Ceiling speakers for home: how many, where and which size
Ceiling speakers give you music in every room and surround sound without a single box on the floor. Placed well, they sound surprisingly big. Placed badly, they sound like a shop. Here is how to get it right.
6.5" or 8": which size?
- 6.5-inch suits bedrooms, kitchens, balconies, washrooms and surround or Atmos speakers in most living rooms. Our ES-C6 needs a 210 mm cut-out.
- 8-inch gives fuller bass for large living rooms or when there is no subwoofer.
- For films and loud music, pair either size with a subwoofer. Ceiling speakers then only handle the clear mids and highs.
How many per room?
| Room | Speakers |
|---|---|
| Bedroom, study, kitchen | 2 (stereo) |
| Living room, music | 2–4, or 2 plus a subwoofer |
| Living room, 5.1 with ceiling surrounds | 2 surrounds in the ceiling (front left, centre and right stay near the TV) |
| Dolby Atmos 5.1.2 / 5.1.4 | 2 or 4 overhead speakers above and slightly in front of / behind the seats |
| Large open areas | A grid, roughly one every 3–4 m |
Where to put them
- Music: place them where people sit, not over the middle of an empty floor, and about a third of the room's width apart.
- Surround: slightly behind or beside the sofa, angled tweeters pointed at the seats.
- Atmos: in line with the front left and right speakers, one pair a little in front of the seats and one a little behind.
- Keep at least 50–60 cm from walls and away from AC vents, beams and light fittings.
False ceiling or concrete slab?
Gypsum false ceilings are ideal. The speaker fits a round cut-out and clamps to the board. With a concrete slab and no false ceiling, use slim surface speakers or plan a small false-ceiling channel. In new homes, ask the builder to leave conduits and a back box. It costs very little at that stage.
Why a back-can matters
An open speaker in a false ceiling plays into the whole ceiling void. The bass gets lost, sound leaks into other rooms and dust gets in. A sealed back-can gives the speaker a proper box, so bass is tighter, rooms stay private and the sound is consistent from room to room. Every EvenSound ceiling speaker comes with one.
Wiring and amplifiers
- Use oxygen-free copper speaker cable. 16 AWG is enough for normal runs, 14 AWG for long runs over 15 m.
- Run every cable back to one equipment point, so each room can become its own zone later.
- A multi-zone amplifier with DSP (like the ES-A8) sets EQ, volume limits and delay for every room.
Common mistakes
- One speaker in the centre of the room: no stereo and uneven sound.
- Speakers right above the TV: the voice seems to come from the ceiling.
- Cheap thin cable buried in the wall: hard to replace later.
- No calibration: some rooms boom, others sound thin.
Plan your ceiling speakers
Try the free room planner, or send us your floor plan on WhatsApp and we'll mark the positions for you.