Cutting Holes for the Speakers, Drawing | Russound SP622.1, SP652.1

CUTTING HOLES FOR THE SPEAKERS

Wallboard is an easy surface in which to make a relatively neat hole. Make sure you don’t make it any bigger than the template. In the following steps, you’re going to locate a section of wall between two studs, mark the outer boundaries of the hole, drill a small hole in the center to confirm your location and then cut the main hole.

1.Determine the location of your wall studs so that the speaker can be approximately centered between them. There are several ways to go about this:

*Tap on the wall and listen to the resulting “THUMP”. When it’s deeper, you’re between studs. When it’s sharper and more flat- sounding, you’re close to a stud.

*Use a stud-finder, a simple little magnetic device which works by locating the lines of nails hammered into the stud.

*Identify studs by the position of electrical outlets or switches. There will be a stud either directly to the left or right of a an elec- trical fixture. This gives you a point of measurement since studs are either 18 or 16 inches apart in newer houses, 12 inches apart on older homes.

2.When you’re reasonably sure of where the wall’s 2x4 studs are (and are TOTALLY sure that there isn’t an electrical cable, water pipe or heating duct in that vicinity of wall), position one of the cardboard mounting templates and draw around the inner outline with a pencil. If you don’t trust your eye, use a level to make sure the hole will be straight.

3.Drill a 1-inch hole in the center of the pencil outline which you have just drawn.

4.Obtain a length of stiff wire such as an unwound, totally un-bent coat hanger. Bend it so that the last 12 inches is at a right angle to the rest.

5.Insert the angled part into the 1-inch hole you just drilled and probe to left and right to confirm that a stud is not close on either side.

*If there is a close stud on one side, just re-position the cardboard template a few inches in the opposite direction and re-draw your pencil outline, keeping the 1-inch hole within the pencil outline’s inner boundaries.

6.Score the outline of the template with a utility knife to prevent chipping or wall paper from tearing. Then use a keyhole/dry-wall saw to cut in the opening.

*If you’re dealing with lath and plaster or thick paneling, you need to use a different technique. Drill 1-inch holes at the cor- ners of the pencil outline. Then use a fine-toothed key-hole saw or even a hacksaw blade with VERY slow strokes to saw through and remove the inner surface.

7.Temporarily place a Russound speaker into the cut-out to insure that it fits properly. It’s okay if the hole is slightly large, since it will be covered by the speaker’s outside frame. Actual installation will happen later, after you’ve routed the speaker wires.

8.Repeat steps 1 through 7 for the other speaker.

9.Now it’s time to drill the hole on the OTHER end -at the point where the wires from the speakers will exit to the amplifier/receiv- er.

*Use the same 1-inch drill bit as before.

*If you want a custom look, install an outlet box against a stud and cover it with a single outlet plate which has one hole in the mid- dle for the wires to exit from OR order from your Russound dealer a Russound Stereo pair Wall Plate Connector.

Drawing 3

A. Trace template outline	B. Drill 1-inch pilot hole	C. Probe with wire for	D. Cut speaker hole
		stud clearance	along outline