Yamaha NS-IC800 140 Watt 8-Inch 2-Way In-Ceiling Speakers - Pair (White)

I always appreciate the many helpful detailed customer reviews found on Amazon, and I like to “pay it forward” with detailed reviews of my own. So here goes for my review and installation experience on the Yamaha 6.5” NSIC600WH in-ceiling speakers. By way of background, our new home was built with pre-wired home theater circuitry in our living room, and included two extra speaker outlets over our kitchen island. Despite the outrageous price our builder charged, we bit the bullet and had the living room in-ceiling speakers installed before we moved in. However, we held-off installing the two kitchen in-ceiling speakers to avoid the prohibitive additional cost, and the kitchen speaker wiring remained hidden under two ceiling blanking plates. Finally, after 4 years of living here I decided to install the two remaining speakers in our kitchen ceiling. There are numerous excellent Youtube videos available showing how to complete the installation process which was surprisingly easy with the proper tools. I watched a few of the install videos and moved on to researching the many in-ceiling speakers offered on Amazon Prime. The Yamaha 6.5” NSIC600WH 2-Way 110-Watts RMS speakers quickly caught my attention as I’d had Yamaha home theater speakers in our last home and I was very pleased with their sound quality and sturdy build. I ordered the Yamaha speakers, a 6” drywall saw (about $10 — and required for the install) and eight speaker banana plugs, all on Amazon Prime. I received them the following morning. This is the typical SUPERB 1-DAY SHIPPING we get with Amazon Prime in the Nashville area. The Yamaha speakers, drywall saw and banana plugs arrived carefully packaged and with no damage. The speaker box contained a very hefty cardboard cutout template which worked beautifully with a black Sharpie for marking the ceiling drywall cutout. I surveyed the ceiling first using a stud-finder to ensure the area above was clear for cutting. If you don’t have a stud-finder I recommend you purchase one on Amazon Prime as well. They’re not outrageously expensive and work beautifully locating studs hidden behind drywall. I removed the blanking plate covers and found the pre-wired speaker wire bundled-up inside. DO NOT cut/shorten the speaker wire. You may need it and it’s easily stored up inside the ceiling as you complete the speaker install I discovered the heavy gauge plastic junction box beneath the blanking plates was anchored with two nails on one side to a wooden ceiling truss. I cut a large exploratory hole using the drywall saw in the drywall area I was going to cut-out as part of the install, and used a nail puller to easily remove the two nails securing the junction box. I then cut out the template-outlined hole using the drywall saw. I tested the speakers and they fit snugly in the holes after some minor rotation to the left and right while pushing up. I added 2”-thick un-faced fiberglass insulation loosely in the area immediately above the speaker. This isn’t required…however it can help reduce noise in any room upstairs above any speaker location in a 2-story home such as ours. I then pulled the speaker wire out and installed the banana plugs, which are not required, however they ensure a very secure connection. I attached the banana plugs to the spring-loaded color-coded speaker terminals. I then placed the speakers up in the hole, rotating them left and right while pushing up to ensure the external flange was flush with the ceiling before tightening. CAUTION: ENSURE YOU ROTATE THE 4 PHILLIPS-HEAD ANCHOR SCREWS ABOUT ONE TURN COUNTER-CLOCKWISE BEFORE TIGHTENING THE SCREWS CLOCKWISE. This aids in extending the rather ingenious gripping claws used to secure the speakers. Follow the screw tightening order shown in the Yamaha owner’s manual. Also, ensure the external speaker flange is FLUSH WITH THE CEILING BEFORE you begin to tighten the 4 screws! Rotate the speaker left and right in the hole while pushing upward to ensure a flush fit. TIGHTEN THE 4 PHILLIPS-HEAD SCREWS WITH A SCREWDRIVER ONLY! DO NOT OVER-TIGHTEN! OVER-TIGHTENING will break the drywall supporting the speaker. Once you’ve installed the speakers in the ceiling attach the speaker grilles which are held securely in place by several small magnets. INSTALLATION NOTE: Yamaha and other home theater receivers often REQUIRE YOU TO ACTIVATE/ADD new speakers as “Front Surround” or “Rear Surround” or whatever new position you’re adding to your existing speaker configuration. This is accomplished using the SPEAKER SETUP MENU on your receiver. Otherwise THE RECEIVER WILL NOT OUTPUT SOUND TO THE NEW SPEAKERS despite their being plugged in to the receiver’s speaker terminals. I’ve attached several photos of my install process below. These Yamaha NSIC600WH 6.5” in-ceiling speakers sound EXCELLENT at about one-fifth the cost of a professional install! I shouldn’t have waited four years to install them!

Excellent product. Ordered two pairs. Each on was packaged well. Each package came with a cardboard circle template to make cutting and mounting super easy. Instructions also have helpful tip to check for clearance behind the drywall. Mounted three speakers in the wall and one in the ceiling. Speakers have move able tweeters to help direct sound. Speakers have a spring plunger style connection for the wiring. Speakers allow minuet sounds of songs to be heard.

I bought two pairs of these for my living room surround sound. I have a dedicated home theater, but we of course use the living room the most. When the house was built, speaker wires were ran in the ceilings already, but not to the walls. The holes were about 20 inches away from the wall. Not wanting to run wires to the walls or mount speakers on the ceiling, I opted for the in-ceiling route. I was able to pick these up on sale for $99 per pair. If you can wait, wait for the price to drop, which it frequently does. Installation was easy and mount very flush. The cutout template they provide is very sturdy and makes it easy to trace the hole. Our 2nd story is above the ceiling I mounted them in, so there was no way to see where the joists were. I used a thin knife and make holes ever 90 degrees around the template to make sure that it was clear. The tabs lock securely in place and grill is magnetic and snaps flush with the ceiling. Overall the speaker seems very well made. The binding posts are the push spring type which I love. They hold the wires securely and make installation a breeze. The tweeter can swivel 15 degrees in any direction as well. Not sure how much of a difference it makes acoustically, but it’s a nice touch. The sound quality was above what I was expecting. The range is broad and full, hitting highs and lows well, and transitioning smoothly. I turned my subwoofer off to see how the bass sounded with Bob Marley and it sounded great. Of course a subwoofer is still recommend for home theater viewing, but if you just want it for music, perhaps a subwoofer isn’t needed.

I compared these to the Polk. The difference in the build quality is obvious. These also have a reduced visual impact because they have a clever full coverage magnetic grill (Polk has a plastic bezel around the edge which is more noticable). Yahama has also enclosed the electronics so no concerns with insulation dust impacting performance (Polk electronics are exposed). Yamaha uses gold plated high force spring connections (Polk uses cheap tin plated push ins). The sound is clear and crisp on these Yamahas with plenty of punchy depth. These speakers are capable of generating quite a bit of bass which is most notable in the floor above. Upstairs it sounds like a subwoofer when the volume is cranked up. I've experienced zero distortion at loud volumes. At the same time the sound quality is not sacrificed at lower background volumes either. I'm also impressed with how efficient these speakers are. They are much louder at the same volume than the theater solutions in ceiling speakers at my last house. A couple of tips for installation. If you are doing a new build get the rough in brackets. Not only do they make the drywall cutouts a breeze but they also distribute the force of the toggle screws across more sheetrock area. I feel this makes a difference in the longevity of the sheetrock with all the vibrations. Get the brackets from HTD for $10 each. They are the best and cheapest you will find and they fit like a glove on these Yamahas. For new build I also recommend building an enclosure in the ceiling with joist sized dimensional lumber. Then stuff with mineral wool insulation to limit noise transmission to the floor above and to smooth out the bass response. Overall I'm very pleased with the Yamahas. It's a huge difference in sound and build quality from comparably and cheaper priced speakers. I'm sure there is some difference with B&W and other brands selling speakers for $300 each... but I wasn't willing to spend the time or money to find out.

I waffled around for awhile debating about higher end speakers when we remodeled or kitchen and did a small addition. I ended up buy these 8" and a pair of the 6" version. A year later, I'm glad I didn't spend 2 or 3x the price of these on something 'better', they're great for the money. I have the 8" pair in the kitchen ceiling which is about 14' x 24'. They're hooked up to a Sonos Connect and driven by a 50w/side Adcom GFA5002 that I got for $25 on CL and they're supplemented by a Cambridge Audio Minx subwoofer which is very compact. They sound really nice. Sometimes I feel like the high freq. response is a little lacking, but it might be the space. Overall very pleased. I have the 6" pair in a smaller space again with a Minx sub and driven by an NAD 3020 II. They sound great and have the high freq./treble response I like. Paired with the sub, the system doesn't miss the low end. I think these Yamahas are a good deal if you're not super-critical. Very easy to install. I prewired while the walls were wide open, left the cables sticking out of the drywall.

Great speakers for my purpose, which was in ceiling atmos surround to mate with my new A/V receiver. Don't know where they measure the 8 inches from but no matter. Slick install system and very inconspicuous when mounted. My only issue was getting covers as I could not find any that seemed appropriate for my attic. Returned two different sets as they were cheap and not suited to my purpose. Solution was 2 larger plastic bowls (both for under $5 at walmart!), put some heat resistant insulation inside and didn't even need to fasten them down as my attic insulation and boards held them in! Sound great too....just thought I'd mention this in case anyone else had this issue....

I bought these for our new construction home that we had pre-wired for speakers in several rooms. Installation is easy as other reviewers say. The clamp system to hold the speaker wires made it a simple task to connect to the speakers. I used caution when tightening the tabs that hold the speaker in place, since I had read that other brands easily break. No problems here and the process to secure the speaker in place was better than expected. I try to be handy and usually take longer than most DIYers but I surprised my wife with the small amount of time it took to put these up. The magnetic grill holds strong but is easy to remove and place. It provides a clean look without any logos and since our ceiling is white, there was no need to paint them (which I think you can do). I did a quick set up with the receiver and they sound great. I even had to lower the initial volume level for the receiver because it was so much louder than the set of Sony Floorstanding speakers I previously had. Once I find my microphone, I will go through the optimization process with the receiver and see how it really performs. This was just the family room but I may end up using these speakers for the rest of the house. So far I am happy, but will have to update after these are broken in and optimized.

I'm writing this review after about 10 months of having installed these on the ceiling of my front porch. These speakers sound fantastic, and have held up through one of the worst Pennsylvania winters in recent memory!! I fired them up again a few days ago and they sound just as good as when I installed them last spring. I have worked professionally with music and audio, and the detail you get from these is top notch. These are easily on par with cheaper studio monitors used for critical listening, which is amazing considering they have plastic cones that are made to withstand the elements. I made a little WiFi streaming setup for my porch with these using a Lepai LP-2020a+ and a Dayton Audio WBA31 from Parts Express. (The amp is not actually the best choice out there anymore, I just wanted to hear the original standard for Class D mini amps.) You could also run a Bluetooth amp like the Fosi BT20A or AIYIMA A03 on its own if you just want Bluetooth connectivity and don't care about streaming Spotify or Tidal. And you can run an Echo device to stream audio instead of the WBA31, and use the aux output to run to an amp of your choice. Hook up these speakers to an amp like the AIYIMA A07 or Topping MX3 or Loxjie A10 and you'd have a pretty bumping, reasonably high quality outdoor setup for not a ton of money.