- Q Acoustics has revealed a trio of in-ceiling speakers
- Designed to be easy to install; also affordable
- A fourth, larger (slightly more expensive) model will arrive later in 2026
Good in-ceiling speakers are a kind of luxury: Sonos options command a four-figure price tag and choices from B&W and JBL are largely aimed at professionals (or at least professional spaces full of meet-ups and punters), not you or me at home. That’s no longer the case, thanks to a new release from Q Acoustics.
The brand, known for its stereo speakers like the Q Acoustics 3020c, has just unveiled a trio of affordable in-ceiling speakers designed to be easy to install. Your installer will thank you (or, for the DIY enthusiasts, your ceiling will thank you), because they apparently require no power tools.
The range, which we’ll get to in a moment, is designed to plug into existing audio systems, so you can continue listening to your playlist (or podcast, or the news) as you walk between rooms in your home. Some models are even IPX4 rated against splashes so will work in the shower or in the kitchen.
The first three models will be available soon, from the end of March, in Hi-Fi stores and at Q Acoustics themselves.
Q Acoustics’ new Easyfit speaker series: what you need to know
There are three initial entries in the new Easyfit range: the QI65CE, the QI65CWE IPX4 and the QI65CWE Stereo IPX4. These are all 6.5-inch options with a power rating of 65W.
The most affordable purchase is the Stereo, which costs £199 (around $270, AU$380), as it only comes in one model, designed to deliver stereo sound on its own. It features a mid/bass woofer cone and a pivoting tweeter, which can be tilted upon installation to a chosen listening position. It also has a built-in EQ switch so you can tailor its sound to the room you install it in.
Spend £299 ($400, AU$570) and you get a pair of the things, to position however you like. Then there’s the QI65CE, for £249 (around $330, AU$475), which lacks waterproofing.
A fourth, more powerful model will be released later this year. This is the QI80CE, an 8-inch model that will cost £349 (around $470, AU$660) for a pair. We haven’t received a full list of specs for this model, but the name suggests it’s not waterproof.
While architectural speakers like these can be great ways to save space in your home, it’s hard to imagine that they will rival the best stereo speakers in terms of audio quality. Still, who doesn’t want music literally bursting out of their overhead structural walls at home?
My colleague recently returned from a trip to the Winter Olympics in Milan, where she says a ceiling speaker in the hotel room bathroom played whatever was on TV – and it’s interesting how quickly we start relying on the headlines in the shower. She also stayed at a place in Cornwall that had a Sonos One for the initial hookup, but then two speakers in the ceiling (one in the kitchen, one in the shower) allowing her and her other half to chat to a shower/morning playlist every day, in a way you just don’t do when you have a solo Bluetooth speaker on your desk.
And I think it’s not that expensive to have that kind of musical assimilation in your life.
The best stereo speakers for all budgets
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