In-ceiling speaker surround?

[guessrow]

Hello,

I have 2 sets of Polk RC60i speakers that I am going to put in my ceiling. My question is what type (if any) of surround/enclosure I should use to protect the speakers from the insulation and achieve best sound performance.

I have blown(loose) fiberglass insulation in my attic. With the RC60i's that I will be installing, it seems like the insulation could get around the speakers and compromise the perfromance. I'm thinking I should protect them, but how?

should I use some sort of box and give the speakers a bit of breathing room? Should I use a heavy rubber mat that would form around the outer speaker casing? TIA for any responses. My plan would be to push aside the insulation, install the speakers, cover/protect the back side of the speaker with something, and then replace the insulation around the speakers.

good luck -jim

[salasg]

Hey Jim,
I am in the same situation. I installed RC80i's in my ceiling and recently began to wonder the same thing. In addition also wondered if there was any benefit in quality of sound for HT and music. I looked online to see if any products were available, this is one of them, http://www.dynamat.com/products_arch...l_dynabox.html
, though somewhat pricey. I have thought about simply using a homemade enclosure. Haven't had a chance to try any of my ideas out. Let me know if you figure anything out. :)
Gus

[mufsoman]

Hey guys, I used to have a pair of in-ceiling speakers for my surround backs. My HT is in the basement so I didn't have any blown insulation to deal with, but in order to eliminate sound distortion in the above the ceiling open area, I purchased 2' x 4' precut pieces of 2" thk fiberglass insulation and made a 5 sided box and installed it over the speakers. This may also work in your application to keep the blown in insulation away from the speaker, which I would say is definately a must. If you use any kind of rigid box (plywood, drywall, etc), it would potentially cause boominess. Lining it with insulation would help, but then why bother with the box? H. Depot has these precut insulation pieces very chaep. Just a thought....