some of the other Polk speakers on this roundup because it’s designed more home theater systems rather than general listening or bathrooms. It’ll work with 3.1, 5.1, 6.1, and 7.1 channel systems. Channels: 3-way | Bluetooth: No | Paintable Enclosure: Yes | Output Wattage: 200 watts | Waterproof: No The peak power of 250 watts offers very loud volume and ultimately blurs the line between what separates budget speakers from more expensive options. Installation is handled easily with a wall cutout sized to the specific dimensions for each individual PDIC speaker. Mounting flush on both ceilings and walls, the PDIC60 isn’t the newest version available (that’s the PWRC83), but it remains incredibly versatile whether you’re watching a movie, listening to music or just binging Netflix releases. Channels: 2-way | Bluetooth: No | Paintable Enclosure: 3.5mm | Output Wattage: 100 watts | Waterproof: Moisture-resistant The installation is just as good and many online reviews point to the 265-LS as being one of the easiest to install. Just cut the hole in the wall for the speaker via the included template, slide the speaker in and tighten the screws. There’s no mount required and no extra work. Channels: 2-way | Bluetooth: No | Paintable Enclosure: Yes | Output Wattage: 250 watts | Waterproof: No Once placed into a wall after a very easy installation process, the fringe grille is nearly invisible to the eye and appears almost flush against the wall. Capable of 140 watts of power, the design does hide the raw power of the Yamaha speaker with excellent mid to low range frequency response and highs that are equally powerful. Whether it’s movie or television dialogue, the sound is crystal clear and musical audio is spectacular. Channels: 2-way | Bluetooth: No | Paintable Enclosure: Yes | Output Wattage: 100 watts | Waterproof: Moisture-resistant While not as loud as a dedicated subwoofer, the 255C-RT easily pairs great design with great sound while protruding just 7mm from the wall. The bass ports and angled woofer all help lower frequencies, while the highs and mids create a dynamic sound that makes for fantastic detail whether it’s music or movies. Channels: 2-way | Bluetooth: No | Paintable Enclosure: Yes | Output Wattage: 75 watts | Waterproof: No Audio quality is solid, with good clarity and excellent bass. It won’t match some of the more premium options in terms of room-filling sound, but the bass response and the high-frequency response is still great. Channels: 2-way | Bluetooth: No | Paintable Enclosure: Yes | Output Wattage: 100 watts | Waterproof: Moisture-resistant
Enclosed speakers
Most in-wall speakers lack enclosures since they’re meant to be installed inside walls. In-wall speakers that do have enclosures offer a superior bass response, but make sure that there’s actually space inside the wall to install them without poking through into the next room. Many of these speakers come with paintable grille covers, letting you paint them to match your wall or ceiling. The bezels can also be painted over, especially with the “vanishing” speakers that are designed to seamlessly blend into a wall or ceiling.
Surround sound tweeters
When buying in-wall speakers for a home theater, look for side and rear speakers that include multiple tweeters that fire in different directions. This enhances the surround sound effect, and it’s especially great for larger rooms that have multiple rows of seating. Several of the speakers on this roundup can be hooked up to home theater systems, working with 5.1 and 7.1 stereo systems. Since Bluetooth isn’t supported on most of these options without a separate receiver, you’ll want to consider what receiver you’re hooking these speakers up to as well.
