Top 10 Best Bluetooth Ceiling Speakers For The Money 2023 Reviews

With fully integrated whole-house audio systems now becoming more popular than ever, Bluetooth ceiling speakers are selling in ever-increasing numbers.

But what’s strange is that, even though they vary massively in price – when their grilles are on, and they’re installed in a ceiling – they all look nearly exactly the same.

Choosing between two items which look nearly identical is very difficult at the best of times, and you can’t just rely on the price.

So we’ve made the decision a lot easier, by bringing you the Best Bluetooth Ceiling Speakers currently on the market. We’ll give you an in-depth review of each, as well as its pros and cons.

They are all excellent speakers, but which one is the right one for you? You’ll find out soon enough…

Top 10 Best Bluetooth Ceiling Speakers In 2023 Reviews

1 MCM 6″ Bluetooth Ceiling Speaker With 30W Stereo Amplifier

We’ll start our review with the cheapest Bluetooth speakers we could find, the 6” Bluetooth ceiling speaker from MCM. It’s an ingenious system, but it does have its flaws as you’ll soon find out.

The system consists of a set of two speakers. One of which is attached to a 15-watt stereo amplifier and Bluetooth 2.0 receiver, the other is merely a matching passive speaker. This sounds great in theory, and it is. But there is one huge downside, you will need to plug the powered amplifier speaker into your mains supply.

This isn’t necessarily terrible if you’re doing a complete install with a qualified electrician. Who can either run a new powerpoint into your attic space to plug in the speaker. But, if that isn’t the case, then you’ll have some problems finding a random plug socket in your ceiling because you probably won’t find any.

So, this flaw makes this system only useful to house owners who are using an electrician to install their ceiling speakers. Which obviously limits its attractiveness.

So, now that’s covered, let’s move on…

They look good and appear to be more expensive than you would expect, for their budget price. They will easily make your guests think that you’ve spent a lot more on them than you actually did.

And the sound is actually surprisingly good for the price as well. Of course, there are better sounding speakers in this review, but they also cost a lot more. But, unless you expect the earth for next to nothing. There should be no reason to complain about the sound.

We’ll finish by mentioning that these speakers (like every ceiling speaker) sound much worse when they are not installed in a ceiling or a wall. So don’t judge them by just plugging them into a wall socket. They have to be in the space that they were designed to be in, to function correctly.

Our rating: (3.9 / 5)

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2 MartinLogan ElectroMotion IC 6.5-inch In-Ceiling Loudspeaker

We move from one of the cheapest ceiling speakers in our run-down to one of the most expensive – ElectroMotion IC from MartinLogan. And by more expensive, we really mean it. These speakers cost about seven times the cost of the MCM 6” speakers we just reviewed. And you get a pair of MCM’s, you only get a single MartinLogan. Making these speakers over 14 times more expensive.

So they must look and sound superb for that much money. And they of course do. In fact, they sound better in isolation than any speaker in this entire review. What we mean by that, is that, if these are the only speakers, you’ll be using to listen to music in a particular area of your home or workspace, then they can’t be beaten.

But, if used with additional speakers to create a system, then as long as you’ve got yourself a good quality subwoofer to handle the bass end, you can use far cheaper speakers than these and get incredible results.

So, as long as you bear that in mind, you can decide if you need to spend this much money on a single speaker.

The reason it sounds so superb by itself is down to the exotic folded motion tweeter and the 6.5-inch aluminum cone woofer with its cast aluminum basket. These provide a powerful low-frequency bass extension giving the small speaker it’s incredible low end.

The speaker blends seamlessly into your home, or wherever else you want music, due to its ultra-low profile and micro perforated grille which has no visible bezel. So you’ll hear all the great sound and low-end you want, but have to look carefully for the speakers.

They sound simply fantastic, but they also come at a fantastic price. If you want super low end and won’t be using other speakers or a sub, they are highly recommended. If however, you need speakers as part of a system, you can get the frequencies you need for a lot less money.

Our rating: (5 / 5)

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3 Yamaha NS-IC800WH 140-Watts 2-Way RMS Speaker

Now, that we’ve covered the most expensive, we are back to mid-range speakers. This time with the NS-IC800 from Yamaha. Reasonably priced and sold as a pair.

Yamaha has a reputation for always putting sound quality first and has decades of experience in producing the finest speakers. The NS-IC800 feature a blue polypropylene mica cone woofer and a fluid-cooled, soft-dome tweeter which is in a coaxial design. This tweeter swivels so it can be aimed wherever the listener wants for the most effective high-frequency output.

The sound as you would expect from Yamaha is exceptional for the price. It delivers rich stereo sound wherever you need it, and is even better when used with a sub as part of a complete system. They also feature a noticeable grain-finished acoustic baffle, which has a spiral pattern and makes the sound disperse in a very natural way. This creates the immersive sound effect everyone wants for the ultimate movie experience.

It offers a tremendous 8-inch in-ceiling speaker solution, wherever you need good 2-channel sound reproduction in a living room, dining room, family room or bedroom. Or for use with more extensive home theater systems.

The grilles are paintable so they can be made to fit in with any color scheme. They also feature a slim fringe design which becomes almost invisible after installation. And the grills also come with magnets, which makes it easy to attach or remove them for quick installation and maintenance.

While on the subject of installation, they feature a large mounting clamp which has non-slip tread and grips ceilings or walls firmly to ensure a solid installation. And a sealed back cover protects both the speaker unit and the crossover from dust and moisture.

They are an excellent option for those who don’t want to spend a lot of money or just want speakers as an extension of a bigger system.

Our rating: (4.7 / 5)

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4 Leviton AEC80 Architectural Edition Powered By JBL 8-Inch In-Ceiling Speaker

Moving back up in price from the Yamaha, but nowhere near the MartinLogan ElectroMotion IC, we have AEC80 from Leviton, which is powered by JBL.

The AEC80 Architectural Edition in-wall speakers are an innovative solution combining the speaker know how and reputation of JBL entertainment and the unsurpassed durability of Leviton products.

The JBL titanium laminate drivers ensure musical accuracy. And the clarity is superb, even at frequency extremes. The crossover network is a straight line single path design, which gives the speakers the least amount of signal distortion.

The tweeters are similar to the expensive MartinLogan’s in that they have a low-diffraction, swivel-tweeter mounting system, which allows you to point the tweeters where they are needed for optimum stereo imaging.

Each speaker has built-in long excursion woofers which have butyl rubber half round surrounds, as well as extended pole-piece magnetic structures. These allow for the bass to have the maximum impact and an increased dynamic range. They have a power handling capability of 100 watts.

And, for extended life and durability, they feature heavy-duty, push-type input terminals for long term stable connection integrity.

They also have acoustically transparent paintable baffles, the same as the Yamaha’s we just reviewed which enable them to fit with your home’s decor seamlessly.

Installation is easy, and they look terrific and professional. The sound is also just about perfect. They work very well with other speakers, regardless of whether they are JBL’s or not and when paired with a good subwoofer, the home movie theater experience is brought to life.

And finally, as if you need any more assurance, they are backed by a two-year manufacturer’s warranty.

Our rating: (4 / 5)

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5 Bluetooth Ceiling Speaker – Single Active/Master – Lithe Audio

Next up we have a similar but better thought out solution to the MCM 6” speakers we started the review with, which unfortunately had a lot of flaws. The Lithe Audio Bluetooth Ceiling Speaker works on the same principle but does it far better, with a much higher price tag.

The speaker under review is a single active master speaker. What that means is that it’s a single speaker which has its own built-in amplifier and being a ‘master,’ can control another speaker.

It combines the amplifier and the receiver in a single, compact and easy to install unit. So there is no need for any other equipment to listen to quality audio.

So, it’s basically the same as the powered speaker in the MCM. If you want to add another speaker for greater sound dispersal via selectable dual mono or true stereo, you just buy it separately. The slave speaker connects to the master via a standard speaker cable.

The reason it’s a far better solution than the MCM is that you can get an extension cable from the manufacturer which extends the distance between the speaker and its power supply. This, therefore, allows you to plug the speaker into a convenient power point.

You, therefore, don’t end up with a big, clumsy wall-wart in your ceiling space, next to lots of insulation and causing a fire-risk. This also allows you to easily turn the powered speaker off when not in use and disconnect it quickly if there are any electrical problems.

And the best thing about it is that it works flawlessly with Amazon Echo Dot. And by flawlessly, we mean it, many speakers work intermittently with it, this is by far the best we’ve tried. Its wireless range is up to 10 meters, plus it can be hardwired to any standard audio, non-Bluetooth device via its RCA inputs.

This allows music and audio to be seamlessly integrated into any room in your home, business or workplace. It’s designed to offer high-quality audio streaming from any V4.0 Bluetooth compatible device.

In terms of specifications, it features a 6.5″ Kevlar Woven Cone Woofer, with a 1.2″ Titanium Cone Tweeter. It has a dynamic range of between 65 Hz and 20 kHz and an RMS power output of 50 watts.

It has a volume cap feature, which reduces the maximum output volume by 50% so your kids can’t get their songs crazy loud in their bedrooms. It’s also useful for installation in apartments or hotels where disturbing other residents or guests could be an issue.

There is even an IP rated version available if you need to install speakers in areas exposed to moisture, such as bathrooms or shower rooms.

It is straightforward to install and sounds great. If your looking for a high-quality, excellent sounding ceiling speaker for the Echo dot, this one is a perfect choice.

Our rating: (4.3 / 5)

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6 Klipsch CDT-5650-C II In-Ceiling Speaker

With fully integrated whole-house audio systems now becoming more popular than ever, speaker giant Klipsch designed the CDT-5650-C II. It aims to meet the demand for a high-performance, in-ceiling loudspeaker that challenges the inherent limitations of being in a fixed location.

The problem is that the way they have chosen to do it is very similar to a number of the speakers we’ve already reviewed, i.e., by using directional tweeters. So, even though, these speakers sound groundbreaking when you read the marketing blurb, they are in fact simply doing the same thing, as a number of the more expensive speakers in this review.

That said, they are superb speakers, just not quite as revolutionary as the manufacturers might like you to think they are.

They produce a crisp, rich, detailed sound. And the aimable tweeter does its job beautifully, positioning the high-end frequencies wherever you want them in the room.

In terms of specifications, they feature a 6.5″ pivoting cerametallic woofer, and a 1” titanium tweeter with horn-loaded technology. They have Controlled Dispersion Technology (CDT), as well as treble and mid-bass attenuation switches.

These are high-end, top-notch ceiling speakers that reflect Klipsch’s experience with in-ceiling speakers. They are a quality product and very easy to install. As well as, being virtually invisible after installation. Yes, they are expensive, but quality craftsmanship, materials, features, and great sound cost money. But, they are more than worth it. Highly recommended.

Our rating: (5 / 5)

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7 Definitive Technology UEWA/Di 8R Round In-ceiling Speaker

We move on from the Klipsch to the ever so slightly cheaper UEWA/Di 8R from Definitive Technology.

Definitive’s Di 8R speakers, much like the Klipsch we just reviewed, are also nearly invisible thanks to their small diameters, the hidden flange design, and their low profile micro-perf grilles. Installing them is as easy as it is for traditional flanged flush-mount speakers, and you don’t require custom sheetrock or spackle skills to make them practically disappear into your ceiling.

Their small grille size of a mere 9.75 inches in diameter, is noticeably smaller than competing 8-inch in-ceiling speakers, again aiding their near disappearance from view.

The sound they produce is excellent, having enough bass for smaller speakers and a very clear top-end. They are perfect for use as side or rear surround speakers in home theater systems, their thin profile allowing them to fit into most wall spaces as well as into ceilings.

They feature pivoting pure aluminum dome tweeters, so like some of the other speakers reviewed, you can point them to wherever in the room you need some high-end frequencies, to give yourself a superb, fully immersive, home cinema experience.

Our rating: (4.7 / 5)

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8 Yamaha NS-IW480CWH Natural Sound 3-way In-wall Speaker

Here is our second Yamaha speaker in this review, and as opposed to the two-way design of the first, this features an innovative three-way design. It’s the NS-IW480C.

Even though it’s a three-way speaker, it’s actually slightly lower in wattage than the previous one at only 120 watts. But it’s quite a bit more expensive.

It’s actually very similar in all of its specifications to the NS-IC800. But, it’s labeled ‘IW’ for in-wall, as opposed to ‘IC’ for in-ceiling, as was the Yamaha we reviewed earlier. We can’t find any reason why one of these would be better for a particular install than the other. Yes the IW is three-way, while the IC is two-way, but if you want a better three-way speaker in your ceiling, then we can’t think of any reason why you can’t have one.

Anyway, to quickly go over the specs, to save you having to scroll back up the page, each speaker features an 8-inch polypropylene mica cone woofer, with a dual 3/4″ dome tweeter with SoundMax technology and a swivel tweeter for wide sound dispersion.

These speakers sound amazing if they’re driven with the adequate wattage they need. They have the perfect tone needed for in-ceiling mounting, i.e., enough bass to produce a smooth sound between all the frequencies.

Super boomy bass is not what they produce, but let’s be honest, as mentioned many times already, that’s what a subwoofer is for. They sound excellent by themselves but obviously lack bass, when paired with a sub; however, they shine. The sound produced is very crisp with enough bass, that’s not in the least bit muffled

Our rating: (4.6 / 5)

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9 SpeakerCraft AIM8 Three High Fidelity Pivoting In-Ceiling Speaker

Moving back up in price again, we come to another of our most expensive speakers in this review, the AIM8 from SpeakerCraft.

And as expected, much like the MartinLogan, you yet again, get precisely what you pay for. They are not in the same league, price-wise, as the ElectroMotions, being about halfway between them and the reviews more reasonably priced speakers. But the difference in quality is instantly evident.

They have good low-end, but not as good as the ElectroMotions, while the mids are stable and robust and the highs crisp and clear.

In terms of producing a balanced sound, they are amazing, and when connected up to a good subwoofer, they excel, delivering the home theatre experience you’ve always dreamt of. Their rich, full bass and mids combine perfectly with the crystal clear and powerful highs to give you sonic perfection.

They are simply awesome speakers and will look beautiful in any ceiling. They are as mentioned, one of the most expensive speakers in our review, but worth every penny and highly recommend for use in a home theater system.

Our rating: (5 / 5)

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10 Polk Audio MC80 High-Performance In-Ceiling Speaker

And as we come to the end of our review, we have the MC80 from Polk Audio. We started with a very reasonably priced set of speakers, and we end with another.

The MC80 is excellent for multi-zone audio systems and delivers uniform sound coverage even in larger rooms. They are specially tuned for outstanding ambient performance, offering superb detail and a natural sound, even at low volumes.

Featuring an eight-inch mid woofer for smooth, wide-range response and low distortion, along with a 3/4″ aimable silk dome tweeter which has a powerful neodymium magnet structure giving clear, detailed highs and excellent stereo imaging, even in off-axis listening positions.

Installation is easy, one-cut, then just drop them in, making it possible for anyone who considers themselves even a little bit handy to handle the job. Each speaker’s precision flange achieves a secure, vibration-free fit with a simple turn of Polk’s patented rotating cam system.

And they sound great, especially considering the low price. The lightweight, stiff polymer drivers providing excellent damping and bass response. These again feature aimable swivel tweeters for greater high-end accuracy and realistic stereo imaging.

You can also use them in high moisture areas like your bathroom or under eaves or in the ceiling of an enclosed porch. As long as there is no direct contact with water, they will work fine. Their rustproof stainless steel hardware, durable butyl rubber surrounds, and powder coated aluminum grilles make them excellent for these locations.

The grilles are paintable, so you can match them to your decor and make them practically disappear into any room if you wish.

If your thinking of adding them to other Polk speakers to make a large 5.1, 7.1 or even 9.2 system. Then there is no need to worry. Because the company has designed them with this in mind. All MC Series speakers are matched in timbre to other Polk speakers. This ensures seamless blending from one speaker to another in systems that combine both traditional and built-in speakers.

Our rating: (4.5 / 5)

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