Polk Audio MC80 2-Way In-Ceiling Speaker, 8" Speaker, Single, White

These are awesome! I mounted them in the living room ceiling for music and to also complete the surround sound system. The mountings are included and the actual mounting installation is easy. For me it was the preparation that took a while. I needed to figure out where exactly to mount them, the separation, which way were the ceiling joists running, at which points to cut into the ceiling and wall to minimize holes and patching, how much cabling was needed, etc. I did have to rent a hammer drill and I bought a 54" extension for my drill bit. (ended up getting the extension for free- I returned it because it snapped in half right when I was finishing the last hole). It was definitely a weekend project. That included, cutting through ceiling and wall, drilling through a few joists, running the speaker cable through the ceiling and down the inside of the wall to the receiver, mounting the speakers, patching the wallboard and some touch up painting and I also did the project solo, but if you're handy and plan it well it shouldn't be a problem. I spent the extra cash and purchased premium speaker cable too. I mean if you're going to go through all that work why cheap out on the cable? All said and done it was a project I was very proud of. :) You know its good when even a couple years later you still stop and go "Wow, these sound great!". Anyways, they fill the room with sound and along with 2 front, one center and sub Polk's that we have it really completes the surround sound experience and music sounds awesome too. Once in a while we'll really crank these babies up and they handle everything we can throw at it.

Installing in ceiling surround speakers may appear to be a daunting task, but the hardest part in this process for budget minded home owners is finding the right speaker! Before purchasing these lovely gems I bought a set of Polk RC80i's and while they were a significant improvement over my 9 year old Onkyo Home Theater in a Box speakers, they didn't give me the sound I was looking for when deciding on the front R&L set. After reading reviews from numerous sights, I decided on purchasing 2 of the MC80's with the belief that if they didn't fit the bill I would return them and step up to the Polk FX series as they come highly recommended. As with the other Polk set, installation was a breeze and had both installed in less than 30 minutes, threw on The Dark Knight opening scene as a test and wow! Crisp clear highs, detailed mids and enough (not a lot!) lows to lower my powered sub woofer a few notches. The tilted tweeters allowed me to adjust the sound to my listening position and 45 minutes later I remembered I was only suppose to be testing these. Audiophiles will warn against in ceiling speaker setups as the front and center should be at eye level, I noticed this with the RC80i's in the rear but the MC80's enveloped into my listening position and really became apart of the scene. We were even able to pick up the audio cues coming from the right and left channels as the action took place in the movie, something the rears appeared to struggle with. Even playing music through the setup just seemed cleaner and crisp, we even swapped the 2 pairs around to avoid eliminating the RC series just because the were in the "rear", and still the MC set outperformed them 110%. I will be returning the RC80i set to CF and purchasing 3 more MC80's for the center channel, and 2 rears.

Installed this in my ceiling i tried a couple of different ways to modify the sound/increase the bass produced using insulation. First, i stuffed Denim insulation in between the floor joists to create a complete seal about a foot from either side of the cutuot for the speaker. This didn't seem to change the sound. Then i formed a seal with insulation on the sides, and above the speaker. This also didn't seem to change the sound. The sound quality is excellent. This speaker is very loud and very clear up to any volume that i could imagine a person wanting to listen to. If turned up, this speaker alone will shake the entire floor above the speaker. My daughter commented that she could feel it in her feet even with her feet off the ground. I think it would probably have a decent amount of bass if installed in a wall, with the wall providing a complete sealed enclosure. I installed this as a rear center and installed two Polk MC65s for side surrounds. The MC80 is definitely louder and has more bass, but none of them have a nice full bass sound when installed in the ceiling. I had to turn the MC80 volume down on my receiver setup due to too much noise upstairs when this speaker was at the same level as the other speakers - the MC65s don't penetrate the ceiling floor as much. I have actual polk bookshelfs installed as the front speakers, and a subwoofer, so for the complete setup, the sound is very good. The surround speakers do what they are supposed to and voice match the other polk speakers. Voices sound like you are hearing them live in concert from both the MC65s and MC80s, however if i hadn't already bought the MC65s i would have bought all MC80s after hearing the slightly fuller sound they produce.

I bought 5 for my Onkyo 5.1 surround receiver to replaced my Boston acoustic speakers(still using the powered sub). I did not put them in the ceiling but built my own speakers boxes integrated into some custom Furnature I designed out of popalar. Works great as a bookshelf speaker...made a wood box with an integrated speaker for the wood stove....an eight ft behind the couch rolling cabinet with 2 integrated pop up speakers and a low profile center speaker behind the wood stove. Covid 19 gave me the time....stay safe and busy 1. Versatile 2. Great price for the sound 3. They crank

Nice sounding speakers

I'll be honest, I bought these because they were cheap and planned to upgrade after my remodel was done. They sound way better than I expected. Another reason I picked these was because of the full cone of the driver and the tweeter "bridged" over it. Standard installation for these that my contractor did because my ceilings are too high for me to get up there. The only thing I do not like is the grill, I prefer the 1 piece grill without the ring around it. All in all, a good value, decent bass response with matching mids and highs. Great budget speaker for me.

Got 2 of these, great sound and very easy to install. Looks perfect in my kitchen ceiling.

I just installed these as my front speakers in a 5.1 surround setup and could not be happier! The level of my satisfaction was greatly enhanced by the fact that, when I turned the system on for the first time, my sub wasn't working (not properly connected). However, while I could tell I wasn't getting the powerful bass you expect from a subwoofer, these guys were driving some pretty impressive bass on their own. They are in-celing speakers so I did not expect to be that impressed with their bass response. They aren't as punchy as a stand alone box speaker but, considering their small stature, they blew me away! Better yet, the high frequencies are crisp and clean as well. Once I DID get my sub hooked up (also Polk Audio), the total sound produced by my new home theatre system was phenomenal. Everyone who has heard the system reacted with an emphatic WOW! I love these so much, I am planning to buy another pair for our Master Bedroom where they will stand alone without a sub. A+++

Superbe produits très facile d installation très bon son et le prix très abordable.....j en aie installé 2 dans salon et 2 dans cuisine avec l ajout d un subwoofer

Awesome sound , love love love them , and easy to install!

J’ai installé ces haut parleurs dans ma cuisine et ma salle à mangé très bon rapport qualité prix.

I have Paradigm 6.5” fronts and Pyle 6.5” Rears. I wanted something slightly bigger in the Center to handle the mids. The small but bassy 8” Paradigm Sub handles the rest quite well. I am impressed with the Polk, especially at the price point. Very nice sounding speaker.

Great sound quality. Easy install