Ceiling speakers for home theaters and multi-room systems have caught on in ways I’m sure make hard core audiophiles cringe. Who would have thought that anyone would even consider getting theater quality sound from a drywall ceiling? After all, weren’t they invented for airport PA systems — and we all know that you can’t make out anything that is said over those things.
Lo and behold, technology marches forth and now we can get great quality sound from those little circular grills in the ceiling. They are especially handy for multi-room audio systems which is what we are testing them on.
Paradigm’s CS-60R-30 Ceiling Speakers are a fine example of great quality sound from a small ceiling speaker and I’m impressed with these units from top to bottom. They look great and they sound great. What more do you want to know?
Ceiling speakers for home theaters and multi-room systems have caught on in ways I’m sure make hard core audiophiles cringe. Who would have thought that anyone would even consider getting theater quality sound from a drywall ceiling? After all, weren’t they invented for airport PA systems — and we all know that you can’t make out anything that is said over those things.
Lo and behold, technology marches forth and now we can get great quality sound from those little circular grills in the ceiling. They are especially handy for multi-room audio systems which is what we are testing them on.
Paradigm’s CS-60R-30 Ceiling Speakers are a fine example of great quality sound from a small ceiling speaker and I’m impressed with these units from top to bottom — and so was our installer — Andy from Audio Impact in San Diego. It took minutes for him to cut the holes, connect the wires and mount these speakers in two rooms. Andy was even careful enough — and a bit of an acrobat — to hold up a shop vac while he cut the hole thus keeping dust to a minimum. Nice touch!
We hooked up the speakers to Zone 2 on an Onkyo TX-NR3007 receiver which gives me the ability to select a separate source and control the volume independently from the main listening zone. This works great although it’s best to have volume control in the space rather than walking back and forth with the IR remote which is what I did for the first few weeks. To solve this dilemma, I bought a Universal RF remote — great solution for a relatively small donation of $. Now I have full control of the outdoor room without getting out of my chair 🙂
Now, what about these speakers? They look great and they sound great. What more do you want to know? As I write this review I’m listening to them in my office — crisp, clear and clean. The 30 at the end of the model name stands for the 30 degree angle that the speakers are mounted at. This means you can mount them at one end of the room and the sound projects across the room to create a wide and deep listening zone rather than one where you need to be under the speakers to get the best sound. I think this is a more effective way to use ceiling speakers in most applications however if that doesn’t work for you then Paradigm has plenty of other models to choose from including a square model if that’s your preference.
Overall we’re very happy with these speakers and would recommend them to our friends and family.
Here are some specs from Paradigm:
| Design | 2-driver, 2-way in-ceiling / in-wall, coaxially mounted high-frequency driver, drivers mounted at 30 relative to mounting surface, IRP™ chassis / mounting bracket |
| Crossover(s) | 2nd-order electro-acoustic at 2.5 kHz |
| High-Frequency Driver(s) | 25-mm (1 in) PTD™ dome |
| Bass / Midrange Driver(s) | 165-mm (6-1/2 in) mineral-filled polypropylene cone |
| Low-Frequency Extension* | 55 Hz (DIN) |
| Frequency Responsex On-Axis | ±2 dB from 70 Hz – 20 kHz |
| 30° Off-Axis | ±2 dB from 70 Hz – 15 kHz |
| Frequency Response | ± |
| Sensitivity – Room / Anechoic | 89 dB / 85 dB |
| Suitable Amplifier Power Range | 80 – 15 watts |
| Maximum Input Power | 50 watts |
| Impedance | Compatible with 8 ohms |
| Diameter or Height x Width | 29.0 cm 11-7/16 in (diameter) |
| Minimum Mounting Depth | 12.0 cm 4-3/4 in |
| Cutout Dimensions: Diameter or Height x Width | 26.6 cm 10-1/2 in (diameter) |
| Minimum Internal Volume Required | 12 L 0.42 cu ft |
| Pre-Installation Bracket: | PB-10R; retrofit included |
| Weight (unpacked) | 2.4 kg / 5.3 lb each |
| Finishes | White, paintable |