C
D
Wallboard is an easy surface in which to make a
relatively neat hole. Actually, the hole doesn’t even
have to be that neat, since the speaker’s outer
frame will cover it. Just 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. First you must determine the location of your
wall studs so that the speaker can be approx-
imately centered between them. There are
several ways to go about this:
• Tap on the surface 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 device
which works by locating the studs behind
a wall.
• Identify wall studs by the position of electrical
outlets or switches. There will be a stud either
directly to the left or right of an electrical fixture.
This gives you a point of measurement, since
studs are either 18 or 16 inches apart in newer
houses, 12 inches apart on pre-WW2 homes.
5
medium nap roller or fine brush will work OK
if you take your time and are careful. If you’re
using spray paint, make sure that you achieve the
same coverage on both grille and frame. Take care
to use very light coats on the grille to avoid plug-
ging the holes (perforations). Also, be sure to
spray at different angles to achieve good even cov-
erage of the perforations and edges. You must
take extreme precautions when painting the grille
not to get paint in the holes of the grille. There's no
need to replace the grille at this time since you
will need access to the inner speaker surface dur-
ing installation.
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.
If you like the designer white finish, we recom-
mend you use the white cloth décor accessory
grilles included with your new M-PRO6W speak-
ers. But if you want your speakers to completely
blend in with a colored wall or accent the
surface, paintable metal grilles are also included
with your new M-PRO6W speakers.
The speakers’ outer surfaces are primed to
accept ordinary latex wall paint or aerosol spray
paint. Because the surface behind the perforated
grille should remain unpainted, you will need to
mask this area off before you begin painting.
1. First the speaker’s grille must be removed.
From the back of the speaker, use the
mounting legs to push the grille off.
2. If you are going to use standard, canned, wall
paint so your speakers will match the wall
color, you will need to thin the paint to nearly
the consistency of water. This is critical since
paint with any thickness will plug the holes in
the grille which will impede the sound from
getting to the room. Once you thin the paint it
may take several coats to get good consistent
color coverage without plugging the holes in
the grille. One trick to use is to blow air
through the grille holes as you are in the
painting process to keep the holes open. Paint
the outer speaker frame and grille separately. A
2. When you’re reasonably sure of where the wall
stud 2 x 4’s are (and are TOTALLY sure that
there isn’t an electrical cable, water pipe or
heating duct in that vicinity of your proposed
cutout) position one of the cardboard mounting
templates and draw around the inside outline
with a pencil. If you don’t trust your eye, use a
level to make sure the hole will be straight.
Repeat for the other speaker position.
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
reposition 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. If there are no obstructions, cut the hole along
the pencil outline. If the surface is wallboard,
simply cut it increasingly deeper with utility knife
until it gives way and then pull it out by grasping
the cut-out through the 1-inch hole.
• 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 keyhole saw or
even a hacksaw blade with VERY slow strokes
to saw through and remove the inner surface.
7. Temporarily place the B.I.C speaker into the cut-
out to insure that it fits properly. It’s OK if the
hole is slightly large, since it will be covered by the
speaker’s outer frame. Actual installation will hap-
pen 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/receiver.
• Use the same 1-inch drill bit as before.
• If you want a totally finished job, install an
outlet box against a stud and cover it with a
TV cable or single outlet plate which has one
hole in the middle for the wires to exit from.
DRAWING 5
A. Trace template
outline
B. Drill 1 inch
pilot hole
C. Probe with wire
for stud clearance
D. Cut speaker
hole along outline
CUTTING
HOLES
FOR THE
SPEAKERS
CLOTH
DÉCOR &
PAINTABLE
GRILLES