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CONTENTS
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
I. MATERIALS AND TOOLS
The only other materials necessary to install CustomSound speakers are paint and extra
fine sandpaper if you wish to change the color of Grills and/or Finish Frames from their
standard white. Of course, wire cable of appropriate length and size will be necessary to
connect speakers to amplifiers (or volume controls) in the music system.
A. Required Tools
The following tools are needed for normal, simple installations:
Tape Measure, Pencil, and Level
Utility Knife and Wallboard Saw (and extra blades)
Philips Screwdriver and Putty Knife
Drill and Bits (smaller for lead holes and larger for cabling)
Probe Wire (a heavy coat hanger can substitute for a short fish-tape)
Flashlight
B. Other Tools
Particularly when installing a quantity of speakers, or installing in wood paneling or other
wall materials, the following tools are desirable for neater and more efficient installations:
Stud Finder (helpful-particularly with simple, wallboard-on-studs construction)
Metal Straight Edge (Ruler or Framing Square) and Masking Tape
Wallboard Rasp/Sanding Block (or a piece of wire lath around a block)
Awl or Worn Screwdriver (for initial, exploratory holes) and Hammer
Wire Cutters/Strippers and Electrical Tape
Battery Screwdriver and Power Drill and Extensions (with extra bits)
Jig Saw and Blades
Wallboard Router and Cutout Bits
II.
LAYOUT
A. Listening Locations
Consider the desired, intended, and probable locations of listeners when considering
speaker locations. Ideally, listeners should have a clear line-of-sight/hearing to all
speakers in their listening area-not too far off axis and not obstructed by structure or
furnishings-for most balanced frequency response. Where will listeners be-primary and
secondary? Where will listeners' ears be-sitting, standing, walking? No installation is
absolutely ideal, but considering listener locations with speaker location can greatly
improve the final result-and simplify the effort and expense to achieve it.
B. Speaker Locations
Here are three simple ideals, which are never fully satisfied:
1. Locate speakers equidistant to listeners, preferably at ear level.
2. Locate speakers closer to each other than their distance from listeners.
3. Locate speakers symmetrically to each other and to their physical surroundings.
Ideally, listeners will be equidistant from front right and left and center channel speakers
and from rear (or side) left and right surround channels for most accurate spatial imaging.
If listeners are too close to front or to rear channel speakers the image cannot come
together and flow seamlessly across. While ear-level mounting is ideal, the swivel tweeters
can be aimed towards the listeners, increasing the accuracy of frequency response when
speakers are located further off axis from listeners' ears. Most importantly, a center
3
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