DIY: How to Install In-Wall Speakers

With the growth in home theater and whole house audio systems, the number of loudspeakers that are packed into a home is expanding, yet many people don’t relish the idea of more speakers taking up space and messing up their home décor. In-wall speakers, once the enemy of the audiophile world, answer that problem, and now they even sound decent. They’re a great way to discreetly get music into dining rooms, dens and bedrooms and they also make good surround speakers in home theaters for people who don’t want massive towers looming over their sofas. Plus in-wall speakers can be painted to match your walls and made nearly invisible. While a lot of people have their in-wall speakers installed by professions, the process is actually pretty easy if you’re not afraid of handsaws and screwdrivers. To show you just how easy it is, we secured some in-wall speakers for a quick step-by-step. For this article, we selected Sonance’s HomeTech THX Select speakers with a six-inch aluminum cone woofer and two cloth tweeters. These are good choices not only for their sonic qualities, but because they’re built for weekend warriors armed with a toolbox.

Running speaker wire

Start by doing some exploring first—get up in your attic or down in your basement with a flashlight to check your wire paths for obvious obstructions. A wire fish will help. In my house I actually got away with using an old fishing rod to poke around inside walls and pull the speaker wire. Try not to run speaker wire close to any air conditioning lines because speaker wires will pick up an audible hum when the AC kicks in. If you must cross an AC cable, do it at a 90 degree angle. Also, be sure to use CL3 rated wire for in-walls because it’s more fire resistant. Otherwise cranking up Talking Heads will actually burn down your house.

Speaker placement

Once you’ve cut a hole in the wall, it’s pretty much too late to change your mind. Remember the rule: measure twice, cut once. That goes for speaker placement as well. For your main stereo speakers, you want them at about ear level when listening, which usually means when seated. For the surround speakers, you want those about 24 inches above ear level when seated. Of course, placement may depend on the wall, more than aesthetics and acoustics. Also be careful to make sure your speaker pairs are at the same level. You’ll never live it down if the left speaker is a half inch higher than the right speaker. Make sure your amplifier is turned off before you connect any speaker wire.

Step 1 >> Use the stud finder to locate the wall studs, then center the speaker between the studs. Once you’ve picked the spot and measured, place the speaker’s stencil on the wall, use the level to ensure it’s straight, and trace around the stencil.

Step 2 >> Drill a small hole in the center of the outline. Feed one end of the coat hanger or wire fish into the hole and rotate it around to check for obstructions. If you can’t detect anything, you’re good to cut the hole. If your scout wire bumps into something, find out what it is, and if you have to, move the template and try again.

Step 3 >> Use the drill to start a hole (a sharp key hole saw can easily be pushed through drywall), then cutout the stencil outline with the keyhole saw. Go slowly and be careful.

Small mistakes will be covered by the speaker’s frame.

Step 4 >> If you previously dropped your speaker wire into the wall, now is the time to fish it out the speaker hole. If you haven’t, now you can feed the speaker wire through the hole and to the output, which will lead to your amplifier or receiver. Always use a few feet more wire than you think you need because it’s better to trim extra than to splice wire together.

Step 5 >> If you’re installing the speaker in an exterior wall then there will probably be insulation in the wall already. If the speaker is going in an interior wall it’s a good idea to stuff a little fiberglass insulation in the wall cavity behind the speaker. This will help prevent the acoustic characteristics of the wall from affecting the speaker’s sound.

Step 6 >> Pull enough wire out of the wall so you can easily work with it. Strip about a half inch of insulation off the speaker wire and attach the wire to the speaker terminals. Some speakers will only have spring clips for bare wire, others will have binding posts which can accept spades or banana clips. Make sure to connect the wire in phase by connecting the negative wire to the black terminal and the positive wire to the red terminal.

Step 7 >> Tuck any excess wire away and place the speaker (grill off) in the hole. HomeTech speakers grab the wall with brackets that look like sled blades. Some use multiple clips that tighten. Whatever your speakers use they all do the same thing—hold the speaker securely against the wall. Use a screwdriver to tighten the screws until the speaker is snug, but don’t over tighten. A hand or power screwdriver is better than a power drill, because drills apply too much torque and can easily strip the plastic threads of the speaker.

Step 8 >> Push the grill onto the speaker, switch on your stereo and enjoy.

Supplies you’ll need to get started:
Stud finder
Level
Pencil
Keyhole saw
Screwdriver
Tape measure
Coat hanger or fish tape
Wire strippers
Drill
Safety goggles
Extra insulation

You may be in over your head if:
You need to cut into concrete fire walls
You drill into plumbing
You have an old house with plaster walls over wood
Your phones or electricity suddenly stop working
You smell smoke