The best mount speakers are those that has excellent sound quality along with ease of setup. A slim or low profile design is also preferred because this is one of the reasons to choose wall mount speakers. Some of the best wall mounted speakers in 2021 are listed below that excel in performance.
You should look for speakers that come with wall mounting brackets and a detailed manual to help you through the process. How you place the speakers will have huge effect on the audio quality as well. For front speakers, the drivers should be at ear level.
For a blending look, look for wall mountable speakers that have paintable grilles. To make life simpler, you can shop for the best Bluetooth wall speakers. this will eliminate wiring hassle and you can connect several Bluetooth devices for seamless streaming.
Comparing on-wall vs in-wall speakers, on-wall speakers are better if you don’t want the trouble of cutting holes in walls. On-wall speakers also come with cabinets which affects sound quality.
Wall mounted speakers: Why do you need them?
Although speakers like bookshelf speakers and floorstanding speakers are meant to be kept on speaker stands, many people prefer wall mounting. This is because wall mounting makes it easier to place speakers at ear level or above ear level. This will give you optimum sound quality.
Another common reason to wall mount speakers is, tight spaces in a home theater room. It saves spaces of having one stand for each speaker and gives a clean look of the room. People also prefer wall mounting because they have kids or pets running in the house and there is always a chance of speaker being knocked off or dented.
To permanently secure the speaker, wall mounting is the best option. You can also save some bucks by not having to buy several speaker stands.
Top 10 wall mount speakers for different category
Wall mount speakers can be of different types. The following enlists some of the best wall mount speakers that are simple to install.
Best indoor wall mount speaker: Pair Rockville HP65S 6.5″ Outdoor/Indoor Home Theater
Features at a glance:
- 1” Aluminum Voice Coils
- 5” Woofer
- ½” Mylar Dome Tweeters
- Peak Power Handling: 500 Watts (per pair)
- RMS Power Handling: 160 Watts
- Frequency Response: 40Hz – 20KHz
- Sensitivity: 90dB @ 1w / 1m
- Impedance: 4 Ohms or 8 ohms
This Rockville speaker can be used for both indoor and outdoor applications. You can install multiple speakers in large spaces like gyms, hotels or in your living room. They can get very loud. It has bass reflex port which makes bass deeper and punchier.
The speakers are made from high-quality ABS construction and stainless steel which is needed specifically for outdoor use cases. You can swivel the speakers to move it up or down and choose the optimum position for you. You can rotate it up to 66 degrees.
The gold-plated spring loaded terminals make setup cleaner and easier. Since these speakers are waterproof, you can use them in gardens, patios or kitchen. It has rubber surround which minimizes any distortion.
The sound is crisp, clear and detailed. With one-inch tweeter and a large 6.5” woofer the speakers and wide frequency response, the speakers can deliver powerful audio. The cost is very budget-friendly so you can buy 2 or 4 as per your need.
Setup:
The wall mounting setup of this speakers are very easy and simple where you need to make holes on the wall with drilling machine and insert screws to secure bracket. Then screw tight the speakers in the bracket.
Best outdoor wall mount speaker: Yamaha NS-AW190BL 2-Way Indoor/Outdoor Speakers
Features at a glance:
- 5″ PP mica filled cone with rubber surround woofers
- 1/2″ PEI Dome Tweeters
- Frequency Response: 65 Hz – 40 kHz
- Sensitivity: 85 dB / 2.83 V / 1 m
- Input Power (Maximum / Nominal): 120 W / 35 W
- Impedance: 6 Ohms
The Yamaha is one of the best outdoor wall mount speaker which is weather-resistant and UV-resistant. The terminals are weatherproof as well and you can paint the grille with any color you like. You can install it on patios, gardens, swimming pools, tents, etc.
The sound quality is rich, detailed with decent bass. It has a natural audio profile. It will be safe and will last long while used outdoors. You can also use them indoors. The build quality, sturdiness, and the premium sound quality makes it one of the best outdoor wall mount speakers.
They will last easily for 3 to 4 years and then continue while they sound immersive. The cost is very reasonable and these outdoor speakers definitely sound bigger than they look. They will deliver broader soundstage and fill outdoor areas from 100ft2 to 400 ft2.
In case you don’t prefer the hassle of wires, you can go wireless with JBL FLIP 4 . with 12 hours of battery life, it is one of the best outdoor wall mount Bluetooth speakers that you can get at a reasonable price. To wall mount it, you can use the Spartan Mount for JBL Flip 4 .
It has passive radiators for powerful bass and the sound is impressive. The speaker will also seamlessly integrate with other JBL speakers. if you are a party person, JBL is the one for you.
Setup:
You can mount them horizontally or vertically. The setup is straightforward. The speakers come with mounting brackets on which you need to secure the speakers. you need to screw tight the mounting brackets on the wall, then install the speaker.
While installing, it is recommended to keep then 6’ to 10’ apart. Also, vertical installation will allow broader dispersion of sound than horizontal.
Best small wall mount speaker:
Sonos One (Gen 2)
Sanus Adjustable Speaker Wall Mounts Designed for SONOS ONE
Features at a glance:
- Class D digital amplifier
- One tweeter
- One mid-woofer
- Ethernet port, Bluetooth
- Supports Airplay 2
Sonos One is one of the best small wall mount speaker that measures 6.36 x 4.69 x 4.69 in. you can control the speaker with Sono One mobile app via voice control. The app is user friendly and smooth. It is perfect for any room of the house including kitchen and bathroom.
To get the true stereo sound, and stereo separation, we recommend buying a pair of Sonos One. It has decent build quality and a simple yet classy design. You can use both Google Assistant or Alexa to control it.
Sonos One has a balanced audio profile, the treble is crisp and the bass is tight without being boomy. Although it is a small wall mounted Bluetooth speaker, the sound can get very loud and can easily fill rooms. It connects to the Wi-Fi for streaming.
Sonos One can be listed as the best on wall speakers which has acoustic noise cancelling microphone. This means the speaker is smart enough to listen to your voice command in loud or busy environment. It is effective if you don’t want the hassle of mobile app or control buttons to control the speaker.
Setup:
The best way to mount speakers on wall for Sonos One is to buy the Flexson Wall Mount for SONOS One . This mouting bracket can be used to tilt downwards by 15° or swivel to 80°. You can also invert it along with the speaker in case you need to press on control buttons. These features make it one of the best wall mount for Sonos one.
Best wireless wall mount speaker: Bang & Olufsen Beoplay M3
Features at a glance:
- 1 x 3.75” woofer
- 1 x 3⁄4” tweeter
- Frequency Range: 43 – 22,000 Hz
- SPL: 90dB
- Bass Capability: 69 dB SPL
- Bluetooth & Wi-fi
The B&O M3 speaker has a decent design. The speaker is quite versatile with its support or multi-room, Airplay, Google Cast and Spotify. The Wi-Fi and Bluetooth v4.2 makes it one of the best wireless wall mounted speaker.
Wired or wireless, which wall mount speaker is the best? For cozy and compact spaces where you don’t have dozens of messy wires, a wireless wall mount speaker is the best option. Gone are days when you would think a wireless speaker is weak.
The speaker has multiple profiles based on where you will place it: on stand, shelf, or wall mounted. You can tweak bass and treble settings as per your listening preference with the Tonetouch feature in the app.
The sound quality will be room-filling, detailed and lifelike with well-defined bass. It is a mono speaker which can’t be paired with another one to create a stereo. the speaker is very easy to use or stream music from apps like Spotify, YouTube, BBC Radio, etc. overall the aesthetics is attractive, the audio is amazing and the brand name plays its role.
Setup:
You can wall mount the speakers with Bang & Olufsen Beoplay M3 Wall Mount
Best in-wall speaker: Polk Audio RC65i 2-way Premium In-Wall 6.5″ Speakers
Features at a glance:
- 75” soft-dome tweeter, 6.5” polypropene woofer
- Power Range (Watts): 20-100
- Sensitivity: 89 dB
- Impedance: 8
- Frequency Response: 60-20kHz
The Polk in-wall wall mount speakers can be used as front speakers. however, they will also work as the best wall mount surround speakers and deliver immersive surround sound. The rubber surrounded woofer provides dynamic balance and the soft-dome tweeter can swivel which is better at directing sound to user.
Audiophiles often wonder, on wall vs in wall speaker, which is better? Well, although in-wall speakers doesn’t have any cabinet, if designed well, they can also sound better. This Polk RC65i speakers are some of the best wall mount speakers for music which has Infinnite Baffle Tuning that uses the virtual enclosure in the wall to improve the bass.
Along with using them as stereo speakers, you can include a Polk Audio 255C-RT center channel. It is one of the best wall mount center channel speaker that has swivel mounted tweeters to aim at your listening position. It uses PowerPort bass technology to ensure deeper low end.
It has 1” soft-dome tweeter and 5.25” polymer composite woofer along with a sensitivity of 90dB. The magnetically attached grille is easier to remove or attach. Wall mounting is also easier with it. It produces clean and clear audio with pronounced vocals.
Setup:
The setup of Polk in-wall speakers are easy. It is recommended to place the speakers 170 cm apart and to keep a gap of 60 cm between the TV and speakers. if you wall mount them at a height of less than 6 ft, then place it upright, angle them to direct sound towards listening position.
If the wall mount setup is higher than 6 ft, then you can also install them upside down so that the tweeter remains at the bottom. The setup is a DIY but you need some prior experience in cutting holes through walls.
Mark the pop out and template are, use appropriate tool to cut out the marked area of the wall. Place the speakers and complete the wiring process.
Best on-wall speaker: Bowers & Wilkins Mini Theatre M-1 Satellite Speaker
Features at a glance:
- 1” aluminium dome high-frequency, 4in” woven glass fibre cone bass / midrange
- Frequency response: 64Hz – 23kHz ±3dB on reference axis
- Recommended amp power: 20W – 100W into 8Ω on unclipped programme
- Sensitivity: 85dB (2.83V, 1m)
- Crossover frequency: 4kHz
The Bower & Wilkins M-1 speaker aesthetics is appealing. While they can’t be used as stereo, you can include a PV1D subwoofer to bring in the punchier bass. Due to their compact size they will fit into tight spaces easily. The speakers are made from aluminium cabinet with glass-loaded ABS front baffle.
The speaker driver design is well engineering to improve acoustics and minimize distortion. The sound quality has excellent clarity and details. Although it has a small profile, the sound is much bigger, louder and clearer. You can use these as on wall surround speakers as well.
The highs are rich and the bass is average so you can easily increase it with an additional sub. You can include other speakers with a sub to build a 5.1 mini home theater system which will be ideal for small rooms. You need an amplifier to connect with the speakers. In terms of aesthetics and performance, it is one of the best on-wall speaker.
Setup:
The speaker can be placed on shelf, table or wall. It comes with a mounting bracket and bracket cover which makes mounting easier. It is suggested to place the on wall speakers 20 inch from the TV. If you wall mount it, you can down tilt the speaker up to 27-degrees.
But you can get up to 40-degrees if you invert the mounting bracket and attach the speaker to it. However, it is quite risky and you should avoid it unless very important. The user manual shows details of wall mounting procedure.
Best ceiling speaker: Acoustic Audio by Goldwood R191 in Ceiling/in Wall 5 Speaker Set
Features at a glance:
- 25 Inch Polypropylene Woofer with Butyl Rubber Surrounds
- 12 mm Soft Dome Tweeters
- Frequency Response: 45Hz-22KHz
- Power Handling: 10 Watts to 200 Watts per Channel
- Speaker Impedance: 8 Ohms
- Sentivity:95dB
The drivers effectively produce lifelike sound with excellent dynamics and stereo separation. The bass is adequate but for bassheads, we recommend to include a subwoofer. The sound is clean and clear.
The grilles are paintable, so if you wall mount it and want to blend it in with the room décor, you can change the color. These in-wall ceiling speakers will provide surround sound. The speakers have an all-weather design which you can use or outdoors as well.
With broad dynamic range and immersive sound, the Acoustic Audio R191 is one of the best ceiling wall mounted speaker at this price range. You can enjoy music or movies seamlessly with these ceiling wall mount speakers.
The cost and performance makes it one of the best affordable wall mount speakers which you can install in kitchen, living room or as an inclusion to your home theater speakers.
Setup:
The speakers have Integrated Wall-Lock mounting system. They have clamping system which means the speakers will clamp on dry wall. This removes the hassle of installing several bolts. As you don’t have to cut through walls, the setup is the easiest DIY task.
The speakers remain tightly secure in wall bracket without making any vibration which might affect the sound quality.
Best surround wall mount speaker: SVS Ultra Surround Speakers
Features at a glance:
- 1” aluminium dome tweeter, 5.5” woofer
- Rated bandwidth: 58 Hz-32 kHz (+/-3 dB).
- Nominal impedance: 8 ohms.
- Sensitivity: 87 dB (2.83V @ 1 meter full-space, 300-3kHz)
- Recommended amplifier power: 20-250 watts.
The SVS Ultra Surround wall mount speakers doesn’t have parallel cabinet and is done intentionally to minimize axial standing waves or any coloration. These on wall surround speakers has a broader soundstage, lifelike and realistic mid-range. The speakers make the surround sound feel spacious.
The speakers have dual isolated SoundMatch two-way crossovers. This causes the drivers in each speaker to act as bipole or dipole. They can also act in SVS’s Duet Mode and as a result you can create 7 channel home theater with 5 speakers only.
They have independent sealed chambers for both tweeter and mid-range drivers. Overall the speakers are some of the best wall mounted surround sound speakers that has wider sweet spot and can also get very loud without being distorted.
While the price might be high, the well thought engineering, quality, performance and ease of use compensates that easily.
Setup:
The SVS Ultra Surround speakers come with wall mounting bracket. The speakers should be mounted 2-3ft above ear. The setup simply includes wall mounting the bracket, then attaching the speaker on it. For more details you can take help from their user manual.
Best wall mount Atmos speaker: Klipsch RP-140SA Dolby Atmos Speaker
Features at a glance:
- Power handling (cont/peak): 50W / 200W
- Nominal impedance: 8 Ohms Compatible
- Crossover frequency: 2kHz
- 1″ Titanium LTS Tweeter with Hybrid Tractrix Horn
- 4″ Cerametallic Cone Woofer
You can use these Atmos speakers as rear speakers or surround speaker in a 5.1.2 or 7.1.2 home theater. The speakers are engineered to minimize distortion, improve efficiency and dynamic range. The tweeters and woofers have Klipsch patented design and build.
The drivers work to eliminate any distortion or resonance and produce original and true Atmos sound. It has an open and natural sounding profile that meets with clarity. The sealed cabinet ensures you receive a clean and tight bass rather than boomy one.
Speaker acoustic suspension cabinet is made from MDF and has brushed Polymer Veneer finish. The build quality is very good. Klipsch is a reliable and very popular brand that you can trust on. These are undoubtedly one of the best wall mounted Atmos speakers.
Setup:
Klipsch recommends to place surround sound speakers 2 ft. from your seating place which will be around 5-7ft above floor. You can also place them on your rear side. It is one of the best on wall surround speakers which is very simple to install.
The speakers don’t come with wall mounting brackets, rather it has a keyhole on the back of it. This eliminates the hassle or attaching wall bracket with several screws.
Best wall mount speakers for home theater: Focal Chora Surround Speakers – Pair
Focal Chora Center Channel Speaker
Features at a glance:
- Drivers: 6.5” Slatefiber Midbass, 1″ TNF Al/Mg inverted dome tweeter
- Sensitivity: 89dB
- Frequency response (±3 dB): 80Hz – 28kHz
- Nominal impedance: 8Ω
- Recommended amplifier power: 25/100W
- Crossover frequency: 3,000Hz
The Focal Chora Surround speakers are one of the best wall mount speakers for home theater. They produce immersive and room-filling sound needed for home theater applications. Adding a Focal Chora Center channel speaker completes the package as well. With it you can hear pronounced and clear dialogues.
The unique aesthetics and advanced engineering design of speaker, speaker drivers make it high end wall mount speakers. The Surround wall mound speakers use Slatefiber technology that improves sonic coherence. The speaker cabinet is made from MDF and it has magnetic grille.
The drivers are designed to deliver sound with precision and clarity. The Focal Chora Center channel speaker has a sensitivity of 91dB and frequency response of 59Hz – 28kHz. The center channel improves the sound effects of movies.
Setup:
The speakers come with wall-mounting brackets which you need to attach on wall.
Best wall mount speaker: Buying Guide
Speaker size
In most cases, the reason to hunt for the best wall mountable speakers is tight spaces. So, the size of a speaker is very important. Nowadays, small speakers sound big as well so size doesn’t really matter. If you want to build mini home theater, then look for small speakers to go with small center channel.
Soundbars are also an all-in-one solution for small rooms where you don’t want to place 5 speakers. One of the best wall mountable soundbar is Sonos ARC .
With built-in 11 speakers and Dolby Atmos sound, you can enjoy movies. The best way to mount a soundbar is to secure a wall bracket and then attach the soundbar on it. If space isn’t an issue, we recommend going for large wall mount speakers
Speaker quality
Speaker quality means the sound quality of the speakers. this largely depends on speaker engineering, cabinet design, driver size and material. For large rooms a 5 or 6.5” woofer will be sufficient. MDF material is very good for speaker cabinets.
Other specs like sensitivity, frequency response as well as power handling capability gives idea of how well the speaker will sound. A sensitivity of 90dB or higher is considered better. If you want deeper and punchier bass, you need to have dedicated subwoofer.
Ease of installation
Since we are focusing on mounting speakers on walls, the installation should be easier so that we can do it ourselves. Professional help will cost extra bucks so the easier the setup, the popular the speakers will be.
While most wall mounted speakers include screwing in mounting bracket and then the speaker, some speakers don’t need mounting brackets. For in-wall speakers you need to cut hole inside wall which can be an extra hassle. But in-wall speakers often offer the cleanest and minimalist look possible.
Weather resistance
The durability of wall mounted speakers are very important specially if you want to use them outdoors. Outdoor wall mount speakers often come with weather ratings that can withstand scorching heat, water, dust, etc. Some of the best outdoor wall speakers listed above with weather resistant properties are of high-quality which lasts for 5/6 years or more.
Design
Wall mounted speakers with a different and unique aesthetics will catch everyones attention. JBL makes some excellent looking speakers, so does Sonos One, Klipsch and several other brands. Magnetic grille is preferable than permanently attached ones, so that you can easily remove it when you want.
Room size
A small wall mount speaker will not be able to fill large rooms. This is the general idea but not any strict rules. You can install several small speakers in a room or install two large bookshelf speakers to be on the safe side.
A speaker size will have effect on the room size. This is also important when you install speaker outdoors. If you want to fill a large outdoor space, go for a pair of wall mount speakers.
Compatibility
The compatibility of the wall mount speaker with other speaker or mobile app is important. This is because some users may build a home theater slowly. So if you buy front and rear speakers from different brands, the speakers should be able to work with each other. To eliminate this problem, you should stick to purchasing all speakers from the same company.
Parting words:
Ideally, you can wall mount any speaker, soundbar or subwoofer. However, since subwoofers are heavier and not designed to be wall mounted, you shouldn’t do so. Even if the speaker system doesn’t come with mounting brackets, you can easily find one elsewhere.
With space constraints or clean look without messy wires, wall mount home theater system is an excellent option. You can even use wall mounted ceiling speakers to create Atmos effect. Soundbars are also better if you want to minimize the number of speakers.
Polk, Sonos, Yamaha, Klipsch are well-known brands that have budget-friendly wall mount speakers. the best wall mount speakers should be room filling with minimum distortion and coloration. Also, matching amplifier with speakers remain a crucial part which you can easily do by listing the specifications.
Some speakers have swiveling or tilting option which makes it easier to rotate the speaker. This will direct the sound toward listener to have an optimum effect. Finally, other things like build quality, sturdiness, durability are also important in wall mount speakers.
FAQ
We are almost at the end of the article, and here we are! still trying to help you to find the most suitable wall mounted speaker for you. hope this FAQ is going to come in very handy.
Where to install wall mount speakers?
If you have front speakers, place them on either side of the TV and at the ear level of the user. For center channel, place them beneath the TV as close as possible, and again, at the ear level. For surround speakers, they should be placed on left and right side of the user.
They should be around 4.5 ft. above ground. The rear speakers are placed behind the user, you can place one or two and angle them towards listener. If you want to buy wall mounts sperately, then ECHOGEAR and Monoprice Low Profile Wall Mount Brackets are some of the best bookshelf speaker wall mounts.
How to improve the sound quality of in-wall speakers?
While traditional bookshelf speakers come with cabinets, in-wall speakers use the wall as an enclosure. But the wall or the hollow surface behind it can’t work the same way with the drivers to produce optimum audio.
For this reason, you can place insulation which can take in the back energy from the drivers. Fiberglass is one of the best insulation for in-wall speakers.
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