SHOULD I GET BLACK OR WHITE COLOURED IN-WALL SPEAKERS?
You’re putting a lot of care into designing a home you love.
The last thing you want is to shoot for an awesome audio system, get a set of speakers in place and, constantly feel like they’re not quite right.
Black and white are the most versatile and clean-looking colours…
But which one is right for you?
This article will cover everything you need to consider to choose between black or white in-wall and/or in-ceiling speakers.
Contents
- Things To Consider When Choosing Speaker Colour
- What Colour In-Wall Or In-Ceiling Speakers Do Most People Choose?
- How You Can Guarantee Satisfaction With Your Speaker Colour
Things To Consider When Choosing Speaker Colour
It’s going to be up to you to decide what colour speakers to get. Everyone has individual needs and a gut-feeling of what they like.
That said, reviewing our basic design principles will make your job easier.
Here you’ll find everything you need to consider along with recommendations.
Contrast versus blend
In general, black provides contrast and white blends in.
This rule applies often because usually walls and ceilings are white or light-coloured. White speakers on a white wall are well-blended and give a more streamlined “invisible speaker” feel. Black ones “pop” and show off the shape of the speaker, as well as the pattern formed by multiple speakers.
(To clarify what I mean by “pattern,” imagine a row of black in-ceiling speakers along the ceiling of a verandah. The colour makes them pop out, and the consistent spacing gives them a clean look.)
You will need to decide if you prefer contrast or blend.
The colour of your wall or ceiling will then tell you which way to go (there’s deeper discussion of paint colours below).
The most common situation where contrast looks great is when you’re using in-wall speakers next to a TV.
The matching colours and similar shape will give a clean, attractive look that draws the eyes in to your entertainment space.
But that also means you need to ask yourself…
TV or projector screen?
This question is important if the room you’re adding audio to will also feature a screen — i.e. a theatre room or “theatre lounge.”
Projectors are awesome. They give you a huge screen from a relatively small projector unit.
If you’re considering using one, you’re almost guaranteed to have a white space to project onto. That might be an actual projector screen (usually white and made from an ideal material for clean images). Or it could be a simple open space on a white wall.
White in-wall speakers are most likely to match a projector screen.
Black may not be the best idea here because the contrast will be too intense and out of place.
Now…
Sometimes you don’t have a white wall or ceiling. Neither black nor white will blend in. That’s when you need to think about your…
Paint scheme and decor
Putting in-wall or in-ceiling speakers on a non-white surface means white won’t blend.
Both black and white will give you a degree of contrast here.
The simple rule to follow is…
Go for moderate contrast — not “almost blended” and not “stark contrast.”
Almost blended may feel “off.” Imagine an off-white wall with a proper-white speaker… it feels off.
In general…
For darker coloured walls / ceilings, black speakers will give you moderate contrast. They will be a feature, but they won’t shout “Here I am!!!”
For lighter coloured walls / ceilings (but not off-white), white will give you more of that moderate contrast.
You may also need to think about your decor.
If your decor consists of darker wall features and darker objects, black speakers will match better regardless of the paint scheme.
If the decor features are bright and light, or even very sparse, white speakers will feel more in line.
Bonus tip: When you can’t get the ceiling speakers right
If you’re finding it hard to get “moderate contrast” with your ceiling speakers…
…maybe you have an odd colour or you really want a minimalist look…
Then you can use in-ceiling speakers from our EHT range because they feature paintable grills.
For example, go with the 8-inch EHT-9 and you can paint them using the exact same colour as your ceiling for a perfect blend!
What Colour In-Wall Or In-Ceiling Speakers Do Most People Choose?
The considerations above should be your primary guide in choosing between black or white speakers for your room.
That said, it can be comforting to know what has made other people happy.
Overall, people lean towards white in-ceiling speakers and white in-wall surround sound speakers (the speakers that go to the sides and back of your listening position). They use black in-wall speakers to compliment their TV screens.
Here are some examples of how members of the Jensen community have done this:
This setup oozes with tidiness. The woodgrain paneling frames the front speakers and TV perfectly, and the ambient lighting puts the finishing touches!
Another client sent us this beautiful demonstration of our popular Elite-404 in-ceiling speakers giving off perfect “moderate contrast” with black on dark timber.
Here’s another tasteful example of moderate contrast using white Elite-303 speakers that match the decor.
This one is a clever use of decor (i.e. the air conditioning vents) to create a look of consistency with white Elite-203 in-wall speakers.
This last one is a nice example of how gently-blended a white in-wall speaker can look on very light coloured walls.
You can browse the customer feedback library on any product page in the Jensen range to see more.
How You Can Guarantee Satisfaction With Your Speaker Colour
Regardless of whether you go black speakers or white speakers today, you are guaranteed to find a satisfying result.
Here’s why:
Every in-wall and in-ceiling speaker in the Jensen range has removable grills that we keep in stock!
If you change your room’s paint scheme…
Add to, or change the decor…
Move house and want to bring your speakers with you…
Or you simply change how you feel about the colour…
You can swap the grills out and change from white to black or vice versa. Get in touch with us and we’ll be happy to help you out. Our goal is to offer the best solutions for beautiful, seamless home design and incredible performance home theatre.
Thanks for reading! If you have any other questions, contact us here.
To learn more, check out these related articles…
5 Reasons To Go In-wall Or In-ceiling For Your Next Home Theatre
What AV Receiver Should I Buy For Home Theatre?
5.1 Vs 7.1 Vs 9.1: Which Is Best For You?