4
DRAWING 3
EXCELLENT
for stereo imaging
FINE for
background music;
ACCEPTABLE for
stereo
effect
EXCELLENT
for stereo imaging
OK for background
music; not good
for stereo imaging
Asymmetrical response.
Both speakers aren’t
in line with listener,
Not recommended
Too close together
1
1
2
2
3
Of course, if the speakers are being installed in
an area where listeners usually stand up (such as
a kitchen or hallway), “ear level” will be higher
on the wall than for rooms where listeners are
often seated.
Corners and reflections
When an in-wall speaker is placed close to the
corner of a room, bass frequencies are emphasized.
This can be OK if both speakers are mounted near
corners (while maintaining stereo imaging). But
try to avoid placing just one speaker in a corner
and another on a long flat wall.
Treble is emphasized when it reflects back from
reflective surfaces such as large windows.
Conversely, highs tend to be muffled by soft surfaces
such as drapes, rugs, upholstered furniture, carpet-
ed steps and even textured fabric wall paper.
In general, the best acoustic performance will
result if both speakers face a similar type of surface
and are placed in similar positions on the same
type of wall.
WALL AND CEILING SURFACES
Now that we’ve covered where you should put your
speakers, let’s consider where you CAN put them.
The FH8-W requires 4˝ of wall depth (measured
from the outside surface of the wall).
DRAWING 4
This means that they can be installed in any
wallboard-and-2x4 stud wall. In fact, the
dense, rigid nature of plasterboard (or lath
and plaster in older homes) acts as a superb
speaker baffle.
You can also install B.I.C in-wall speakers
in stud walls covered with thick wood
paneling or in wallboard/plaster ceilings.
However, avoid:
• Stud walls covered only with thin veneer
paneling – the surface isn’t rigid enough and
can cause annoying vibrations and buzzing.
• T-bar “drop ceilings” with very thin
fiberboard panels which can buzz and
vibrate. If you suspect this will happen,
reinforce the drop-in panel with wood or
particle board.
• Any wall which can’t provide proper
depth (clearance) for the back of the FH8-W
speaker to protrude. This includes brick or
concrete walls where the wallboard or
paneling is attached to thin furring strips.
• Walls where you know that there are
pipes, heating ducts and ESPECIALLY AC
wiring in the general vicinity. For example, if
there is an outlet along the baseboard, there
is often a live wire running partly up the wall
at that point.
SPEAKER WIRE PATHS
The last consideration is the obstacle course
that lies between the speakers’ hoped-for
mounting positions and your stereo system.
Wires can be run through crawl spaces that
lie above your ceiling or below the floor, through
basements or second stories, or simply along
the perimeter of your listening room. We cover
each of these options in detail in the
“Running
Connecting Wires”
section of this manual.
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, OK for speaker wires to
cross paths with AC line or go through the
same hole together with house wiring if they
separate before and after.
• Make sure that the entire path between speak-
ers and amplifier is clear and not obstructed
by a major 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 somewhere to connect with the amp-
lifier. Confirm ahead of time that you can drill
an outlet hole easily and in an unobtrusive spot.
1.
2.
3.
