Russound Contractor Series manual Painting the Speakers, Hooking UP Your Speakers Identifying +

PAINTING THE SPEAKERS

If you like the designer white finish which is a part of your Russound Contractor speakers, then you are ready to install. But if you want your speakers to completely blend in with a colored wall or accent the sur- face, now is the time to paint the speakers’ outer frames and perforated grilles.

The speaker’s outer surfaces are ready to accept ordinary latex wall paint or aerosol spray paint. Because the speaker baffle surface behind the

HOOKING UP YOUR SPEAKERS

IDENTIFYING “+” AND “-”

You need to be able to discriminate between the two conductors of the speaker wire. If your wire has transparent insulation, this is easy: one conductor will be copper-colored and the other silver-colored. Generally, professionals denote the copper one as POSITIVE (+) and the silver one as NEGATIVE (-).

perforated grille should remain black, you will need to mask this area off before you begin painting, or use the included template cover.

1.	Remove the speaker grilles. From the back of the speaker, push the
	clamp (dog-ear) towards the grille to loosen it so you can pull it off.
2.	Attach masking tape to the cardboard masking template which has
	been included with your speakers.
3.	Press the template onto each speaker’s surface to cover the woofer
	and tweeter.
4.	Paint the outer speaker frame and grille separately. A roller with a
	short or medium nap will work much better than a brush. If you’re
	using spray paint, make sure that you achieve the same coverage on
	both grille and frame.
5.	After the paint has thoroughly dried, remove the template and/or

If you’ve used wire which has an opaque insulation, there are still differentiating markings. Examine the wire closely and look for:

1.A series of ribs or grooves on one con- ductor

2.A painted stripe or dotted line

Denote any of these as the POSITIVE (+) conductor for similar connections on both ends.

NOTE: It is important that you label your wires left and right when you run them to eliminate future confusion.

Figure 6

Typical indicator of positive (+)(striped) and negative (-)(solid) speaker wire conductors

masking tape.

There’s no need to replace the grille at this time since you will need access to the inner speaker surface during installation.

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.

1.Determine the location of your joists/studs so that the speaker can be approximately centered between them.

2.When you’re reasonably sure of where the joists or studs are (and are TOTALLY sure that there isn’t an electrical cable, water pipe or heat- ing duct in that vicinity of wall), position one of the cardboard mounting templates and draw an outline with a pencil.

3.Score the outline of the template with a utility knife to prevent chip- ping or wall paper from tearing. Then use a keyhole/drywall saw or motorized spiral-cut tool to make 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 corners of the pencil outline. Then use a fine-toothed keyhole saw or even a hack- saw blade with VERY slow strokes to saw through and remove the inner surface.

AT THE SPEAKER END

1.Cut off excess wire, leaving about 2 feet extending through the speaker cut-out hole.

2.Pull the conductors apart so they’re separated for the first two inches from their ends.

3.Using a wire stripper, diagonal pliers or a knife, remove 1/2 inch of insulation from each conductor.

4.Twist the tiny strands in each conductor into tight spirals.

5.IMPORTANT: Route the speaker wire THROUGH the sheetrock.

6.Attach the speaker wires to the red and black speaker terminals. Press down on the protruding levers while inserting the wire. Make sure that no stray strands of wire have gotten detached and are touching the other main wire.

Figure 7

Insertion of speaker

wire on back of

speaker baffle

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