Installing in-ceiling speakers (1 Viewer)

[Sanjiv]

I am installing in-ceiling for my surrounds in a 5.1 setup. The wiring is already done and there are electrical boxes nailed to the joists with face plates so I know where the wires terminate.
The question is - can I mount my speakers in a way that it uses the cutout for the electrical box. In other words - mount them close to the joists so that the hole required to be cut out for them overlaps with the rectangular cut in the sheetrock for the junction box. That way it will save me from repairing the sheetrock where the junction box currently is. The reason I ask is because the manufacturer (NHT) recommends mounting speakers at least 2 inches from the joists.
Please help.
Regards
Sanjiv

 

[Dave Milne]

I would go ahead and mount the speakers where the box cutouts are. You wouldn't want the ugly cover plates hanging there next to your speakers. I'm not sure why NHT would recommend keeping the speakers 2 inches away from the joists. Perhaps they are trying to keep installers away from electrical wiring, conduit, piping, etc. that may be attached to the joists. Acoustically, it's actually better to mount the epeakers close to joists because of the extra stiffness. Drywall is pretty "floppy" midway between joists. You may want to keep a thin layer of fiberglass or foam on any surfaces near the back of the speakers just to minimize internal reflections.

 

[Sanjiv]

Thanks! I checked with a few other folks and they didn't seem to think there was much of an issue installing close to the cutout. So I think I will follow your recommendation.
Will let you know how it turns out.
Thanks
Sanjiv

 

[Rich X]

You can mount them close to joists as long as there is enough drywall hanging over the edge of the joists for the bracket that holds the speaker to clamp on to. All in-wall speakers have some sort of clamping device that pinches the drywall and holds the speaker in-place. If your junction box is right up against the stud you may have a problem.

You will have to look at the actual speaker and see how it mounts. If there is not enough drywall for the clamping device to purchase, then you will have to move the location to a slightly different spot and patch the holes where your juntion boxes are.