Volt-6 questions

My new theater plans currently consist of 3x 88 Specials for LCR, 4x angled flat-pack Volt-6 for surrounds and 4x Atmos flat-pack Volt-6 for Atmos. I might be convinced to upgrade channels 4&5 to Volt-8's for the few bucks difference, but that's a topic for later.

Focusing on the Volt-6's: If I buy the Atmos flat pack with them, I assume the baffle in the kit will be swapped out to match? The normal baffle for the angled packs has the port of course, I'm assuming I don't have to cut it down and round the edge to match the Atmos packs? Are there other differences in the kit, say in the crossover, or maybe less batting/fill for the box?

Second question, I'd like to flush-mount my four Atmos speakers in the ceiling, and I read in another thread that that's fine with the Volt-6. My question is could the Volt-6 handle not having an enclosure at all in that case? Above the ceiling is just attic space, could I flush mount the Volt-6 in ceiling with no enclosure behind it? Any idea what impact I should expect to frequency response or power handling if I tried this? It's only ~$50 worth of flat packs for all 4 Atmos speakers, so no big deal, but I was curious.

Finally, coming back to the Volt-8 option, for use as surrounds (not mains), is there any significant reason to upgrade to the Volt-8? From a power perspective I'll be using an Emotiva XPA-5 with 200W/ch for the main five speakers. The Volt-6 says it can handle 300W, so no fear of blowing it up, plus it has the same frequency response, and 1dB less sensitivity. What am I missing, if anything, that wouldn't be seen in the straight numbers, that might convince me to upgrade? The little searching I did only turned up a little bit about using Volt-8's as surrounds instead of mains, and at least one guy I found ended up returning them for 6's because the 8's were just too much for his room...

Thanks a lot!

 

OK so I just realized that the order page for the speakers has an option to select which flat pack you'll be buying, to make sure the baffle matches. So my first dumb question can be ignored

That said, if anyone knows whether there's any crossover differences or anything other than the baffle between the different enclosure types, I'm still curious. And if anyone knows what to expect from mounting a Volt speaker without a box, in an "infinite baffle"-like arrangement, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Thanks again!

 

Thank you Matt that answers my questions exactly. I agree with the rationale on the lack of crossover changes between the kits, just wanted to see what I'd be dealing with. And yes, I expected the lack of an enclosure would require a raise in the crossover frequency due to the higher excursion potential, but I wasn't sure how much exactly, and I wouldn't want to over-drive the speakers. I plan to power the surround backs and Atmos off my receiver (front LCR and surrounds off my Emotiva XPA-5) so an IB-mounted Atmos shouldn't be getting all that much power to risk over-driving them, I hope.

I'm actually somewhat considering just saying "screw it" and going with Volt-10 all the way around, for surrounds and atmos, since the cost per speaker + flatpack with a Volt-6 is $130-140, and the same for a Volt-10 is $170-$180. Not to mention if I go the IB route in the ceiling I could knock $20-$30 off each Volt-10 by not buying a flat pack, but potentially hold a lower crossover point thanks to the naturally lower freq. response and the higher power handling? Across all 8 speakers we're talking a total delta cost of a couple hundred $$ to use all 10's, and there are probably far dumber things I could spend money on in the new theater...

I have some more planning to do before I can make a final decision, but thank you for helping me understand my options!

 

I had ruled out the Volt-8 at first because there's no option for an Atmos flat-pack, only the angled surround. Of course if I decide to go with an IB-style ceiling mount that wouldn't matter so it could be in the running again. However, the cost delta between the 8's and 10's is only $10-$12ea. from what I recall, vs. the drop down to the 6 being a $30+ savings. Even across 8 speakers we're talking ~$100 to jump from all 8's to all 10's. So with that in mind I was looking at it as either use the 6's for space/size/aesthetic reasons, or just go all the way to the top with the 10's.

Don't get me wrong, I believe the 10's would be supreme overkill for my space, and the 6's would likely be perfect. I'm coming from dipole surrounds with 5 1/4" mids and 1" tweeters, and height speakers with 6.5" mids and 3/4" tweeters. Even still, a little bit of overkill never hurt anyone, and part of me wants to go all out and make sure I'm prepared for whatever comes down the pipe in the future...