Heco Ambient On-Wall Speaker Review

The Heco Ambient series is part of the Heco family of speakers, designed and engineered in Germany. Ambient models are all designed to be mounted right on the wall which can be a great space saver in many environments. The Heco wall-mounted speakers have another advantage in that they have a simple mount which only needs a single nail or screw in your wall and your speaker wire easily attaches from below. For people living in rental or temporary spaces, or for those who do not want to cut holes in their walls, these are a wonderful choice.

Heco has been around since 1949 and we love the way they call on both new technologies and some classic mid-century speaker tech in all of their models.

For those of you into home theater, you know you get the most immersive experience if all of your speakers are closely matched. Heco makes this easier than any speaker line we have seen with all of their models using the same type of speaker components, allowing you to mix models and sizes, to get the combination that is perfect for your room and budget.

Heco Fluktus Tweeter

All Heco speakers use their famous Fluktus tweeter which has the advantage of very even response across all frequencies. This means everyone gets the same great sound no matter where they are sitting in your room. The Fluktus tweeter has all of the advantages of a horn driver with super even dispersion. For you audiophiles, this tweeter has a very open and effortless sound that is very sweet. You’ll hear details in your music you never knew existed.

Heco Kraft Paper Cone

Their Kraft Paper Cone is the tech shared by every single speaker for the midrange and woofer components. This cone material was developed when they studied great speakers from the 1950-1960 time frame and found they all used a similar type of paper. Heco sources their paper pulp from renewable forests around the world, then injects it with German made wool fibers and a special liquid blend to increase its stiffness. Many experts who have studied this unique material feel it is the ideal combination for a midrange and woofer.

The great thing is, even the least expensive Ambient models all incorporate this great German engineering. If you want to learn more details about these unique components used by Heco, check out our full Heco Speakers Comparison & Overview.

There are three Ambient models that can be used as a stereo pair or as surround speakers in a home theater setup. The larger one can even be turned sideways for a neat 3 speaker LCR set up with a flat panel television.

Every model comes with three different colored grills in the box which are a very light grey, dark grey, or black. The speaker itself is available in black or white which gives you a host of options to match your decor. We also think it is pretty cool how they protrude off the wall about the same distance as a wall-mounted flat-panel TV.

Heco Ambient 11F 2-Way On-Wall Speakers

The Ambient 11F On-Wall is the first model in the series. This sealed cabinet is about 12” tall by 7” wide with a depth of just under 4 inches. It feels really solid with its beefy MDF construction.

You’ll get a 4” Kraft Paper Cone woofer with the same Fluktus tweeter all the models have. 

We find this model well suited for many different uses. Many people use these as their surround speakers in a Heco home theater. For small rooms, they can also be used as a stereo pair of speakers, or — if you really want them to come to life — the combination of these with the Heco subwoofer is pretty incredible. They also look great mounted on the wall on either side of a large computer monitor freeing up some desk space. Just hide a small amp under your desk and you have some great computer speakers. 

These do not go as low in the bass as the larger Ambient models, but in a small room, sound very good on their own. And we love that smooth and sweet Fluktus tweeter!

Heco Ambient 22F 2-Way Bass Reflex On-Wall Speaker

When you step up to the Ambient 22F On-Wall Speaker, you get a speaker you can mount on the wall that sounds like a high-performance bookshelf speaker. These step up to a 5” Kraft Paper Cone woofer with the same Fluktus tweeter. The cabinet is about 17” tall by 12” wide by 4” deep. The Ambient 22F uses a bass-reflex design which means they have a front-firing port. This makes them a bit easier to drive and gives them bass that reaches deep and has much more punch than the Ambient 11F. 

These make a great wall-mounted stereo pair of speakers or can be a step up from the Ambient 11F for surround speakers. Although we have to say the Ambient 11F is an excellent surround speaker and its smaller size makes it better suited for surrounds in most rooms.

We also see them being wall mounted on either side of a TV with the Heco Aurora 30 center channel sitting on top of the TV cabinet. 

All in all, the Ambient 22F is a super versatile speaker!

Heco Ambient 44F 2-Way Bass Reflex On-Wall Speaker

The top of the line Heco Ambient 44F On-Wall Speaker takes things even further. This model uses two of the 5” Kraft Paper Cone woofers with a Fluktus tweeter in the center for a true LCR speaker. 

The first thing that hit us with the 44F is just how low it reaches down, rivaling many floor-standing speakers. As a stereo pair, this wall-mounted speaker will take up no floor space yet deliver bass that makes you shake your head in wonder. 

Their height of 30” and width of 12” with a shallow 4” of depth make them a perfect match for LCR’s on either side of a flat-panel TV with a single 44F below or above the TV. Some people will opt for just a pair on either side of the TV with the Aurora 30 center channel speaker on the TV cabinet. 

Another thing we really like about these is how dynamic they are. This means you will be able to sense not only the explosions of an action movie but also the subtle emotions in voices that draw you into a movie. For the techies, they have a sensitivity of 90 dB which is greater than a lot of tower speakers, making them very easy to drive with a modest receiver as well. 

If you are trying to get great sound without taking up any floor space, the Ambient 44F is simply an outstanding choice. Check out one of our recent home theater showcase videos featuring a near-field home theater that we installed in a relatively compact bonus room. While we have many home theater showcases, the majority of them cover homes with dedicated theater rooms. The reality is that many people don’t have that kind of extra space available, but still want to create a cinematic experience in their homes. In this video, we show you how you can put a terrific theater in a more compact space, such as a bonus room, living room, or larger bedroom using Heco 22F & 44F On-Wall Speakers.

We hope this overview of the Heco Ambient series has helped you understand how these can be a great choice for either the surround speakers in a Heco Aurora based home theater or how they can be used in a variety of applications by themselves.

If you are thinking about building or updating a home theater, be sure to check out our free 3D home theater designer where you can design your system, see lots of videos of installations like this one, as well as browse our inspiration gallery and how-to videos. At Audio Advice, we've been designing and installing high-performance home theaters & smart home systems for our customers for decades. In fact, we've delivered more custom theaters than anyone in the Southeast! We are now offering Home Theater Design no matter where you live in the United States. If you have any questions about the Heco lineup or are interested in a custom home theater, give us a call at 888.899.8776, chat with us, or stop by one of our award-winning showrooms. We can't wait to help you build your ultimate home theater!

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