Sealing/boxing in-wall speakers

[Kevin P]

A friend of mine is building a house and is going to go with in-wall speakers in his HT (PSBs most likely). Someone was suggesting to him that he box in the speaker locations with 2x6 studs and seal it with silicone caulk, to create a "speaker enclosure" inside the wall.

On the one hand, regular speakers, and some high-end in-walls have sealed or ported enclosures which obviously are a major factor in the speaker's sound. But on the other hand, in-walls are designed to function in an infinite baffle type application.

So, would boxing in/sealing the speakers be a Good Thing To Do, or not?

[Snap]

Kevin I think that it depends on the speaker. If the speaker was ment to be enclosed they would have enclosed it, or sell the encloser kit. I would be worried that after it was all said and done it did not sound good. Then you are screwed.

Some Phase Stuff has enclosures. Some don't. The Phase Sub requires you to build an enclosure like you are mentioning. But they tell you that up front. The Earthquake sub comes sealed. Niles has some awesome in wall stuff too.

my .02 cents.

[aud19]

Best bet would be to email the manufacturer, PSB in this case, and see what they recommend as the optimal install method

[Andrew Pratt]

I'd check with the OEM first too. Most that I've worked with are upfront about what the speaker needs...and for what its worth none of mine have been encased at all