The best ceiling speakers of 2024: Sound from above

Herdio's monstrous 300W ceiling speakers come in a smallish 6.5-inch speaker package, and fit easily into walls about the house, but especially well in the lounge. A particularly brilliant feature of the Herdio 300W speakers is its Bluetooth capabilities, which removes the need to purchase a costly amplifier.

As for build quality, the Herdio is solid enough for its purpose. The overall sound quality of is good, but not quite high-end enough for serious home cinema. But, for everything else, this dual speaker setup is great for immersing yourself in front of the TV – or filling your room with music from above.

Great sound for much less than £100 is hard to come by, but with the Pyle PIC8E ceiling speakers, there's no denying their quality – here, budget definitely doesn't mean cheap sound.

Designed to be used for a home cinema or lounge space, their easy-to-install design sits flush and securely with the ceiling itself. Alongside the respectable 250W output, for those who prefer a customised sound, the Pyle PIC8E dual speakers have treble control. So, vocals and other high frequencies can be fine-tuned to suit your taste. Best of all, the built-in mounting hardware makes installation easier than most.

The Polk Audio RC80i ceiling speakers pack quite a punch, both in terms of sound quality and value for money. They carry an 8-inch subwoofer and 1-inch tweeter, with 15 degrees of directional adjustment. This size, coupled with Polk Audio engineering, means that the sound quality and detail are maintained at higher volumes. But the key feature here is their suitability for bathrooms, saunas or even in sheltered outdoor areas like eaves.

Another real highlight is that Polk has matched the timbre of the speakers to its RTiA Series – a series aimed at home cinemas and premium entertainment setups, and is recognised for its accuracy and realism. These ceiling speakers should be high on any audio enthusiast’s shopping list.

These QI65C ceiling speakers from Q Acoustics are an excellent option for anyone looking to add immersive overhead sound effects and more to their Dolby Atmos home cinema setup. They have two separate drivers – the 6.5-inch woofer and the 0.75-inch dome tweeter can deliver a full and balanced sound.

Peak power is rated at 60 watts, which is enough for the average Atmos setup. Talking of Atmos, the real bonus is the tweeter which can be moved – meaning you can aim those frequencies at your seating position for maximum effect. It’s a lot of audio know-how in a small package that you’re after, the in-ceiling mount will really project those surround sounds into the room.

Unlike most other options listed here, the Lithe Audio Bluetooth Ceiling Speakers are an all-in-one solution. They carry an in-built amplifier and Bluetooth receiver. This simplifies installation and daily use considerably, requiring no extra tech to operate, other than a connection to mains power. So, if you’re looking for the flexibility of being able to cast your music into the air from your music streaming service (without needing extra wires and a separate amplifier) this set from Lithe is an ideal option.  

A plus for anyone looking to expand their experience is that these speakers use a master and slave configuration. This means that up to six Lithe Audio speakers can be linked to create a larger setup - but note that you're only getting one speaker at this price. Although some audio purists may be offended by ditching the separate amp and speaker wiring, the performance of these speakers remains undeniably high. The 6.5-inch subwoofer has plenty of depth, and the 1.2-inch tweeter delivers crisp details. 

Your media streams over the speakers via the Bluetooth 5.0 connection, which is also compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant devices. The Lithe ceiling speakers are some of the best Bluetooth speakers on the market.

The very best thing about these i-Star ceiling speakers is the overall size and shape – as they are designed to simply slot into a standard downlighter hole. So, if you have a room with an array of halogen spotlights to choose from, simply disconnect a pair of them and slide these into place instead. Or, use a standard downlighter cutting tool and add these speakers to fit into your lighting pattern for a uniform look. Power-wise, they'll even work with the existing lighting circuit.

Even better, these are Bluetooth-enabled – so you can pair these with your smartphone or other audio device and stream your music to them with minimal hassle. At this size, as long as you don't expect thumping bass and premium hi-fi sound, they're perfect for casual listening with one of the easiest setups we've seen.

If you really want to guarantee that no amount of water can get into your ceiling speakers, these Marine Speakers from PYLE are the way to go. Suitable for everything from boats, showers, and outdoor installations, they're engineered to survive all weathers. Power-wise, they have an impressive 180 watts to play with for excellent volume.

One added benefit is a low-profile mount, so installing these in smaller spaces isn't a problem. But, our favourite feature is the integrated LED lighting - adding a high-tech glow to any room (or vehicle).

Apart from the fact that you're getting a four-speaker system here, we love that this Herdio 6.5-inch kit comes with a single Bluetooth controller that allows you to split these across two rooms. That controller will connect to your smartphone of course, but the buttons give you handy controls for volume and track skipping if you need it.

But, back to the multi-room option here. If you want all four speakers in one room that's no problem, but placing each pair in different rooms and the system will let you send different music to each set. You will need to pair two separate devices to play two sources of music, though. Audio-wise, the 6.5-inch woofers are powerful and deliver great bass, and the dome tweeters pivot for fine-tuning the sound. That said, the control unit/amp doesn't have any tone controls. So, depending on the acoustics, you may need to use an EQ app on your phone or tablet to fine-tune the sound profile. As two-room ceiling speakers go, this one has a brilliant range of features.

When it comes to quality audio, few brands can truly go toe-to-toe with Bose, and the Bose Invisible791 in-ceiling speakers are a testament to this unwavering quality.

Brilliantly designed, gorgeously engineered and fiercely powerful, the Bose Invisible 791 speakers are designed to be as visually unobtrusive as possible, with a flat profile and subtle white mesh to camouflage on walls with ease.

Design aside, Bose's exhilarating 300W audio output is nothing short of excellent, and when paired with a fantastic amplifier, you'll never look back at your standard speaker setup again.

If you're all about having a sleek and active control interface to your ceiling speakers, this Systemline E50 system gives you plenty. Alongside a set of four attractive speakers, you have a wall-mounted touch and gesture control panel. Even better, it's compatible with Amazon Alexa for voice control. The speakers themselves have a minimalist design and premium build about them, - blending into any modern home.

But, back to the touch panel. We love the simple gestures for things like volume - just go clockwise for volume up, or swipe left and right for last and next track skipping. There is, of course, Bluetooth connectivity here so you're all set for wireless streaming. One great extra is the inclusion of an auxiliary input for a TV – so if you are using these as part of a home entertainment setup, you can easily connect things for surround sound. That said, some users may need to hook up an in-line equaliser for fine-tuning the bass and more.