Are these speakers any good?

[validatorian]

Howdy. I'm just getting started with home automation, and am currently working on my WHA setup.

I came across a pretty great deal on some Boston Acoustics In-Ceiling Speakers, and decided to buy 5 of them... but I'm not 100% sure that they are the right purchase.

I know next to nothing about audio in regards to technical details, so I was hoping one of you might be able to help me out.

I'm basically going to be adding an in-ceiling speaker to each primary room (3 bed, master bath and living room).

The speakers I got are the PC820's[1], which have the following stats:

* 8" Laminate Film woofer
* 3/4" tweeter
* Aluminum grille
* Uses NCBR8 New Construction Bracket
Recommended Amplifier Power
10-100 watts

Nominal Impedance
8 ohms

Frequency Response (3dB)
50Hz-20kHz

Mounting Depth (from surface)
4-11/32" (110mm)

Bass Unit
8" (203mm) Laminate Film

Crossover Frequency
5000Hz

Sensitivity (1 watt (2.83v) at 1m)
90db

Tweeter
3/4" (20mm) soft dome

External Dimensions
12-9/32" diameter (312mm DIA)

Mounting Hole Cutout
10-7/8" diameter (276mm DIA)

From these specs, how would you rate these speakers? (poor, fair, good, great)
Does anyone have any experience with these?

As a side-question, I originally was going to buy the PC645's[2], which have similar stats, but with these differences:
These actually cost $25 more than the 820's -- is this due to the pivot-able tweeter and/or the different woofer? Is it worth the extra $25 per speaker?

The other speakers that are on my radar are the monoprice 8" in-ceiling speakers[3]. Specs:

8〞2-WAY CEILING SPEAKERS

Impedance: 8 Ohms
Frequency Response: 43 Hz - 20,000 Hz
Power Handling Capacity: 80 Watts Nominal, 160 Maximum
Woofer: 8" Kevlar Woven Cone Woofer w/ 30oz Magnet and rubber surrounds.
Tweeter: 3/4" Titanium Silk Membrane Dome (Pivoting)‧20Φ Swivel
Voice Coil: 35Φ K.S.V
Sensitivity: 89 +/- 2db (1.0M/2.83V)
Crossover: 12dB per Octave (with -3, -6 dB Switch)
Cut-Out Dimensions: 9.8"
Overall Dimensions: 11.3"
Mounting Depth: 3 1/2"

Speaker magnet size: 5" diameter

These actually seem better than the ones I bought -- so I'd like to hear your thoughts on whether I should cancel my order and just get these.

And finally, if you think these are good speakers, you might be interested in the deal Boston Acoustics is running -- they have some significant discounts on their speakers in the outlet section[4]


[1] : PC820 - http://www.bostonacoustics.com/PC820-P244.aspx ($54.99, was $300)
[2] : PC645 - http://www.bostonacoustics.com/Produ...?ProductId=245 ($79.99, was $510)
[3] : 8" Monoprice In-Ceiling - http://www.monoprice.com/products/pr...#specification ($56.45 for 2, was $105)
[4] : Boston Acoustics Outlet Store - http://www.bostonacoustics.com/Outlet-C59.aspx

[Rupp]

All of these speakers are more than enough for background music and text to speech messages. If you are looking for audiophile music then in wall and in ceiling are not the route I would seek.

[validatorian]

All of these speakers are more than enough for background music and text to speech messages. If you are looking for audiophile music then in wall and in ceiling are not the route I would seek.

Well, I don't need audiophile quality, but I would like to play music over them without it sounding like a ringtone -- these are all sufficient? Is there anything to merit the cost difference between the speakers I bought ($55/each) to the monoprice ones ($28 each)

[completelyhis]

These are the ones that I have in my home, and I love the sound.

Like Rupp said, they are not audiophile, but they don't sound like a tin can in a concrete bathroom either! They actually sound quite nice, people can't believe I got them for $18 each (that was a while ago).


http://www.parts-express.com/pe/show...number=300-402

Ian

[Pete]

I purchased a pair of Polk Audio speakers for the middle pair of my 7.1 setup in my recently finished media / family room. The rear, front, center and subwoofer are all external except for these. For HS I purchased a couple of cases of in Pyle in-wall speakers at a reasonable cost a few years back. These are mounted on the wall rather than the ceiling in about every room in the house. It was easier for me to install these in the wall rather than the ceiling. The preference though for new installation is in the ceiling. The sound is decent for both HS and music. I split the audio source of these from HS to local in all of the bedrooms and master bath.