Wife mandates in-wall speakers, some questions

[DarrenT]

Hi Guys,

I have a family room theater and currently own 3 GR-Research AV2's and two AV1RS surrounds. I love them dearly but a future remodel of the family room has me looking at "in-wall" or "in-wall cabinet" designs for my front 3. I'm 80% HT and 20% music of all kinds.

My options that I've found so far:

1. GR-Research AV-3S
2. Natalie P
3. Modula MTM

The above are the 3 designs that I've found so far in DIY that:
A) should meet my needs for crankability
B) are designed for in-wall or on-wall placement
C) have excellent, proven engineering behind them (reputable designers )

AV-3S
I am a little hesitant to go with the AV-3S because it rolls off around 80Hz, I want to extend down below 60Hz minimum. I have a 4 way 15" IB subwoofer located between the mains and prefer to have it crossed over at or below 60Hz.

Natalie P (In-Wall)
Still learning about this design, much to read here. I hear there is a WTMW center in the works??? I'd love to have a WTMW center although I can go vertical with my center but I prefer not to.

Modula MTM (In-Wall)
Still learning about this design as well. I see there is a MTM center but I can't seem to find an in-wall crossover design for it. Is there one and I missed it? Is there a WTMW in the works?

I intend to keep my AV1RS surrounds for sure so the front 3 are my only concern. I really like to crank my music, I like a slightly laid back quality to my speakers as well.

If you have any advice for me and my situation that would be great. Any pointers to specific threads on any of these designs or other designs that I haven't considered that might help me out would be great as well. I've been searching but some of the threads are so long they are prohibitively complex to navigate and comprehend. Maybe I'm just dumb

Here is a shot of the front of my family room theater. Pay no attention to the furniture layout, this is before I bought new furniture and set it up more appropriately. I'll be rebuilding the cabinet/shelves on either side of the fireplace which is where the L & R will be mounted. The new center will remain in the slanted ceiling in the same location, it is aimed directly toward the listening position and integrates remarkably well for it's location. It sits about 18" in front of the plasma and about 24" above it.





Darren

[ThomasW]

Hi Darren,

Yes there's a WMTW center channel in the works. It uses the RS52 dome and fits in the same box as the NatP/Modula MTM.

At this point there is no in-wall/on-wall design for the Modula MTM. It's possible that one could be created but it wouldn't occur for months.

Virtually all of the important data for any of our 'house' designs is contained in the first post of the thread. When any new info comes out about a design it's detailed or links to it are put in the first post.

[DarrenT]

Thanks ThomasW,

My family room remodel won't happen for a few months so if there will be more choices at that time then great.

Still reading, wish I didn't have to work

[Eroc_Fx]

I am also interested in In-wall Modula MTM speakers.

Another question I have is what to do with the port? Does it just go into the wall like a down firing port or does it get moved to the front? What kind of compensation is needed for the crossover?

[ThomasW]

The crossover is designed for in-wall/on-wall application, no other compensation is needed.

Usually they're built as sealed boxes since the Fb of the ported designs is well below the standard sub-out crossover frequency used for multi-channel applications.

[Eroc_Fx]

Does anything have to change to make them a sealed box design?

[DarrenT]

I was hoping I could keep the port so I could have better low end extension. My installation would allow for a front firing port, would adding the port be all that is needed or would that be a bad idea for the in-walls?

[cjd]

I may be throwing another on-wall option in the mix one of these days... but, you know, waiting is for patient people. :P It will be a 3-way.

C

[Rick Craig]

Parts Express has an in-wall kit now so you can basically make your own or adapt a kit design to an in-wall.

[Dennis H]

I was hoping I could keep the port so I could have better low end extension. My installation would allow for a front firing port, would adding the port be all that is needed or would that be a bad idea for the in-walls?

Sure, a front-firing port should work fine. And the wall mounting gives you 6dB more bass headroom while the modified crossover keeps the response flat.

[ThomasW]

Does anything have to change to make them a sealed box design?

Nope

[DarrenT]

Cool, sounds like there will be lots of options for me when I begin the remodel.

[cobbpa]

Drywall recently went up over these and I wish I had some pictures. They came out really nice. The baffle has a small (3/8" I believe) roundover. That portion is the only part that sticks out from the wall. Makes a pretty smooth transition. Anyway, here's how I went about it:

[DarrenT]

Nice, great way to get the volume you needed with the limited space.