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 installI 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!

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.

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 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.