Do you intend to get a new in-ceiling speaker for your home entertainment system? Or do you already have one and would like to install it but do not have the budget to pay technicians to do it for you? Then doing it yourself is an apt option for you.
In this article, you will learn where to place your speakers and how to install home theater speakers In-ceiling perfectly.
Table of Contents
- 1 How To Install Home Theater Speakers In Ceiling Reviewed!!!
- 2 Placement Of Speakers
- 3 Placing Your Surround Speakers
- 4 Getting Set To Install
- 4.1 Make Use Of UL-rated Wire For Your In-Ceiling Speakers
- 4.2 Use A Stud Finder To Confirm Your Speaker Locations
- 4.3 Check Behind Your Walls thoroughly
- 4.4 Commence With A Pilot Hole
- 4.5 Explore The Area
- 4.6 Make Sure To Confirm All Your Speaker Locations Before Cutting
- 4.7 Make Use Of Rough-In Brackets To Map Out Your Speaker Locations
- 5 Getting Your Speakers Installed
How To Install Home Theater Speakers In Ceiling Reviewed!!!
Placement Of Speakers
It is imperative to have a concise plan before installing your speakers. Impressive speakers positioned in strategic locations will sound even better.
Placing Your Speakers For Background Music
If your system or intended system is mainly for background music, then balanced sound ought to be your focal point. It is okay to have too many speakers than not having enough. If you place the speakers too far apart from each other, your music will play too loudly in some areas of the room and not so loud in other areas.
In-Wall Positioning For Dedicated Music
If you want a space where sitting and listening to music is the focal point, then it is best to position your in-wall speakers at ear level to reproduce the live cinematic sound performance.
Endeavor to position both the right and left speakers at the same distance from one another as they are from your main listening position.
This placement offers you a focused, well-distributed, and balanced sound.
Home Theater Speaker Placement
In the case that you want your home theater in your family or living room or in the media room where movies and sporting events are solely watched.
The best way to place speakers in both scenarios is one and the same. The only difference may be the height of the right and left channel speakers, depending on the activities that occur in that space.
If you wish to play music for the entertainment of your guests in your living room, you want your rear and front in-wall speakers to be at the same ear level when you stand.
This heightened positioning ensures great sound performance as people move around your apartment. This placement also ensures immersive sound effects when watching a movie.
You may find it appealing to want to install your in-wall speakers beside your TV for aesthetic reasons, but you will get a better sound performance when you spread out the front speakers.
If you can, place your right, left, and front speakers at the same distance away from each other as they are from your main listening position.
Dedicated Theater Room Placement
Placing your speakers in a dedicated theater room has the same procedures as the speaker placement above, with only one difference in the speaker’s height.
Since the room will not be used for any other activity, it is best to place each speaker at ear level or a little bit higher when seated. This placement ensures a fantastic sound experience.
Center Channel Speaker Placement
When you place your center channel at ear level, you find the dialogue from the speakers clearer and easier to understand when you are seated. But your TV looks amazing when its middle line is at eye level.
Choosing TV mounting and center channel locations requires a balance between the aforementioned two factors.
Make a decision on the height for both before having anyone installed. Most people install the center channel underneath their TV.
Make sure a few inches of space is left between the bottom of your TV and the top center channel. This space restrains the TV from obstructing some of the sounds of the center channel.
Placing Your Surround Speakers
If you are making use of side surrounds, have them face one another. If you are making use of rear surround speakers, have them face your room’s front.
If the tweeters of your speakers can swivel, turn them facing your seating position.
You should position your surround speakers around the same distance apart as the right, left, and front speakers.
It is highly recommended to have your in-ceiling speakers at least 18-24 inches away from an opposite ceiling.
DTS:X and Dolby Atmos Overhead Speakers Placement
If you intend to use overhead speakers for ample effect, Dobly recommends that for Atmos systems you ought to make use of four in-ceiling speakers.
One pair placed in front of your listening position and the other pair positioned behind your listening position.
Mount your speakers slightly in front of your listening position if your system can only accommodate one pair of speakers.
If your speaker placement does not come out perfectly, do not be bothered because your sound will be dialed in by your Atmos-enabled receiver’s auto-calibration system.
Getting Set To Install
Endeavor to get the appropriate tools needed to ascertain a silky smooth installation process. Under listed are the tools utilized for a typical installation process, do not forget to check the owner’s manual of your speakers to see if anything is else is needed.
- Wire stripper
- Level
- Screwdriver
- Drywall saw
- Masking tape
- Utility knife
- Stud finder
- Pencil
- Shop-Vac
- Drill and bits
Make Use Of UL-rated Wire For Your In-Ceiling Speakers
It is imperative to make use of approved speaker wires for in-wall runs. The wire you will need is a UL-rated wire that is labeled CL3 or CL2.
Use A Stud Finder To Confirm Your Speaker Locations
After the location of your speakers has been mapped out, ensure you have enough space in your ceiling to accommodate them.
Take note of any prospective hazards behind the ceiling. Make use of a top-class stud finder that can detect AC wires, metal pipes, and other obstacles concealed behind your walls.
Check Behind Your Walls thoroughly
Make sure you inspect your wall as thoroughly as possible without making a hole.
Try to detect which way joists run and where empty wall space between studs may be placed. What you seek is wall locations void of electrical wires and pipes.
Commence With A Pilot Hole
You will want to drill a pilot hole in an existing room to ascertain if all the locations you have picked out for your speakers are suitable.
This drilling allows you to explore the back of your wall space to be certain there is nothing there.
Before you start, endeavor to turn the power off in your working areas to avoid electric accidents.
Then drill a little hole in the center of where you want your speaker to be placed. Drill cautiously to avoid plunging your bit into an electrical conduit or a pipe.
Explore The Area
Get a wire inserted inside the drilled pilot hole. If you happen to have power lines at the back of the wall close to the pilot hole, use electrical tape to wrap the exploratory wire.
Explore the environment around you. Ensure that you have enough room for the speaker with nothing in your way. Check the mounting dimensions of the speaker to ensure you have enough space for it.
Make Sure To Confirm All Your Speaker Locations Before Cutting
Make sure you do not cut any drywall until pilot holes have been drilled and you have double-checked all your preferred speaker locations.
If you find out that one of your locations is not suitable, you may change it.
Make Use Of Rough-In Brackets To Map Out Your Speaker Locations
Rough-in brackets come in handy when working with new construction. Additionally, they can be useful if you are remodeling a room where the stale drywall has been ejected.
Getting Your Speakers Installed
Mounting Your Speakers After Cutting Drywall
Watch out For The Dust: Cutting into drywall emanates a reasonable amount of dust. Conceal any furniture close to your installation before proceeding.
You can ask someone to help hold a vacuum hose beneath the drywall saw while you cut to get rid of most of the dust clouds.
Plaster And Lath Ceilings
If you have plaster-and-lath ceilings in your house, you may face complications installing your speakers. Plaster easily crumbles and cracks, so you ought to be ready for some touch-up work.
Installing Speakers In A Drop Ceiling
Getting speakers installed in a drop ceiling is quite different from conventional drywall installation. Drop ceiling panels are too weak to hold the weight of in-ceiling speakers.
Have the position where the speaker is mounted reinforced with a large piece of plywood above the foam panel.
Have it mounted to the cross braces, and then split the speaker opening into both the drop ceiling and plywood.
Getting Your Speakers Fine-Tuned
After installing your speakers, you can make any last-minute checks and adjustments before use.
If you have impeccable tweeters, use them to face your seats before having the speaker grilles installed.
Look for tone controls on your speaker, set the bass controls to the “cut” or “minus” position if the speaker is within a foot of a corner.
Set the treble control to the ‘cut’ or ‘minus’ position. If there you have little or no-upholstered furniture in the room for sound absorption.