Hanging speakers

[83trekker]

Was wonder on some different ideas or the best idea on how to mount some tower speakers to the roof of my garage?? What did any of you do out there? These speakers are pretty big and kind of heavy, i need a way so they dont have any chance of falling.

 

[WSMC633]

Whatever you decide. I would recommend having a safety cable just in-case.

When I did a lot of Live Audio, we always flew speakers from the rigging. Steel Cables work well. Just be sure your anchor point on the speaker and your ceiling is plenty strong.

 

[mackrmnn]

When I was in the AV Biz, we used to hang then like this using coated aircraft cable with screw eyes into the speaker cabinet and the joists.

 

[WSMC633]

When I was in the AV Biz, we used to hang then like this using coated aircraft cable with screw eyes into the speaker cabinet and the joists.

Pretty much what I was trying to say. Good use of visual aid!

 

[duke5572]

I used to do some commercial/institutional A/V installations. I agree with all that has been said, and offer these tips:

1) While cables are an excellent choice, I found that chain and quick-links of proper strength were easier to use, probably stronger than cables, and allowed for much simpler (though less precise) adjustment of hanging speakers. Buy plenty of chain and cut off the links you dont need; this also avoids screwing around with holding up a heavy speaker while you try to tighten the nuts on a cable clamp.


I recommend using the beefiest eye bolts you can find. Avoid eye screws, regardless of their size, unless that is the only option you have.

2) Keep in mind the orientation of the speaker. While your garage space is probably not overly acoustically sensitive (unless it's quite large), avoid the temptation to hang the speakers "sideways" if they use any kind of directional driver, i.e., a horn. It will make them sound strange, and you'll probably get some weird aural effects. Hang them in the same way you would set them on the floor, and then adjust their angle to your liking.

3) Realize that most speakers are not meant to be hung from a ceiling. Audio quality will suffer. I've installed bucks-up speakers in a high school gym, and guess what? Regardless of their quality, they still sound like speakers in a high school gym. Don't have unrealistic expectations, particularly if you are a bass fanatic.

4) All that said, tunes are an absolutely essential part of the garage experience. My personal gear at the moment consists of a floor-unit Sylvania turntable/8-track that I got at a consignment shop for $15. I replaced all the speakers with cheap-o radio shack stuff, and it sounds pretty awesome. It even has auxiliary RCA jacks (for the optional tape deck), which I use to plug in my iPod. Love it.

ANYWAY, best of luck with your speakers. Crank some tunes and crack a brew for me when you get them hung! Report back with how it goes!

 

[Mikea57]

I too, have done numerous commercial and industrial A/V installs and I agree with everything said here except the part about coated aircraft cable. We always used the uncoated type and the explanation I got was because eventually the coating will get brittle and crack which could lead to the cable slipping out of the clamps. With the uncoated you are tightening up against the other cable and the likelihood of slippage is minimized.

Mike

PS: I also did a recording studio install where we built a tray for the speakers to stand in and hung the tray to the ceiling with chain. For that we installed a thick layer of foam in the tray to cut down on vibrations.

 

[83trekker]

Well i have scissor trusses so my roof is at and angle and i was thinking of put the speakers flat against the roof with that metal strapping the ones with all the holes in it and lag the straps to the trusses, any thoughts on that?

 

[Mikea57]

...i was thinking of put the speakers flat against the roof with that metal strapping the ones with all the holes in it and lag the straps to the trusses, any thoughts on that?

I'd worry a little bit about heat getting to the cabinet/components. I'm thinking it would shorten the life of the speaker cones especially. I'd also worry about the coupling that will occur between the speaker and the rest of the structure. That's not a serious concern but it is something to think about. If you crank it up and your neighbors don't appreciate your choice of music at 12:30 AM...

 

[Mikea57]

I tried to find an illustration of speakers hung with aircraft cable out on the web but the closest I could come to were these. I would suggest drilling 2 small holes in the scissors truss and feeding one end of the cable through that. Then, install an eye bolt into the speaker (careful, don't drill into the crossover!!!) at the top and the bottom and feed the other end of the cable through the bottom eye bolt on the speaker. Do the same thing with the top eye bolt and adjust the length of the cables to adjust the tilt of the speaker. Repeat for the second speaker. You can then run the speaker wire down one of the aircraft cables and make the connection.

 

[mackrmnn]

I used to do some commercial/institutional A/V installations. I agree with all that has been said, and offer these tips:

1) While cables are an excellent choice, I found that chain and quick-links of proper strength were easier to use, probably stronger than cables, and allowed for much simpler (though less precise) adjustment of hanging speakers. Buy plenty of chain and cut off the links you dont need; this also avoids screwing around with holding up a heavy speaker while you try to tighten the nuts on a cable clamp.


I recommend using the beefiest eye bolts you can find. Avoid eye screws, regardless of their size, unless that is the only option you have.

I agree chain is easier but my boss felt that the cable looked more "professional"

 

[duke5572]

I agree chain is easier but my boss felt that the cable looked more "professional"

It does look more professional, no question. It all depends on the context, I guess; most of my installs were in factories or gyms. An auditorium of lecture hall would be an entirely different story.

As far as mounting the speakers directly to the roof and matching the angle, you're going to get some weird resonance issues there, especially if the roof is made of metal. Just something to consider.

 

[sajohnson]

I don't know if it would work in this application but in my house I used regular black pipe with some 90 degree elbows and flanges. Screwed a flange to the floor joist, assembled various pieces of pipe and elbows, threaded on another flange, and screwed that to the speaker.

Actually, the speaker mfr sold me some pre-finished and drilled wood base plates that I attached to the base of the speakers using the existing threaded inserts and then I attached the flanges to them so I didn't have to tear up the speaker cabinets.

The above suggestions of using cable or chain are good and may be better/easier in this case, I just thought I'd mention the pipe.

 

[83trekker]

What do you guys think of the eye lag bolt going into the speaker which is made of particle board, im going to have 4 of them going in so each one is only supporting a 1/4 of the weight but particle board is so crappy..

 

[sajohnson]

What do you guys think of the eye lag bolt going into the speaker which is made of particle board, im going to have 4 of them going in so each one is only supporting a 1/4 of the weight but particle board is so crappy..

I wouldn't trust them, although with four total it might be ok depending on the weight of the speaker(s).

The combination of weight, vibration, and particle board isn't a good one.

You might consider using eye bolts with large washers and nuts. With most speakers, it's easy to remove the woofer to gain access to the inside.

 

[BrianAltenhofel]

You need to double check the construction of your speakers to determine they are, in fact, flyable. Also, check on the load ratings of what you are using. Chain should be grade 80. Hardware and fittings cannot be the zinc-plated bent type. Cast eye bolts and shackles are the way to go. OSHA says 5:1 on your rigging weight limit, but everyone I have rigged with goes by a rule of 10:1 (better safe than sorry... have seen 7:1 break before just playing music, albeit was a suspending two 18 inch subs playing some hard rap). The same type of rule goes for cable. Make sure you have your CG right, too.

If your cabs are particle board, I recommend installing some strips of Baltic birch inside the as an anchor for your eyebolts. Not only is it a good hardwood, it also has some excellent sonic qualities. And, if you are mounting your speakers off the ground, you can achieve better imaging by inverting them if the tweeters are normally on top. It will also take less power to get a strong bottom end the closer the woofers are to the structure.

 

[movalleyrider]

i like the idea of hanging speakers for a couple of reasons. valuable floor space, and it keeps small children from jacking with them. i used nylon webbing (black) to hang my first set. they were large crewin vega 3 way with 12" woofer. wrapped the whole thing with heavy duty tubular webbing upside down. swivel connection to the i bolt above.

i also hung a pair of nht 3 way speakers. i used the t-bolts already in the bottom of the speaker (used for the outriggers). four i-bolts with washers and nuts in the bottom upside down + two loops of webbing to attach it to the swivel. they looked sharp (front grill put on upside down) and the tweeter was still at ear level.

All 4 speakers are on the floor again in my much larger new living room. but the nht's will fly again one day.