How to properly install in-wall speakers (1 Viewer)

[Neil Joseph]

I have to help a friend of mine choose and then mount several in-wall speakers from the following site.... AVDeals.ca

Never having installed in-walls before I naturally want to do it right. What do I need to do or know?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Neil Joseph]

I have to help a friend of mine choose and then mount several in-wall speakers from the following site.... AVDeals.ca

Never having installed in-walls before I naturally want to do it right. What do I need to do or know?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Bob McElfresh]

I've always been afraid of in-walls because once you cut - you have no options to move things around.

Get a in-wall stud sensor and use it to map out the studs around where you want to put the speakers. I would try to pick a position with no cross-studs so you can run the speaker wire down without problems.

You must run CL3 or "in-wall" rated speaker wire. I strongly suggest you install plastic wall-outlet box's under each speaker position and run the wires through this. Dont buy wall plates with binding posts. Pull enough wire to create un-broken runs and buy blank face-plates and drill a hole and thread the wire through for a custom look. Later, you can remove the wall plate and install a Decora faceplate with binding posts, but it's cheaper and easier to use blank wall plates at first.

Thats about the only advice I have.

Oh - If you buy round speakers, they sell a sheet-rock cutter that is specifically made to cut round holes. Also they sell a cheap aluminum sheet-rock knife for about $4 to cut out a square hole and for the electrical wall outlet box's.

Outlet box's: make sure to buy the plastic ones that have screws with little plastic gizmos that flip up and clamp the box in place. Ask your favorite hardware store clerk for them. The good ones come with a small cardboard template you put against the wall and draw around to show you where to cut.

 

[ChrisWiggles]

Do they come with a manual? Different inwalls can use significantly different installation methods depending on their design. Universal advice is difficult to give because of this.

 

[Philip Hamm]

+100. Sometimes they require a box that goes in the wall as a "speaker cabinet", sometimes they are designed to use the house channel as a cabinet in a kind of infinite baffle configuration. Sometimes there are internal frames, etc. Lots of different types of inwall and inceiling speakers.

 

[Stephen Hopkins]

If they are open back (no box built in) then they'll likely use one of two mounting methods... older in-walls requires the use of a rough-in kit/plate that would mount to a stud and fit in a hole cut in the drywall when it was hung. These are used during construction and not after the fact. The other method, more common now, is the speaker having built in "quick clamp" mounting hardware. These are basically a screw with a protruding clamp element that when tightened clamps the front lip of the speaker to the drywall.

 

[Andrew Pratt]

All the in-walls i've used have been mounted using the screw in clamps that stephen talks about. They're very easy to install and I'd recomend having a cordless drill on hand b/c they're long finely threaded bolts that would take a long time to hand tighten...just be careful when you get in close b.c the last thing you want to do is snap the plastic.

Basically though plan out where the speakers will go...and make sure there's no stud under or imediately beside the cut out hole. The speakers will come with a paper template that you can use to trace an outline on the wall with. I find having a small level handy to get everything square before you start tracing the cut out. Once you've got the cut out holes market tripple check there's no studs in the way...and if possible no power lines either and then use something to cut out the holes. I've used jig saws in past but if its just drywall a small hand held sawblade knife works well enough. The only other thing to consider then is running the cable though the walls etc