How to Install Wall Speakers

When it comes to home entertainment systems, there are few better options than wall-mounted speakers, as these offer many advantages over floor-mounted speakers or built-in speakers.

The ability to position wall mounted speakers almost anywhere in the room is one of their main advantages, and this allows you to create a hugely satisfying and high quality soundscape that can offer near cinema quality surround sound, particularly if you use speakers that have this kind of compatibility. 

Wall mounted speakers also take up much less space and allow you a lot more flexibility than floor mounted speakers. You can also mount varying sizes of speakers on walls, from large inset speakers to smaller easier to install speakers.

If you’re interested in benefiting from wall mounted speakers you may be slightly daunted by the actual mounting of them. After all, at least floor speakers can just be left safely on the ground, even if they are in the way.

While this is true, floor speakers can be a little more convenient if you don’t want to spend time mounting them neatly, it isn’t that difficult to set up a good wall mounted speaker, and with a little bit of planning, you can make this process much easier and smoother. 

This leads us to the first and most important point of planning to install wall speakers.

Room Size

Planning is everything with this type of installation, and you can make your life much easier by taking some time to take stock of what you want to achieve, and how to do so. The first thing to consider is the size of the room, and also which walls are best positioned to accommodate wall speakers.

This will also require you to make some decisions about how you want to experience the sound they provide. Do you want them positioned behind your seating area for a more surround sound style setup? Or would you prefer a more traditional front facing sound system?

This will immediately give you some direction of where to mount your speakers. The next thing to consider is the size of the room, as this will determine the size of the speakers you need for good acoustics and sound quality.

Obviously, slightly smaller rooms require smaller speakers which may make them easier to mount, while larger rooms may require larger speakers and be more difficult to accommodate. 

Placement

Placement

As we’ve touched on already, placement is key. Once you’ve established the size and direction you want your speakers, get a rough idea of where you want to actually install them and mark this out with a pencil so you can keep track of exactly where you want to install them when the time comes.

Don’t be afraid to try multiple positions to find the correct one. As the saying goes, measure twice, cut once, or in this case, measure twice, drill once!

Plan Wire Installation

After working out where you want your speakers you need to make sure that you can get your wires to them safely and easily.

This can cause a lot of problems if you’ve chosen a difficult spot, and this is something that may make you slightly alter your plans, and it’s best to do this before you break out the power drill.

If your wires can reach the speaker but they are visible, there are more than a few ways to hide them, either by routing them behind furniture or even passing them under floorboards or behind walls if you have the knowledge to implement this.

They can also be routed along the periphery of your room to make them as unnoticeable as possible. Whatever you choose, however, this step will save you a lot of trouble later on.

In-wall Installation

Now we come to the main phase of the process. To insert your speakers into the wall you’ll want a template to help you measure exactly where you want to cut out the wall so that the speaker fits snugly. Make sure there’s room for the cables too!

Tape your template to the wall and use a level to make sure the outline is straight.

Cut the hole carefully, first by drilling a small hole in one of the corners of the template or outline, and then using a drywall saw to cut out the lines you’ve drawn.

If you have rough edges you don’t need to worry, the speaker will often totally hide these if it’s a flush fit – but make sure the speaker fits in terms of depth and height before you start cutting as you don’t want your speaker to be hanging halfway out of the wall!

After this, you can route the cables to the speaker in whatever manner you are able to and depending on your preference. Many people simply wire them overhead or along skirting boards, while others are happy to take the time to route them through the walls. It’s really your preference.

Wall Mount Installation

For a wall mount, this is slightly different and in some ways, much easier.

Depending on the mount you choose the instructions may differ so follow the included instructions to the letter.

However, for success make sure to mark the drill holes for the mounts in pencil and check that they are level before you get started.

Once the mount is in place, you can test it by holding the speaker on there and making sure it’s secure and can take the weight of the speaker safely. Once you’re happy that the mount is safe and secure, you can route the cables to the speaker in the same manner as above, sticking to whatever style of routing you prefer!

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