Pre-Construction Bracket for SDX-R80, HDX-R80, and HDX-R65AIM

Tips for installing in-wall and ceiling speakers WITH or WITHOUT new construction brackets

With every one of our in-wall and ceiling speakers, we include a cardboard template for tracing the hole you will need to cut before you can install the speaker. If you are in new construction and your walls are not yet installed, you have another option - let the guys who put in your drywall (or other material) cut the hole for you. Our pre-construction brackets provide the installers with a way to quickly and precisely cut the hole.

In addition to receiving a professional cut, other benefits of using pre-construction brackets include:

• Less chance of a mistake. When drawing the hole after the wall or ceiling goes up, there is always the possibility that you mistakenly draw your hole where a stud or other obstacle could be lurking behind. Make sure you have a good stud-finder and definitely use our suggestion to drill a small hole in the center of where the speaker will go to first "sweep" a bent coat hanger behind the wall or ceiling to check for obstacles before making the big cut. Attaching a pre-construction bracket to the studs or joists before the wall/ceiling goes up eliminates this possibility.
• Cost and time savings- especially if you are having someone else install your speakers. Dry-wallers can "roto-zip" a hole in almost no time if the pre-construction bracket is already in place, and most will do this for you at no extra charge since they are already making the cuts for canned lights, air vents, etc. On the other hand, when you draw the hole after the wall/ceiling is installed, we recommend that you don't use a rotary drill to cut the hole. It's better to go slow and easy with a simple dry-wall saw. The reason is that without the bracket, unless you are very experienced, a rotary drill can quickly get away from you resulting in a hole that may be too large or misshapen.
• It's less messy! Well, actually its the same amount of mess, but when the dry-wallers are cutting the hole, your home is already in a messy state and you likely aren't the one doing the clean-up.

If you are building a new home and don't mind cutting the hole yourself and you also want to save money by not using pre-construction brackets, here's a tip: Run duct tape across the studs or joists where you want the center of the speakers to go. Don't skimp on the amount of tape- be sure to wrap it all the way around each stud or joist so it won't fall. Then run your speaker cable through the tape at the exact center for the speaker location. Finally, be sure to let your dry-wall installer know that he should cut a pinky size hole in that exact location and feed the cable through it by about a foot. When you move in, the cable should be sticking out exactly where you want it.