Home Theater Geeks 497: On-Wall Speaker Recommendations!

Summary

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Home Theater Geeks 497: On-Wall Speaker Recommendations!

Host: Scott Wilkinson
Original Air Date: August 28, 2025
Episode Theme:
Scott answers Arthur's detailed question about building a sub-$1,000 on-wall speaker system for a 5.1 home theater. He offers expert advice, compares product options, and dives into the pros and cons of on-wall versus other speaker types.

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Main Discussion Overview

• Listener Question: Arthur asks for recommendations on on-wall speakers for a 5.1 setup under $1,000, mentioning specific models and expressing concerns about availability and price.
• Scott’s Approach: Draws on personal experience and extensive industry knowledge to guide listeners through practical options, trade-offs, and installation considerations for on-wall speakers.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why On-Wall Speakers?

[02:22–04:50]

• Scott’s Experience: Prefers on-wall speakers himself for their space-saving and aesthetic benefits.
  • “I like on-wall for that reason. Now the only holes in the wall are for the mounting hardware and also for the wire, the speaker cable…” (Scott, 03:21)
• On-Wall vs In-Wall:
  • In-Walls: “They're much less visible, but they require you to cut a big old hole in the wall, which I wasn't really happy about doing.” (Scott, 03:02)
  • On-Walls: Less invasive, only minor holes required, but cable management is a challenge.
  • Designer Constraints: Both in-wall and on-wall speakers are constrained in enclosure design due to required slimness, but save floor space and can be more practical in homes with pets or kids.

2. Wiring and Installation Challenges

[04:18–05:30]

• Wiring Dilemma:
  • “If you put it on the wall, then you either have to live with wires going down the wall… or you have to fiddle them through the wall and drill another hole…” (Scott, 04:24)
  • Recommends professional help for running wires invisibly unless the listener is especially handy.

3. Product Review: Available On-Wall Speaker Options

[05:31–12:40]

Monoprice MOW1

• Price: ~$500 each ($450 if buying more than one)
• Status: Out of stock at recording; unclear restock date.
• “They look pretty interesting. But I don’t know if or when they will be back on the site…” (Scott, 05:46)

DALI Oberon On-Wall

• Price: ~$1,100 per pair (above budget)
• Excellent performance, matching powered center channel available (pricey and wireless setup).

Elac Muro Series

• OW V41S: $479 each (within budget), symmetrical driver design.
• OW V41L: Larger variant.
• Debut 2.0 OW 4.2: $399/pair but discontinued.
• WS Line: Prices—WS 1425 ($400), WS 1445 ($450), WS 1465 ($500). Can be used vertically/horizontally, may serve as a center channel.

Other Brands

• Sonance:
  • OW42: $495. Only 1.7" deep (especially slim but “more about design than performance”).
• PSB PWM1:
  • ~$900 each (over budget). High quality, tall & thin, strong engineering.
• GoldenEar SuperSat Series:
  • SuperSat 3: $350 each
  • SuperSat 3C (center): $300
  • Bundle with ForceField subwoofer for a complete 5.1—manufacturer offers “SuperCinema 3” package (approx. $2,300).
  • “If you put four SuperSat Threes, one SuperSat 3C and one Force Field 3 subwoofer… it would make a killer 5.1 system…” (Scott, 11:38)

4. Subwoofer Options

[10:20–12:10]

• Elac Debut 2.0 S10.2: $329, budget performer.
• Elac Varro PS250: $699, superior low-end, recommended if budget allows.
• “If you can afford that one, that's the way I'd go.” (Scott, 10:55)

5. Example System Recommendations

[12:41–14:10]

Elac-Based System

• OW V41S x5: $2,395
• Varro PS250 Sub: $699
• Total: Just under $3,100

Lower-Budget Alternative

• WS1425 x4 ($1,600) + WS1465 ($500, center) + Debut 2.0 S10.2 ($329): Total just under $2,500
• Swap in the Varro PS250 sub for higher performance if possible.

6. Speaker Design & Practical Considerations

[04:50–05:30]

• On-wall and in-wall speakers are thinner—require careful engineering for good sound.
• Great for small spaces; can be "invisible" in the dark when black.
• Better for families with kids or pets, since there's nothing to knock over.
• “They don’t take up any floor space, so I like that. I have a small space, which is why I chose to go that route.” (Scott, 04:47)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “A lot of people prefer in-wall speakers… I wasn't really happy about doing [that]. So I like on-wall for that reason.” (Scott, 03:00)
• “This is a bit of a tricky situation that you want to be aware of when dealing with on-wall speakers.” (Scott, 04:32)
• “If you have kids or pets… speakers sitting on the floor… could easily get knocked over. Not a good thing.” (Scott, 04:55)
• On GoldenEar’s performance: “It would make a killer 5.1 system. Really, really good.” (Scott, 11:40)
• “The ELAC system I would put together for you... would be a hell of a system if you wanted to go lower than that…” (Scott, 12:57)
• “I wish you all the best in your home theater adventures.” (Scott, 14:09)

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Timestamps: Key Segments

• [02:22] – Listener question & Scott’s intro to on-wall speakers
• [03:02] – On-wall vs in-wall and installation
• [05:31] – Product overview: Monoprice, DALI, Elac
• [10:20] – Subwoofer recommendations
• [11:38] – GoldenEar SuperSat system overview
• [12:41] – Full system builds and total costs
• [14:09] – Closing wishes and how to submit questions

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Conclusion

Scott Wilkinson delivers a straightforward, detailed, and personal run-down of current on-wall speaker choices for home theater geeks. He addresses budget constraints, practical challenges, wiring solutions, and performance expectations while remaining accessible and knowledgeable. His key advice points listeners toward ELAC and GoldenEar for the best quality and value in the mid-range market.

To submit your own question for Scott:
Email [e-mail] for a chance at expert advice on your home theater build.

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Summary by Podcast Summarizer AI. This summary skips advertisements and focuses on content only.

Transcript

[A]

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[E]

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[A]

Hey there, Scott Wilkinson here, the home theater geek. In this episode, I answer a question from Arthur who Writes, I'm in the process of laying out a basic 5.1 home theater. Ideally I would like to have on wall speakers, though I've found the options are limited. There's the Monoprice MOW one which is out of stock. The Dolly Oberon which is pricey. The Revel S16 which is tough to find and maybe a few others is my best hope for a sub thousand dollar prepare. The Elac Muro. Also, is there a disadvantage of on wall over traditional bookshelf or floor standing speakers? Well, thanks for the question, Arthur. Yeah, this is a great question. I myself like on wall speakers and have them. In fact in my theater. The ones I have are from a company called Grimani Systems. The front, left and right are the Rixos S, the center is the Rixos H2 and the surrounds and overheads are the Rixos W. They're very very expensive, so they're not in your sub $1,000 repair price range at all. Rixos S is 4,500, 4,450 each. Now that includes amplification, but still. And The W is $5,400. So this is not what you're looking for. I, I know, but I wanted to point that out because I too really like on wall speakers. A lot of people prefer in wall speakers where you actually cut a hole in the wall and recess the speaker into the wall so that it's flush, its front edge is flush with the wall. They're much less visible, but they require you to cut a big old hole in the wall, which I wasn't really happy about doing. So I like on wall for that reason. Now the only holes in the wall are those for the mounting hardware and also for the wire, the speaker cable, which ideally you want to thread through the walls so that they're not visible. This is one advantage that in walls have over on walls because their wires are going to be invisible anyway because the whole speaker is built into the wall. But if you put it on the wall, then you either have to live with wires going down the wall from the speaker to wherever your amplifier is, or you have to fiddle them through the wall and drill another hole near the bottom near where the amplifier is. And that I would hire somebody to do. Now maybe you're handy enough to do it and more power to you if you are. I'm not. So that's a bit of a tricky situation that you want to be aware of when dealing with on wall speakers. And I don't really care if they're visible because I watch in the dark most of the time and as long as they're black, they're gone anyway. They're invisible in that sense anyway. Now that's true. They are relatively thin just like in walls are. And both of those styles require very careful design. With bookshelves and floor standing speakers. The box, the enclosure can be made any shape. The designer wants to optimize the sound. But with on walls and in walls they have to be thin. And so the designer has a much greater constraint and tougher time figuring out how to make that sound good. But they don't take up any floor space. So I like that I have a small space which is why I chose to go that route. But if you have kids or pets, you know, and there, there are speakers sitting on the floor, they could easily get knocked over. Not a good thing. So I took a look at some of the speakers you mentioned in your letter. The Monoprice MOW1 is out of stock on the company website. They sell for 500 each, 450 if you buy two or more. So that's in your price range and they look pretty interesting. But I don't know if or when they will be back on the site and available for sale. The Dolly Oberon on wall which I actually got a graphic of to show you is eleven hundred dollars a pair at Crutchfield. And so it's over your budget a little bit but it's undoubtedly excellent. The on wall C which is the matching center speaker. Crutchfield had it on there for 499 bucks as an open box its list is 8.99. And it's a powered speaker that receives a wireless signal from something called a sound hub which is sold separately. So it's probably a more expensive system than your budget will allow. I also took a look at the Elac Muro OW V41S which is the next graphic. And this is the 41L so it's the larger version. You can see it's symmetrical tweeter in the center and mid range and woofer on the outer edges. They it's probably very good and you know it's within your price range. The debut 2.0 OW 4.2 is 3.99. A pair of but that's discontinued so they say. Now ELAC also offers a few others several models in their vertex 3 line which is probably too expensive. They don't list their prices on the website so that leads me to think they're probably more expensive. They do list prices for the WS line, the WS 1425 is 400 bucks. And that's a nice little square speaker there. That's kind of nice looking. They also have the WS 1445 for 450 and the WS 1465 for 500 bucks. And that's what you see here. That's also a symmetrical driver layout. Now the ELAC website doesn't seem to specify a center channel speaker for some of these models, but they do say that the WS 1465 can be used vertically or horizontally. So Perhaps the Muro OW V41s can be as well. So I took a look quickly at some subs that would go with these Elacs and they would include the debut 2.0s 10.2 which is only 329 bucks, and the Varro V A R R O PS250 which is 699 bucks. And it has a much better low end response. So if you can afford that one, that's the way I'd go. I also found a few other options for you. A company called Sonance has a lot of on wall speakers, starting with the OW42 for $495. It's only 1.7 inches deep. Most of these other speakers are in the 3 to 4 inches deep range. And at only 1.7 inches deep, that's really thin. But I have to say Sonance is sort of more about design than performance. I mean, I'm sure they perform fine, but they are more concerned, in my opinion, in my experience with how it looks on the wall or in the wall. They do a lot of architectural speakers. The PSB PWM1.PSB is a great speaker manufacturer. Paul Barton is a friend of mine, excellent speaker designer. These are great, great on wall speakers that you can see that they're really long or tall in the case of being mounted vertically at like 28 inches. But they're thin at 3.38 inches. They cost almost 900 bucks a piece. So they're kind of out of your range. However, the ones that I really think would do you well other than the elacs, I think the ELACS would be a good choice. But also the company Golden Ear has had for a number of years a model called the Super Satisfactory. And they have three different models of Super Sat, the 3, the 50 and the 60. And they get bigger and bigger as you go up the the numbers. The Supersat 3 is pretty small, meant to be mounted on the wall. 350 bucks each. And the 3C, which is a horizontally oriented one meant to be used as a center channel, is 300. They're very compact. In fact, if you put four supersat threes, one super sat 3C and one force field three subwoofer from Golden Ear or a force field 30, it would make a killer 5.1 system. Really, really good. The company in fact makes that or offers that package as the Super Cinema 3 package. And here's the picture of it. With four Super Sat threes, a Super Sat 3C and a Force Field 3 subwoofer. The total cost for that package is on the order of 2,300 bucks, which is really good. And Golden Ear is, is a fine make of speaker, no question about it. Now, the ELAC system I would put together for you, I have two suggestions. One is the Muro OWV41S, which is $479 times five is 23.95. And a Varo PS250 subwoofer, which is 699, gets you a total of just under 3,100 bucks. Still, I think that would be a hell of a system if you wanted to go lower than that. If you needed to keep your budget under that, I might say the WS 1425, four of them for 400 bucks each. 1600 bucks, one WS 1465 for the center channel at 500 bucks and an S 10.2 subwoofer 329. Total price, just under 2,500 bucks. Even in that case, I would probably recommend the Varo PS250 sub for 699 because it goes down so much lower. And that would be, I think, well worth the extra 300 and some bucks. Anyway, that's what I recommend for you. Good luck and I wish you all the best in your home theater adventures. Now, if you have a question for me, send it along to HTGWIT TV and I'll answer as many as I can right here on the show. And as you know, Twit now offers all of its programs on YouTube for free, but with ads. If you want to go ad free, join the club. Go to Twit TV Club Twit to join today. Until next time, geek out.

[B]

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[F]

Sam.