Bluetooth Ceiling Speakers: A Complete Guide

Ceiling speakers provide a discreet audio installation that can fill a room with high-quality sound. They’re popular in homes and businesses and can be used for everything from ambient background music to fully-fledged integration with home theatre systems for additional immersion.

But can they be used wirelessly?

Absolutely. Bluetooth ceiling speakers can maintain wireless connections within a certain range limit. However, their wireless connectivity differs from that of traditional Bluetooth speakers. In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about Bluetooth ceiling speakers, including what you’ll need to go wireless, the prices you can expect to pay, and whether it’s worth going for Bluetooth or if Wi-Fi is a better investment.

What You’ll Need To Go Wireless

• Your choice of ceiling speakers.
• A suitable amplifier or receiver that facilitates wireless connectivity.

As mentioned, Bluetooth ceiling speakers differ from traditional Bluetooth speakers. This is because portable Bluetooth speakers have built-in Bluetooth receivers, while ceiling speakers, for the most part, do not. Instead, they rely on a Bluetooth receiver or Bluetooth amplifier, which have their benefits and drawbacks. There are only a few active ceiling speakers on the market.

Benefits of Passive Ceiling Speakers

• Broad Speaker Support: Because the wireless connectivity is facilitated by the receiver or amplifier and not by the speaker itself, it allows you to add wireless support to just about any ceiling speaker on the market. Meaning you aren’t limited to particular brands or models.
• Wi-Fi Connectivity: Many modern receivers and amplifiers support both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, allowing for additional versatility, including multi-room support. 
• Affordable Upgrading: If you ever want to upgrade your speakers, you can do so at a reduced cost by using the same receiver/amplifier, assuming the impedance and power handling are matched.

Drawbacks of Passive Ceiling Speakers

• Additional Wiring: Since passive speakers require an amplifier or receiver, it’s going to require wiring that connects each speaker to it. This means you’ll need to consider how your wiring will be run.
• Need for A Dedicated Receiver/Amplifier: Because most ceiling speakers are passive, they need a receiver or amplifier to power them, which adds costs.

What You Should Expect To Pay

It’s not uncommon for the receiver to cost more than the speakers themselves. This can be a shock to many first-time customers who haven’t factored the costs of the receiver into their anticipated total cost. However, you get what you pay for, and making an initial investment can last for years. This is also why we strongly recommend opting for a Bluetooth and Wi-Fi receiver that offers some form of future-proofing. You shouldn’t have to worry about buying another receiver for years, especially with how Wi-Fi is a stable and established technology.

How much you have to pay is ultimately going to come down to the quality, features, and brand that you opt for. The price will typically scale depending on how many channels you’re going to need to power. 

Here’s a summary of what you should expect:

Entry Level: $300 – $500
Midrange: $500 – $1500
Premium: $1500-$3500

Recommended Bluetooth Amplifiers and Receivers

Keeping in mind that the amplifier or receiver needs to match your speaker’s impedance and power handling, here are some great Bluetooth amplifiers and receivers that can transform your installation:

Denon AVR-X2700H (Bluetooth & Wi-Fi)

The Denon AVR-X2700H is a 7.2-channel AV receiver with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity. It supports Dolby Atmos, DTS, and HEOS multi-room audio, providing a powerful and immersive audio-visual experience. Check Price.

YAMAHA RX-V6A (Bluetooth & Wi-Fi)

The Yamaha RX-V6A is a 7.2-channel AV receiver featuring Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, Dolby Atmos and DTS support, and MusicCast multi-room audio integration, offering high-quality sound and versatile streaming options. Check Price.

Marantz NR1510 (Bluetooth & Wi-Fi)

The Marantz NR1510 is a relatively compact 5.2 channel AV receiver with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, supporting Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, providing high-fidelity audio. Check Price.

Onkyo TX-NR696 (Bluetooth & Wi-Fi)

The Onkyo TX-NR696 is a 7.2-channel AV receiver with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, supporting Dolby Atmos, DTS, Sonos, AirPlay 2, and Google Assistant integration, delivering dynamic sound and smart home compatibility. Check Price.

YAMAHA RX-V385 (Bluetooth Only)

The Yamaha RX-V385 is a 5.1-channel AV receiver with Bluetooth connectivity, supporting Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. It features YPAO automatic room calibration, offering excellent sound quality and easy setup. Check Price.

Sony STRDH590 (Bluetooth Only)

The Sony STR-DH590 is a 5.2 channel AV receiver with Bluetooth connectivity, supporting Dolby Vision and HDR10, and featuring S-Force PRO Front Surround technology, providing immersive sound and enhanced video performance. Check Price.

Looking for speakers to pair it with? Check out our comprehensive list of the best ceiling speakers.

The Difference Between a Receiver and an Amplifier

Amplifiers and receivers perform the same general task, supplying your speakers with power, and creating the sound you hear. However, amplifiers are often stripped of features and offer the bare essentials. In comparison, a receiver is an amplifier with additional functions, oftentimes this includes a mixer, splitter, or the presence of multi-room support.

For basic single-room installations, an amplifier may suffice. But for larger installations, especially for multi-room audio where you may want to connect ceiling speakers from multiple rooms to a single power source, a receiver that supports multiroom setups would be required. For full home setups, you may even need a couple of receivers to get the job done.

Multi-Room Installations

Multi-room setups aren’t supported by Bluetooth, but are possible with receivers and amplifiers that have Wi-Fi functionality. If your ceiling speakers are only in one room, and you want to connect that setup with your existing smart speakers in other rooms, the process is easy and affordable. You’ll only need a single receiver/amplifier, as the other smart devices are likely to be active (not requiring a receiver or amp).

However, for homes with multiple passive speaker installations (for instance, a home that has several rooms with in-ceiling speakers installed), you will need multiple receivers or amplifiers, depending on the number of channels you’re going to be using.

Bluetooth AV Receivers vs Bluetooth Stereo Receivers

When shopping for a Bluetooth receiver, it’s essential to understand the difference between a stereo receiver and an AV receiver. Bluetooth stereo receivers are intended for two-channel installations, where left and right-channel speakers will be powered. This isn’t suitable for ceiling speakers, however, for that, you’ll need an AV receiver. AV receivers support multi-channel amplification and are what you will need for a ceiling speaker installation.

The Impact of Bluetooth Connectivity on Sound Quality

Bluetooth audio quality is influenced by several factors, including codec, bitrate, and latency. Common Bluetooth codecs like SBC offer decent sound quality for most listeners, but they involve compression that can result in a loss of audio detail. Higher-quality codecs like AAC and aptX provide improved sound quality by reducing compression artifacts. However, even with these codecs, Bluetooth can introduce latency, which can be noticeable in gaming or video synchronization.

In contrast, Wi-Fi offers higher bandwidth and supports lossless audio formats. This allows for the transmission of audio data without compression, resulting in potentially better sound quality. While Wi-Fi can also introduce latency, it’s generally less of an issue compared to Bluetooth, especially when using dedicated audio streaming protocols.

Bluetooth vs Wi-Fi Ceiling Speakers

Wi-Fi is an emerging speaker technology that rivals and in some cases surpasses that of Bluetooth, and is becoming the dominant choice for ceiling speakers, in particular for home use. Wi-Fi has the benefit of extended range, as connections can be maintained anywhere in the home that your Wi-Fi network covers. This is useful for controlling your audio from different rooms in the home, whereas a Bluetooth receiver will oftentimes require a direct line of sight.

Multiroom audio is another huge benefit offered by going Wi-Fi instead of Bluetooth. Bluetooth can stream to one device at a time while streaming via Wi-Fi allows for synchronous connection of multiple speakers. This means you can stream audio to several rooms in your home, as long as they’re connected to your Wi-Fi network. This includes portable Wi-Fi speakers and home smart speakers.

There’s also the benefit of higher bandwidth when streaming audio through Wi-Fi. More bandwidth means audio doesn’t rely on hefty compression to transfer the audio data. This results in higher sound quality potential across Wi-Fi.

When comparing Bluetooth and Wi-Fi for ceiling speakers, Bluetooth has one noticeable advantage: ease of use. Bluetooth connections can be established with a single click of a button and don’t involve much setup. Inversely, Wi-Fi speakers take a little more effort to get set up.

If you can afford it, we highly recommend that customers consider a receiver or amplifier that supports both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. This gives the ultimate versatility and lets you move between either technology, reducing long-term costs should you choose to install multi-room audio.

Outdoor Installations

It’s not unusual for moisture-resistant ceiling speakers to be installed outside, in a patio ceiling. There are some considerations to remember when doing so with a Bluetooth receiver though.

Since Bluetooth has a limited range, the receiver will need to be installed close to the patio entrance to ensure you can retain control over your music from the outdoor area. Alternatively, Wi-Fi will allow a little more range to these outdoor areas in most cases. To check, you can roam around your outdoor area with your cellphone and see where your Wi-Fi range extends to. This will give you a good idea of your limitations and whether you’d prefer to go Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.

Conclusion

Overall, Bluetooth ceiling speakers offer a seamless way to wirelessly stream audio from your phone to your room. However, with Wi-Fi becoming the preferred technology, it is highly recommended to invest in a receiver or amplifier that supports both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, allowing you to broaden your installation over time and providing additional range.