Monoprice 3-Way Fiber In-Wall Speakers

Ok, well, here’s the first form me, In-wall speakers. Today we have for you a review of the Monoprice 3-way In-wall speakers and will give you honest thoughts and opinions as well as make some comparisons to both normal Hifi systems and the variation in ceiling speakers we have reviewed in the past.

Product Overview

Monoprice, for those of you that don’t know, is a budget speaker company out of Asia. They create a lot of equipment that offers the performance you find on more expensive products but at a fraction of the price. I am very familiar with in-ceiling speaker installations and how the sound, and you can read our reviews of this speaker style here. However, I am less familiar with speakers mounted inside walls.

There are a few Monoprice models on the market, and today im reviewing the Monoprice 3-Way Fiber in wall speakers. Unfortunately, they do a horrible job of designating product names, so refer to the pictures if you are looking for the same model we tested. Edit* from further research, I can now see that the model we are reviewing is the Monoprice 6816.

Not only is putting the speakers in the wall interesting, but this product is also 3-way, meaning there are three drivers on the front (essentially delivering sound from 3 sources and not in three directions as people like to assume).

Why would a company do this? Well, by designating different drivers to different areas of the sound, you, in theory at least, put less stress on the drivers to deliver wide bands of frequencies. In essence, each driver can produce the sound it is optimized for.

Specification:

Model: Monoprice 6816 in-wall speaker

Drivers: 1x 8" Woven Aramid Fiber Cone / 1x 4" Woven Aramid Fiber Cone / 1" Titanium Silk Tweeter

Power: 100 Watts Nominal, 200 Watts Maximum

Impedance: 8 Ohms

Sensitivity: 90dB ±2dB (1.0m/2.83V)

Dimensions (Installed): 14.1" x 10.0" x 3.9" (357 x 255 x 100 mm)

Dimensions (Cut Out): 12.76" x 8.74" (324 x 222 mm)

Depth: 3.58" (91mm)

Weight: 7.82 lbs. (3.5 kg)

Build and Aesthetic Design

The build quality is decent, which I didn’t really expect at this price. There is not a lot going on here because the 6816 is a bookshelf speaker without a cabinet that you jam into the wall. A fair amount of plastic is used in the build, including the binding posts and the frame itself. The good news is it’s good quality plastic that doesn’t feel brittle.

Given that these speakers are going to be installed inside your walls, I don’t really have any concern over their long-term durability. They simply will not face the same dangers that a freestanding speaker will.

The styling is another nonevent. The speaker is only available in white, but the grills can be painted to color match your walls making them less visible. The size is fairly large and looks a little odd at first.

When you remove the grills, they look cooler, and despite the asymmetrical layout of the drivers, I think they look pretty cool, especially since two of the woofers are a different color adding a bit of retro contrast.

Sound

The sound is actually surprising. While not the most articulate and not detailed, especially when you compare them to real bookshelf speakers in a Hifi setup. Yet they get bloody loud, and the bass from those large 8-inch drivers hits damn hard to the point that I wouldn’t even recommend using a separate subwoofer.

The tonality is a little warm and lush, so it is not accurate, but it works with many genres like pop, EDM, and hip hop to provide a fun and engaging listening experience. The top end is rolled off, so it doesn’t produce sibilance.

Bass provides a very good sub-bass quantity but lacks mid-bass details.

Overall, they are a competent speaker; as long as you are not expecting audiophile-grade sound, you won’t be disappointed.

Final Verdict

Im not sure there are many cases where having your speakers on the walls outweighs the benefits of having them on the ceiling. For me, strategically placing speakers on the ceiling will give greater sound coverage. However, one area where these can be very useful is in a home cinema setup using in combination with some satellite speakers for full multi-directional effect.

I think, to sum up, I have been impressed and confused. If you think they are a good fit for your needs, go ahead and try them, they certainly perform well for the money.

Official Website of the Monoprice 6816: www.monoprice.com