Matthew CoxThe Low-Down!
The Sonos in wall speaker isn’t the most budget-friendly option, but with the increased price tag comes increased quality across the board. These speakers have excellent build quality, great sound, and are also relatively easy to install.
Sonos In Wall (Architectural) Speakers
Weight
4.61 pounds
Dimensions
6.92 x 10.75″
Mounting Depth
3.53″
Power
5-130W
Sonos have a reputation for developing some of the best home audio solutions, be it portable speakers or fixed installation style devices; they consistently deliver high-quality products. As seen on our best in-wall speakers list, the Sonos in wall (architectural) speakers are arguably one of the best on the market. These speakers are on the pricier side of things, though they will provide countless hours of entertainment in your home theater, lounge, or home bar.
How are the Sonos in wall (architectural) speakers installed?
While the installation process of these speakers still requires a fair bit of DIY skills, Sonos hasn’t over-complicated the procedure. The speakers come with a cut-out template that can be placed on your intended point of installation to reduce the risk of incorrect measurements.
Sonos recommends hiring a professional Sonos technician (or another audio installation specialist) to complete the process for you. Having some DIY skills will help you get the speakers into your wall, but finding the best place for them is another game entirely. As someone who is quite knowledgeable about room acoustics, I decided to give it a bash myself.
For me, the cutting, drilling, wiring, and mounting process was a walk in the park, though I do enjoy a bit of DIY work. Determining the ideal mounting positions for the Sonos Architectural in-wall speakers requires a bit of calculating and measuring, but once that sweet spot is found, your listening experience will be enhanced dramatically.
If you’re using these speakers with the Sonos power amplifier, you can afford to be a little reckless with your mounting positions, as the TruePlay feature on the amp will analyze your room layout, obstacles, and size to shape the tonal qualities of the speakers in order to improve their sonic performance in relation to your listening environment.
Sonos in wall speakers are not suitable for outdoor use.
Should I get the Sonos power amp?
The matching Sonos power amplifier can be used with these Architectural in-wall speakers and can take your listening experience to another level.
The Sonos power amp utilized TruePlay technology, which pairs with an iOS device to analyze your room’s acoustic properties to shape the tonal characteristics of the speakers to deliver the best possible sound quality for the room you’re in.
The Sonos amp can also power up to 6 Sonos speakers, rather than a single pair as most amplifiers do. This allows you to build a 5.1 surround setup in your home theater, or simply a more extensive network of speakers for more immersive music playback.
These features are pretty cool, but the amp doesn’t come cheap, so if you’re most interested in the room-tuning function, I’d recommend purchasing a more affordable amplifier and hiring an installer with some acoustics background to help you find the optimal placement for your Sonos Architectural in-wall speakers.
How do the Sonos Architectural in-wall speakers sound?
These Sonos in wall speakers execute a frequency response ranging from 44Hz to 20kHz, driven by a high-excursion polypropylene woofer and one-inch tweeter.
These speakers can get pretty loud, not quite enough for a house party, but for an immersive film experience, they certainly do the trick.
The low-end is surprisingly warm, tight, and punchy considering the size of these drivers, and maintains these qualities across the volume spectrum. For films, I would recommend the addition of a subwoofer, especially if you’re a fan of action, horror, or sci-fi.
The midrange provides enough clarity and depth, though I would have preferred a bit more presence for vocal intelligibility, particularly in louder scenes where the low-end energy seems to become overwhelming and mask the remaining frequency spectrum. For music, I don’t really have any complaints here.
The high end is sharp and crisp, which can be a good thing in certain applications, however, I often found this frequency band becoming harsh, especially at louder listening levels. For most movies, this won’t present any issues or irritations, but if you’re listening to music at a high volume on these speakers, you may experience some ear fatigue faster than usual.
Overall, the sound quality here is what I expected at the price point. This is a premium product, offering premium sound. Whether you’re using these speakers for film, music, radio, or meetings, you can expect well-defined, natural sound throughout.
What about the cabling?
Sonos doesn’t supply the necessary cabling with these speakers but recommends a gauge of 16 or higher. The cable gauge you use will ultimately depend on the distance between the speakers and their power source:
The recommended 16-gauge cable can run a maximum distance of around 20 feet, providing between 75 and 100W of power to the speakers, which falls within these speakers’ power-handling specifications.
If you find yourself needing an extra few feet and don’t necessarily require all 100W of power, you could run an 18-gauge cable up to 25 feet from the power source, but you’ll only pull 50W from the power amplifier.
Finals Thoughts on the Sonos In Wall Architectural Speakers
Sonos in wall speakers may not fall within everyone’s budget, but if you have the money to spend, you won’t be disappointed with these speakers. Aside from the ease of installation and outstanding sound quality, they complement any environment with their classy look and attachable, paintable speaker grilles.
If you’re looking for a little more low-end response from your in-wall speakers, I’d recommend taking a look at the Klipsch R-5502 W II in-wall speakers. These are driven by dual 5 ¼ inch woofers and 1-inch tweeters that’ll give you some ground-shaking sounds without the need for a subwoofer. They are also far more powerful than the Sonos in wall Architectural speakers and are a little more affordable.
What’s in the Box?
- Sonos Architectural in-wall speakers
- Cutout template for installation
- Pair of paintable speaker grilles
