First published August 2021. Rewritten and last reviewed 28 August 2026.
Invisible speakers do exactly what the name says. The loudspeaker is fixed into the wall or ceiling, plastered over, and decorated with the rest of the room. There is no grille, no visible frame and nothing to align with the joinery, because there is nothing to see. For an architect or interior designer who has spent months on a wall, that is the whole point.
We have specified the Sonance Invisible Series since it became practical to do so, and this article explains what it is, where it works, where it does not, and what has to be decided before the plasterer arrives.
How an invisible speaker works
A conventional in-wall speaker pushes sound through a grille. An invisible speaker turns the surface of the wall itself into the radiating element. A drive unit sits behind a rigid panel that is bonded to the wall finish; the panel flexes with the signal and the plaster skim moves with it. Sonance’s current range runs from the IS6 (a 6.5-inch woofer) through the IS8 to the IS10, with an in-wall subwoofer, the IS10-2W, for low frequencies. Cabinet depth is between 3.15 and 3.86 inches depending on model, which is why the wall build-up has to be known at design stage rather than discovered on site.
Because the whole panel radiates, dispersion is very wide, in the region of 180 degrees. The practical result is that sound fills a room evenly rather than beaming from a visible point, and a listener does not locate the source. In a drawing room, a hallway or a bedroom that is precisely what is wanted. In a dedicated cinema, where the engineering calls for tightly placed channels aimed at the seats, it is not, and we say so.
Where they are the right answer
- Rooms where the finish is the point. Panelled walls, specialist plaster, wallpaper, a ceiling that has been kept deliberately clean.
- Listed and historic interiors. Where a grille would be an intrusion and a freestanding speaker an anachronism. The speaker sits within a new lining or a modern partition, not in the historic fabric.
- Background and whole-house audio. Music in kitchens, dining rooms, bathrooms and circulation spaces, where evenness matters more than pinpoint imaging.
- Hospitality. Restaurants and bars that want music without visible equipment competing with the interior. The transformer versions of the range are made for exactly that.
What has to be decided before the plasterer arrives
This is the part that separates a good result from a disappointing one, and it is almost entirely a programme question.
- Positions on the drawing at RIBA Stage 3. An invisible speaker cannot be moved after the skim. Its position is coordinated with lighting, joinery, artwork and services in the same way a downlight would be.
- Wall build-up. Stud depth, board thickness and the finish system all affect whether the speaker can be fitted and how it will sound. Sonance lists plasterboard, selected plasters, wallpaper, leather and wood veneer as suitable finishes; heavy or very stiff finishes are not.
- Cabling at first fix. Speaker cable to every position, and the amplifier location agreed, before the boards go on.
- The plasterer briefed. The skim over the speaker is a specific operation, done to the manufacturer’s instructions, and we are on site for it.
- Bass handled separately. For music at a level beyond background, the in-wall subwoofer or a concealed conventional subwoofer is specified alongside, so that the invisible units are not asked to do what they were not designed for.
Questions we are asked
Do invisible speakers sound as good as visible ones?
For music and television in a living space, a properly installed Invisible Series system sounds very good and most people cannot tell where it is coming from. For a dedicated cinema or a critical listening room, a conventional speaker aimed at the listening position will still do more. We recommend on the room, not the brand.
Can they be fitted in an existing wall?
Yes, if the wall is plasterboard on studs or can be lined. The opening is cut, the speaker fixed, and the area skimmed and redecorated. Solid masonry walls need a lining, which is a joinery and decoration job as much as an audio one.
What happens if one fails?
It is cut out, replaced and re-skimmed. Failures are rare, but this is why we keep a record of every position and why the wall finish is chosen with that in mind.
Specifying invisible speakers in Scotland
Invisible speakers are one of the options within our audio design work, alongside conventional architectural speakers and the Steinway Lyngdorf and Lyngdorf Audio systems we are authorised to supply. We normally work for the client, with the architect, and the earlier we are involved the more of the above is settled on paper. Start a conversation or ask us for a CPD session on architectural audio for your design team.