Drilling Holes in Speakers? (1 Viewer)

[RyanQ]

What are your thoughts on drilling holes in the back of speakers?

Obviously, I wouldn't do this if I didn't need to. However, the JBL SCS160SI speaker system I just purchased needs to be mounted on the ceiling due to existing wiring, and the unthreaded mount point on the speakers are on the bottom of the speaker.

More specifically, I'm looking at purchasing an Omnimount mounting system, and they suggest drilling holes in the back of speakers if needed.

Just wanted to get some opinions from the pros...

 

[SteveAZ]

I've had to drill a few holes in speakers before. The one concern that comes to mind, is the crossover. Some manufacturers mount the crossover to the back wall of the speaker(luckily I've never hit one). You don't want to drill through those.:frowning:

 

[Nathan W.]

With speakers being mounted that high it really shouldn't matter if you flipped them upside down to make use of the holes on the bottom, that is if you can use those holes with the mounts you're thinking about getting. I wonder if the grills can be flipped or the logos moved to keep them upright?

 

[Kenneth Harden]

Those speakers are plastic, BE CAREFUL! You do not want it to split. Maybe start with a small bit and work up. Other thing is you don't want that plastic dust all over the inside of the speaker.

What I would do is pull a driver and see what you are drilling into. Just don't put a screwdriver thru the woofer!!!

 

[Kenneth Harden]

Oh, nothing wrong with plastic. My Klipsch center to be (F-3) has not one piece of wood in it, along with the rears (S-3).

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

Actually speakers mounted overhead should be inverted. It keeps the woofer closer to the boundary, for coupling and reinforcement of the bass, and the tweeter away from the boundary to minimize reflections. Not to mention, the tweeter being closer to ear level that way. It’s the same concept as speakers on the floor.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[RyanQ]

Following is what I got outta JBL in an online chat with them. I think I'm going to go to the local HT store, and have them explain where I should drill the holes.

Ryan: Is there a safe place that I can drill holes in the back of the SCS160SI satellite speaker? This is for a ceiling mount. None of the ceiling mounts I've looked at seem compatible with the SCS160SI satellite speaker.

Charlie: We do not recommend that you drill into the speaker cabinets, as you risk drilling into the crossover network. We do not recommend mounting the speakers in this manner, which is probably why there is no specific mount available for the speakers.

Ryan: I understand. But is there somewhere in the speaker where the crossover network doesn't lie?

Charlie: From what I could find, the only safe locations would be on the sides of the speakers, using very shallow screws that do not go to far into the cabinet. I was actually trying to find the information in the service manual, but, this did not show what I was looking for. I actually removed the drivers in an SCS160SI satellite, to see how the crossover is positioned.

Charlie: The crossover sits directly behind the speaker terminals, and takes up most of the rear panel of the speaker.

Ryan: Right next to the grill? Upper or lower portion of the speaker?

Charlie: The crossover is not that wide, so the sides should be the easiest way to mount these. It actually takes over a portion of both the upper and lower portions of the speaker. The best thing to do is to remove the drivers, to see for yourself exactly how much room is allowed.

Ryan: okay...how do I remove the drivers?

Charlie: After removing the grilles and the front baffles, you are able to unscrew the drivers from the cabinets. You may need to order another baffle, as this is not easy to remove in one piece. This is available to order through our Parts department.