Speaker Quiz...with Reward! on QuizRevolution

A round speaker is easier to mount in the ceiling as you don't have to "square it up" to make it look right. You "can" use a rectangular speaker in the ceiling, but it has to be installed in such a precise way to make it look right that we just don't recommend it.

It's just a description of how many drivers it takes to make up the full range frequency of a speaker. A larger speaker might be a 3-way (woofer, midrange, tweeter) because the woofer's upper end frequency range can't quite meet up with the tweeter's lower end range, you need a driver to bridge the gap...a midrange.

Ceiling speakers come with a cut-out template that you use to trace on the ceiling, then cut out the exact size needed to mount the speaker. They use a swing out type clip on the back of the speaker to "clamp down" onto the sheetrock in a sandwich type fit.

A crossover is a necessary component of a speaker system/array. Think of it as a traffic cop for sound. It directs the low frequencies to the woofer (larger speaker) and the highs to the tweeter(smaller speaker).

Frequency response is an unfortunate way to judge a speaker on paper. It says how low it will play and how high it will play. What it DOESN'T tell you is HOW GOOD IT SOUNDS at those frequencies. A $100 speaker and a $1000 speaker could very likely both have the same frequency response. To judge how a speaker is going to SOUND, you typically look at what materials it is made out of. Better materials (Aluminum, fiberglass, titanium) cost more to make, but make better sounding speakers.

Sensitivity is measured by inputting 1 watt of power into a speaker and measuring it (in decibels) at 1 meter away. It has nothing to do with HOW good a speaker will sound. This is important to concert engineers as they try to squeeze every watt of power out of their amps to your ears. In home audio it's not really a deciding factor for most.

You don't NEED to use one of these kits/brackets. They are overpriced "locater" devices that builders typically use to lock you into one of their brands. They are NOT universal in size and may hamper your decision later down the process of what speaker you can put in. Don't use them, save your money and just get your wire to your locations. Take measurements and pictures of where you left it and cut in after paint.

You don't have to do a THING! These ceiling and inwall speakers are design with our homes in mind. They all are "infinite baffle" design. That means that they want to "see" an air space behind (in the wall/ceiling) of 3 cubic feet or greater to properly move to make sounds. Insulation doesn't affect the amount of air behind and there's no problem putting insulation near the speaker backs.