Snell In-Ceiling Speakers - 83%off - was $300, now $50 each - FS

I've been searching for quality in-ceiling speakers for my theater and found these highly-recommended speakers at an 83% discount, just $50 each; I bought 4 for my surrounds. I was happy to see that they have tweeters that you can point towards the listener at a 20degree angle.

SNELL OH-T7 Full-range 6.5-inch - $50

I hadn't heard of Snell, but found out they were a high-end 100% American made manufacturer that was bought by Boston Acoustics in 2005, then they discontinued the line 2 years ago due to the economy.

Here's and article about the company's history --> History

And, this $6 million Home Theater only used Snell speakers --> $6mm Snell Theater

The OH-T7 utilizes our “Directed Power” tweeter, a custom waveguide that gives the sound of a large full-range speaker. This design feature alone surpasses all other round flush-mount speakers. The “Directed Power” tweeter gives near constant beam width over a much wider range of frequencies than “pivoting eye socket” tweeters. By aiming it at a 20 degree angle we can direct the energy toward the listening position and assure clarity and imaging that is remarkable for an in-ceiling speaker. Alternatively, when used as a surround speaker the system can be aimed away from listeners so that energy bounces off of adjacent wall surfaces to give a desirable increase in diffusion. The large area of this waveguide also reduces rearward bounce off of the woofer cone for a much smoother tweeter response allowing a lower crossover point.

The crossover network used with the OH-T7 is much more complex than in competitive models for highest possible performance. As with every Snell speaker, the OH-T7 is hand tuned by our technicians to ensure that each pair sounds as well balanced and detailed as our design engineers intended.

- 6.5-inch poly woofer for damp locations
- 3/4-inch aluminum dome tweeter, coax mounted to 20-degree waveguide for natural response and precise imaging
- 108 dB output in typical living room
- Bass to 55Hz
- Paintable speaker grill included but not pictured
- Cut-out template included
- Speaker may be painted match ceiling color

OP link is broken

Link Fixed

Does anyone have these? How do they sound?

Are the speakers sold in pairs? Are the better than the speakers sold at Monoprice?

smokediverxxx said:   ChrisSBU said:   Is this the link - http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/SNELLOHT7/SNEL...


I don't think so ...it shows the speakers cheaper - $49.99
Green for you though

Yeah, that's the link - I rounded up a penny for the title

Snell is good stuff with a great reputation.

Vendor reseller rating

perpetualapprentice said:   Vendor reseller rating

Looks like love or hate. Wonder if the loves are plants.

ciscovpn said:   labboypro said:   juser said:   Snell is good stuff with a great reputation.

It's a brand image that's been passed around a dozen times. That doesn't mean the current product is bad (or good)... but Peter Snell, a well revered contributor to the high-end audio business I was a part of for 20+ years, had absolutely NOTHING to do with the company other than his estate selling off his name. Having said that, $50 for a pair of pretty much anything in-wall is probably a good deal.

It is $50 each which comes to around $100 for a pair.

Thanks for pointing that out! In that case... bleh.

rootbear said:   perpetualapprentice said:   Vendor reseller rating

Looks like love or hate. Wonder if the loves are plants.

They sure read that way.

Same company has them on eBay

Dotbody said:   OP should update the title with "EACH", or take off the plural "speakers". $100 for a pair isn't as attractive given the mixed reviews...

Updated title. Mixed reviews on what, the store? Everything I've found on Snell is gleaming, though I couldn't find much on these specific speakers save some good reviews on avsforum and other Audio Visual websites.

rootbear said:   perpetualapprentice said:   Vendor reseller rating

Looks like love or hate. Wonder if the loves are plants.

I ordered from AC4L maybe three times or so, around 5-8 years ago (so no recent experience), but I was very happy with the service, enough that I have referred several friends and family members to them. I don't believe I'm a plant or shill of any sort. For what it's worth, most of the negative reviews are from customers who were disgruntled because they received defective products and were required to pay the return shipping to do an RMA. A top notch company would pick up the return shipping but not all reasonably decent retailers would do so.

A4less is a legit shop. Authorized refurb outlet for Denon, BA, Marantz (same family these days) and Onkyo.

Their downfall in terms of ratings being hot/cold are the same as eCost... no support after sale and no pro-customer return policy like you get from Crutchfield or Amazon. But you are also paying ~half price for mostly refurb items. I suspect most of the reviewers don't really understand this. For the most part electronics refurbs usually are a 1-way sale... you buy it, but after that you are stuck with manufacturer warranty only in some cases even if the item is DOA.

Ultimately, it's a gamble. Which is why the price needs to be low enough to justify the gamble. Some of A4's prices are low enough to warrant the gamble. Some of them are not. If you don't like the gamble pay a higher price or scour local shops for open boxes and clearance items.

Regardless it's a legit shop. Just understand the policies on the item you are buying before you dive in.

Pertaining to the actual deal this is likely a reasonable deal but I wouldn't call it hot. $300 MSRP is greatly inflated so custom installers can make a big profit. At ~$100 a pair frankly I'd rather go with something that I could get a listen to or at least that has a lot of published info and reviews. Lots of choices out there in that price range. Same site has Boston Acoustics options in the same price range. Now, I don't consider BA to be top-line but they are very decent. In-ceiling speakers are hugely gimped in the first place so it's hard to be too picky.

Late to this thread but as A4less still has these available I thought I'd chime in with a +1 on this post. I have used A4less a couple of times and found their service to be decent if not up to Amazon standards. One order was damaged and while it took a couple of calls and an email, A4less replaced the item and paid shipping of the defective item back. The service was not painless by any means but I would not hesitate to order from them again especially given some of their close-out pricing.

FranksandBeans said:   A4less is a legit shop. Authorized refurb outlet for Denon, BA, Marantz (same family these days) and Onkyo.