An in ceiling speaker is just like any other speaker except the fact that it is fitted in the ceiling. Most of the ceiling speakers are rectangular in shape, and in-ceiling speakers are usually round but there's no reason you couldn't install a rectangular in-wall speaker in your ceiling. Almost all in-wall speakers and in-ceiling speakers have paintable grilles, so you can camouflage them in your walls or ceiling.

The almighty jumbo tower speaker is being replaced by in ceiling speakers as the preference for in home audio and surround sound. Ceiling speakers have been around for a few years, but it has only been recently that their price has become more affordable accompanied by increased sound quality. But unless you are a die-hard audiophile with a need for the best sound quality possible, in ceiling speakers will sound excellent, be hidden away out of sight, free up floor space, and cost a fraction of the price of tower speakers.

There are some specifications to keep in mind while purchasing speakers. The first is the frequency response range of the speaker itself. The wider the range of a speaker, the more balanced the sound will be. The wattage of a speaker system lets you know how much power the speaker can handle from the amplifier without blowing out your speakers. You want to insure that your speaker can handle the power output of your amplifier/receiver or the two will not match very well and the sound quality will suffer. Efficiency or sensitivity - dB - lets you know how well a speaker uses the power that it gets from your receiver/amplifier. The higher the number, the less the power will be that a speaker needs to play a sound at a certain volume.

In wall ceiling speakers save a huge amount of floor space depending on the size of the towers you are currently using and hidden wiring is a plus. The frames and grills of the ceiling speakers can be painted to match the decor. A ceiling speaker is able to use a much smaller footprint by using the hollow spaces of the wall and ceiling for sound rather than requiring a large cabinet. They are very easy to install and you can do it yourself, and doing so will save you further money. In addition, because the wires are run through the wall and ceiling, there is no need to find creative ways to camouflage all that stereo wire for a surround sound system.