Russound SP522.1 Speaker Wire Paths, Painting The Speakers, Cutting Holes For The Speakers

SPEAKER WIRE PATHS

In general, you should pay particular attention to the following areas:

•Avoid running speaker wires close to house electrical wiring for any distance. If you have to run them parallel, make sure to space the speaker wires at least two feet from the AC line. It is, however, okay for speaker wires to cross paths with AC lines or go through the same hole together with house wiring if they separate before and after.

•Make sure that the entire path between speakers and amplifier is clear and not obstructed by a floor or ceiling joist or masonry wall which you won’t be able to drill through.

•Remember that the other end of the wires has to come out some- where to connect with the amplifier. Confirm ahead of time that you can drill an outlet hole easily and in an un-obtrusive spot.

PAINTING THE SPEAKERS

If you like the designer white finish which has been applied to your Russound Ceiling Speakers, skip to the section “cutting holes”. But if you want your speakers to completely blend in with a colored wall or accent the surface, now is the time to paint your Russound speakers’ outer frames and perforated grilles.

The speaker’s outer surfaces are primed to accept ordinary latex wall paint or aerosol spray paint. Because the surface behind the 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 grill 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 masking tape.

There’s no need to replace the grill 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. In the fol- lowing steps, you’re going to locate a section of ceiling or wall between two joists/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 joists/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 deep- er, 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 electrical fix- ture. 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 joists or 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 an outline with a pencil. If you don’t trust your eye, use a level to make sure the hole will be perfectly round.

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 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 joist or stud is not close on either side.

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

6.Score the outline of the template with a utility knife to prevent chip- ping 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 corners of the pencil outline. Then use a fine-toothed key-hole saw or even a hack- saw blade with VERY slow strokes to saw through and remove the inner surface.

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