If you read into the notes about the Beovox Cona sub B&O themselves has concluded that the human ear cannot sense in what direction bass notes come from. Thats why the made a "stereo" sub in a mono enclosure.
With that in mind i googled "subwoofer in ceiling" and got several threads from especially home-theater forums that tells me the same thing.
Go ahead 😁 

The only problem I see there is, that a decent subwoofer mostly is quite heavy - the BL16 = 5.1 kg.

Not everyone wants to have that in the ceiling above ;-)

Since you are asking about ear level/directivety, you should be a lot more carefull with the placement of the 15's than with the 16.

The 15's can be tilted. Be sure, that they point towards your listening position - at least that they don't point away ;-)

MM

Hi Mogelmose and Millemissen,

Thank you for your answers, in the back of my mind I thought I remembered hearing it would be OK but I would rather check (especially with beoWorlders!). It is going in a purpose built section of the ceiling which I will be building myself. I will be able to ensure that the mounting points for the speakers are very sturdy and I will be using MDF as the ceiling in that section and not the usual plaster board.

The sub will sit between the two speakers (mainly for aesthetics) and the two speakers will be set to tilt to the optimum position.

Once it is done I will post pictures. It will be completed in about 6 weeks but I will start on the frame on this weekend.

Thanks again for your help

Stoobie

You're fine. I have been apart of jobs where it has happened. I would advise to keep it as far away from any can lights as they will vibrate under a load from the BL16.

Stoobie - 

I understand the desire to center the sub between the speakers for aesthetic reasons, but just be aware that you will typically get the best bass response and integration with your main speakers with the sub place in or near a corner of your room.  Before you commit to all the logistics involved in mounting the sub you might consider trying it in different placements on the floor first and see what sounds best to you - If you can, try it on the floor between the speakers below where you ultimately will want it placed and see how it sounds.

By the way - Kudos to you for trying something different!

Greg

Hi Stoobie,

Yes, as long as the ceiling is solid (and the users of any rooms above don't object!) then a ceiling void could be suitable for certain subwoofer designs, including Beolab 16.

In fact, Kef make a also compact sub/sat speaker system called the SoundLight, which is specifically designed for ceiling mounting (this has satellite speakers which are the size of GU50 down-light fittings and a subwoofer that sits in the ceiling void and ports through two more GU50-sized fittings.

Beolab 16 has two opposing drivers that cancel out the majority of mechanical vibration, making it a good candidate for in-ceiling use in the right environment.

Kind regards, Steve.

GregKo wrote:

If you can, try it on the floor between the speakers below where you ultimately will want it placed and see how it sounds.

Will be difficult to 'try' a BL16 on the floor - the 16 and the BL15's were created for wall-mounting.

MM

Thank you all for your answers, it makes me feel very confident things will be fine with my setup. 

Very much appreciated. 

Stoobie 

I recall that with the Beolab 2, the manual states that it should be between the two front speakers. Never new why (and I didn't do that either)