In this review, we will be comparing In-wall Speakers and B28W, two Passive In-wall speakers from Sonos and Revel. Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Sonos In-wall Speakers and Revel B28W first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
Sonos In-wall Speakers Key Specs
- 2-way Design
- 1" Soft-Dome Tweeter
- 6.5" Polypropylene Woofer
- 44-20kHz Frequency Response
- 89 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 8ohms
- Power Range:up to 130watts
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 274.0" x 6.9375" x 3.6250"( 274.0 x 177.0 x 93.0mm )
Revel B28W Key Specs
- 1-way Design
- " Tweeter
- 2 x 8" Polymer-coated aluminum Woofer
- 36-150Hz Frequency Response
- 0 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 8ohms
- Power Range:350watts
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 597.0" x 14.5000" x 4.0000"( 597.0 x 369.0 x 102.0mm )
What size room are the Sonos In-wall Speakers and Revel B28W 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:
| Listening Environment* |
Sonos In-wall Speakers |
Revel B28W |
| Near-field |
Poor |
Are you nuts? |
| Small Room |
Average |
Bad |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Poor |
| Large Room |
Average |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Poor |
Good |
(* Approximate Room sizes: Small < 100sq. ft / 9 m2, Mid-size: 100-220 sq. ft / 9-20 m2, Large 220-400 sq. ft / 20-36 m2, Very Large: > 400 sq. ft / 36 m2.
Average Floor Height: 9" / 2.7m. Typical room sizes differ from country to country, and the actual listening experience changes depending on floor height, room shape, surface materials, listening position, speaker locations, etc.)
In the following sections, we will get into more detail in order to better understand how the Sonos In-wall Speakers and Revel B28W 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 B28W 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 |
Revel B28W |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
1-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
- |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 6.5-inch
|
2 x 8-inch
|
In-wall Speakers features a 1" Soft-Dome Tweeter and 1 x 6.5" Polypropylene Woofer . On the other hand, the B28W features a " Tweeter and 2 x 8" Polymer-coated aluminum Woofer .
Frequency Response
In-wall Speakers has a frequency range of 44-20kHz whereas B28W has a frequency range of 36-150Hz. With a minimum frequency of 36Hz, the B28W can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the In-wall Speakers's min frequency of 44Hz.
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 B28W 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 B28W's is at 0 dB. This 89 dB difference makes the Sonos In-wall Speakers a more sensitive speaker compared to Revel B28W, 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.
In-wall Speakers can handle a max power of 350 watts RMS from the amp the whereas In-wall Speakers has a max power handling value of 130 watts RMS , 220 watts less than the B28W.
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 B28W 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 Revel B28W'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 Revel B28W has external dimensions of 597.0 x 369.0 x 102.0mm ( 23.5000-inch x 14.5000-inch x 4.0000-inch) .
Revel B28W is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 192mm wider, 323mm taller and 9mm 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 Revel B28W?
Here are the items that come with the B28W:
In-wall subwooferGrille8 Screws8 Washers8 IsolatorsOwners Manual
Driver Setup 
Height 
Base Surface Area 
Price per pair* 
Max Input Power 
Woofer Size 
High Frequency Response