Need Help Wall Mounting Heavy Speakers

[Eric S]

I've been working on building four of Thomas & Jon's M8A Mk III sealed speakers as surrounds for my basement theater. Now that they are nearly complete (and sound GREAT!), I need a way to mount them to the walls. The trouble is that they are quite heavy - 50lbs each. The room is framed with 2x4 framing that is 24" on center.

I've been searching here and online in general to look for mounting options and have only really come across two options:

1) "Standard" keyhole mounting brackets that will screw into a recess in the back of the cabinet. I figured I could put 2 keyholes in the back of each cabinet, one above the other one.

2) Some sort of horizontal "mounting bracket". I found one made by Bose, but don't think its up to holding 50lbs. http://www.crutchfield.com/p_018WB3/...-brackets.html

My other option is to make my own bracket using green metal chicken wire posts. I could cut short lengths, screw one onto the back of the speaker and the other onto the wall and they would function like the Bose ones.

Is there a best method here, or am I missing any other choices?

Thanks!
Eric

[fbov]

Try something like this (scroll to bottom) albeit in a heftier implementation (i.e. longer) ...

http://techtalk.parts-express.com/showpost.php?p=1772772&postcount=19

Under no circumstances would I trust sheet rock. Put all the load on a stud or two, even if you need a header board to span the 24" centers.

Have fun,
Frank

[---k---]

Build a shelf underneath. Lowes or HD has some nice angle brackets. Get one in a stud and the other with wall anchors. Should easily be able to handle 4x 50#.

And, you can call me crazy, but there are framed paintings and mirrors weighing more than 50#. You could get some frame mounting hardware. I would try and mount into a stud. A simple screw will take a good 200#+. Heavy duty wall anchors will take 50#, and more if used in multiples. The difficulty is the weight is out away from the wall, creating a moment force, but with the right configuration of wall anchors I'm sure it could be done. I know it looks wrong, but the math says it would work.

[brent_s]

If you just want flat to the wall, a French cleat, either shop made or purchased in the form of a Hangman product would seem the easiest. Even without a stud, toggle bolts should be able to provide a enough clamping force for the cleat to hold up 50#.

If you want something aimable, the PinPoint AM40 ($70@Crutchfield) is rated for 50# in a stud, but you'll need to check the useable dimensions to make sure they'll handle your speakers. I'm using them with my 20# surrounds, with one using nothing but toggle bolts in sheetrock. YMMV.

-Brent

[Eric S]

Thanks for all of the options. My plan is definitely to mount directly into a stud. Placement for the side surrounds lines up nicely with the wall studs, but for the rear speakers, I think I'll need to attach a header to the wall to span the studs.

Eric

[Eric S]

Mike, thanks for the photos - looks like a great solution for your room. I wanted to avoid something that makes them stick out any further from the wall, though.

The speakers are rather large (24" tall, 12" wide), so they need flush mounting to prevent head bonking. I'll post an image later tonight, but they are truncated, inverted triangles if that makes any sense. Basically a rectangle box with a front baffle that slopes away from the wall as you move from bottom to top. The top of the speaker is 12" deep and the bottom is 6" deep. This makes them a bit top heavy, so building a shelf underneath won't work too well.

Looking at all of the options, I think I'll route out a recess in the back for two keyhole slots. After looking around, this seems to be what fits my situation the best, though I also like the clips that fbov linked.

Thanks!

[Eric S]

Here are the surround speakers. All that remains is a coat of polyurethane and then mounting the drivers. Final dimensions are 14.5" wide at the top, 11.5" wide at the bottom, 12" deep at the top, 6" deep at the bottom, and 24" tall. The front baffle and side walls are 2.25" thick (BB, MDF, BB) and the rest is 1.5" thick BB + MDF. Internal volume is about 20 liters or 0.7 cubic feet. With drivers, each speaker weighs 52 lbs.

They will be mounted up near the ceiling, so the sloped baffle works nicely to keep the speaker out of the way when you walk past.

[Ron526]

I have these. Will hold 55lbs.

http://www.btechavmounts.com/product-range/consumer/speaker-mounts-and-stands/speaker-mounts/products/bt77

[fbov]

Having seen a picture (nice build, btw), I think a french cleat is the way to go. It's the only one that lets you slide it in from the side, allowing you to get closer to the ceiling than anything this side of bolts through the back of the box. Actually, if there's a stud behind, 2 lag bolts into the stud is an optimum option.
Frank

[Eric S]

Frank, I'm thinking more about this option. Having a name of the hanging hardware makes it easier to do searches, too :W

I hadn't thought about the mechanics of actually getting the heavy speaker up onto the wall. A horizontal slide with the french cleat certainly looks easier than the "lift, push, and drop" and associated alignment issues that would result from using 2 keyhole hangers for each speaker. The keyhole has the advantage of a *completely* flush mount to the wall, though the cleat can't be that much different.

Ron, thanks for the link. I still think I favor the flush mount, though. Its good to know there are brackets that can handle some weight - you never know when the need to hang heavy stuff on the wall will come up... :B

Thanks!
Eric

[brent_s]

Frank, I'm thinking more about this option. Having a name of the hanging hardware makes it easier to do searches, too :W

I hadn't thought about the mechanics of actually getting the heavy speaker up onto the wall. A horizontal slide with the french cleat certainly looks easier than the "lift, push, and drop" and associated alignment issues that would result from using 2 keyhole hangers for each speaker. The keyhole has the advantage of a *completely* flush mount to the wall, though the cleat can't be that much different.

Ron, thanks for the link. I still think I favor the flush mount, though. Its good to know there are brackets that can handle some weight - you never know when the need to hang heavy stuff on the wall will come up... :B

Thanks!
Eric

That's why I suggested taking a look at the Hangman products. Essentially a metal French cleat that only projects 3/16" from the wall. Usually available at your local Home Depot or Lowes for under $20. Depending on style, they can be rated up to 300#. A shop made cleat will be as thin as the material you choose to make it from, but you probably don't want to go under 3/4" stock.

-Brent

[Eric S]

Sorry, Brent. Somehow I missed your post before I replied. I need to mount four speakers, two on the side walls and two on the rear wall. For the side walls, I have studs exactly where I need them, so I think I'll do the keyhole thing. For the rear wall, I'll need to mount a header between the studs and I'll use the cleat to mount the speaker on the header.

Thanks, everyone!
Eric

[Eric S]

So, after nearly breaking my back with keyhole mounts for the side surround-speakers (because they line up nicely with the wall studs), my reaction is this: "Never again use keyholes for speakers this large or heavy!"



The last two surround speakers for the rear wall will use a mounting cleat that I found at the local hardware store.

All of the effort to make these speakers nice and rigid has paid off, though! No cabinet resonances even at high playback levels.

+Usual edit for my poor spelling...