Wall Speakers Vs Floor Standing

There is always the option to combine and do both in wall and floor standing speakers.

Wall speakers vs floor standing.

Speakers on stands next to seating in a dark theater is a recipe for disaster. There are even speakers that you can plaster and paint over. There are conventional box shape speakers that are floor standing or bookshelf in size. There are speakers that mount inside the wall on the wall.

From a decor standpoint though a bookshelf on a stand does tend to look like its taking up less of the space in a room than a floor standing speaker with a similar footprint. The 1 issue is perception of soundstage. In wall speakers pale in comparison to free standing speakers for many reasons. The basic pros and cons of flush mounted speakers i e soffit or wall mounted vs free standing i e in room.

With in wall speakers you are forced to have an axis that is perpendicular to the front wall if they are installed in the walls and that would prevent any adjustment of seating location and speaker placement after the fact. Good in walls are especially well suited for use as surround speakers. Free standing speakers tend to sound the best because you have the greatest flexibility when it comes to positioning. Floor standing speakers typically cost more than an in wall speaker.

With all that being said it really boils down to personal preference. I have a pair of monitor rs8 floor standing speakers and shifting to small flat. Many audiophiles who love music that is small in scale like a jazz quartet love great bookshelf speakers. On wall usually means less time spent fine tuning the speaker positions and less chance to make the small incremental changes you can achieve with floor standing cabinets.

If speakers flanking the seating area of a theater can be moved off the floor and into the walls the possibility of a wine induced mishap is greatly reduced. If you prefer a floor standing speaker you will want your budget to allow the cost difference.