In this review, we will be comparing In-wall Speakers and 300 IW 6, two Passive In-wall speakers from Sonos and Focal. Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Sonos In-wall Speakers and Focal 300 IW 6 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
What size room are the Sonos In-wall Speakers and Focal 300 IW 6 speakers good for?
The size of the room in which you are planning to use these loudspeakers is an important decision factor. Here we have compared their suitability to various sizes of environments considering their size and max power parameters:
In the following sections, we will get into more detail in order to better understand how the Sonos In-wall Speakers and Focal 300 IW 6 compare and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one of these loudspeakers is the better choice for you.
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Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that In-wall Speakers is a 2-way design whereas the 300 IW 6 is a 1-way speaker. 3-way designs utilize a midrange driver in addition to the tweeter and woofer on 2-way designs. Designing a crossover for a 3-way speaker is a complicated process and generally increases the overall cost of the speaker.
| Driver |
Sonos In-wall Speakers |
Focal 300 IW 6 |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
1-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
- |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 6.5-inch
|
1 x 6.5-inch
|
In-wall Speakers features a 1" Soft-Dome Tweeter and 1 x 6.5" Polypropylene Woofer . On the other hand, the 300 IW 6 features a 1" Inverted Hard-Dome Tweeter and 1 x 6.5" Flax Woofer .
Frequency Response
In-wall Speakers has a frequency range of 44-20kHz whereas 300 IW 6 has a frequency range of 55-28kHz. With a minimum frequency of 44Hz, the In-wall Speakers can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the 300 IW 6's min frequency of 55Hz.
Below graphs depict how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average values of the Min and Max Frequencies of other speakers in the In-wall class in our database.
Low Frequency
In-wall Speakers
High Frequency
In-wall Speakers
None of these speakers achieves full range experience which is commonly agreed as 20Hz-20kHz. In order to achieve lower lows / deeper bass, we recommend you pair these with a subwoofer. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
In-wall Speakers and 300 IW 6 have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. In-wall Speakers sensitivity is rated at 89 dB and the 300 IW 6's is at 90 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the Focal 300 IW 6 a more sensitive speaker compared to Sonos In-wall Speakers, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
In-wall Speakers
Power Range
Power
range is the range of input power in watts RMS that a loudspeaker is designed to handle. While using an amplifier within this range ensures the nominal performance , inputting a power that is higher than the max wattage can result in a damaged speaker.
Keep in mind that a higher max power handling value doesn't necessarily make that a louder speaker
compared to a lower max handling speaker. Loudness or the sound level is also impacted by parameters
such as Impedance, sensitivity and system efficiencies.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
In-wall Speakers features Spring post type posts and 300 IW 6 has a Spring post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Physical Specs
Size of a speaker can sometimes become an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare Sonos In-wall Speakers's and Focal 300 IW 6's external dimensions. Sonos In-wall Speakers has external dimensions of 274.0 x 177.0 x 93.0mm ( 10.7500-inch x 6.9375-inch x 3.6250-inch) whereas Focal 300 IW 6 has external dimensions of 293.0 x 191.0 x 96.0mm ( 11.5000-inch x 7.5000-inch x 3.7500-inch) .
Focal 300 IW 6 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 14mm wider, 19mm taller and 3mm deeper than Sonos In-wall Speakers.
What's in the Box of Sonos In-wall Speakers?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of In-wall Speakers:
2 In-wall loudspeakers2 Grilles2 Cutout Templates
What's in the Box of Focal 300 IW 6?
Here are the items that come with the 300 IW 6:
One in-wall speakerGrill (white)12.5