Speaker Wall mounting advice

[Craig Powell]

Hi.
Newbie with what is probably a newbie mistake. I bought my rear speakers for my 5.1 setup without properly thinking it through enough in regards to mounting. I have purchased Dali Zensor 1's and need to mount them to the wall. However flush against the wall won't do as I need to angle them. I've read a few forums etc and after taking a close look at the speakers e.g. can I open them up etc. and decided I don't want to screw into them (I'm not 100% sure if this is a good/bad decision, I'm making a "safety" call, correct me if I am wrong please).
Anyway I'm also not sure about the "keyhole" mount for this type of mounting. I've found some brackets that use keyhole but will they be OK with the 4.2kg speakers? I don't want to hear my speakers crashing to the floor in the middle of the night. Am I worrying about nothing? I've also looked at this sort of thing, but the missus isn't too impressed how they look plus I think I would need to screw into the sides of the speakers.
Is there anything else? I'm even thinking of making some sort of small angled bookshelf they could sit on if I have to. Of course securing them to the "shelf" is another issue for another time.
Thanks all for any help/suggestions.

 

[Latent]

The keyhole is designed so you can mount the backs flush with the wall. A decent screw that fits the large keyhole hole will work well if it is fixed to a stud or other suitable anchor and some of the speaker weight will be distributed along the bottom back of the speaker that rests against the wall when it is hanging. This also means this keyhole only really works when mounting against a flat surface and will probably not work with other mount types which means damaging the speaker a little to attach a mounting plate of some kind.

The other option if you don't want to damage the speaker is to get speaker wall mounts that clamp onto the bottom of the speaker. You can get ones that clamp to the front/back or sides of the speaker depending on what you need.

Here is a quick example but if you hunt around you can probably find better looking ones:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pair-of-Steel-Large-Bookshelf-Speaker-Side-Clamping-Wall-Mount-Brackets-Black-/310405008416?hash=item4845948c20:g:6W8AAMXQTT9RznUk

 

[lovinthehd]

Yep, clamping style ones probably a better choice....other examples would be Pinpoint or Videosecu models (they're virtually the same but usually Videosecu is better priced IME).

 

[Latent]

Ok looks like I was a wrong about keyhole mounting. Seems it is possible with the smaller mounts. I have a couple of Vogel wall mounts that are rated up to 5KG/11Lb and the manual shows how to attach to keyhole speakers.

https://www.vogels.com/en-nz/c/downloads/dl/file/id/2378/

Looking at 3e in this pdf it shows that a nut is attached to a bolt and the Nut is inserted into the bottom of the kehole and then the speaker slips down. It would take a bit of fiddling to get the nut tightened to the exact right point so that their is enough room for it to slide down but not enough for it to wiggle about. Make sure your mount comes in two bits like this Vogel one so that you can do all this fiddling and securing the "Box part" of the mount to the speaker securely before attaching it to the "Wall part" which you will have screwed to a wall stud or brick etc. You may be able to try to tighten the bolt a little once it is attached and hope the nut doesn't just spin.

The mount I have seems more than strong enough to handle a 4.1kg speaker and it's small enough so you won't really see it behind the speaker.

For a speaker over 5kg I would suggest a bigger clamping style mount though.

 

[Craig Powell]

Thanks lovinthehd and Latent.
I agree that the safest option would be a clamping option from the speakers pov, especially a front/rear clamping option (the speakers will be angled down). Unfortunately from the happy wife/happy life perspective, not so much.

Latent, I like those keyhole mounts. They certainly look the better option over the ones I was looking at here.

I've also had another thought on how I may be able to spread the weight of the speaker as well and would like both your thoughts on this.
I'm thinking of cutting a piece of dressed timber (~10mm thick) to the size of the back of the speaker, attaching the speaker to this as a sort of replacement wall piece via the keyhole mount (the speaker comes with rubber spacers to keep air flow between the "wall" and rear of the speaker) and then attaching the wooden "wall" piece to the mount. I think it would spread the weight and allow me to attach the mount in a more secure fashion to the "wall" piece.
Thoughts?

 

[Latent]

It may work but remember that it is adding more weight the speaker mount needs to support so you will need higher rates speaker mounts. Once you get a suitable speaker mount I would try to keep it simple and see how well you can attach them straight to the keyhole and if your just not happy or comfortable with it after testing it then maybe look at this option.

The one thing with attaching to the key mount that is not ideal with the nut and bolt method I mentioned earlier is that you can't tighten the Nut up after the nut slides into the keyhole. One possible work around is to use a slightly longer bolt and a second nut. Screw the second nut all the way up the bolt and then thread the bolt though the mount and screw the keyhole mounting nut on a little bit so there is just enough room and slide it into the keyhole. To get it tight and secure you now use a screw driver to keep the bolt from turning and then carefully tighten the second nut. As this Nut screws down the bolt the mount and keyhole opening will be pulled tightly together between the two nuts and you have a firm hold.

 

[lovinthehd]

The mounts OP linked to don't look like they'd be bothered by extra weight unlike one that has a pivot or a ball joint like I've used where the total weight can definitely be an issue. You could probably also do a diy french cleat type mount. You wouldn't harm the speaker by screwing into the cabinet except in resale value, too (as long as you don't drill/screw thru a driver/wire/crossover).

 

[Swerd]

Each Dali Zensor 1 weighs 4.2 kg, correct? Those Vogel brackets claim they can hold speakers as heavy as 5 kg. I think they will do the job for you. I have those same Vogel brackets. They've held NHT SuperZeros, my rear channel speakers, on the wall for 15 years.

Those B-Tech clamping brackets are for much heavier speakers, up to 25 kg. They are overkill for your speakers.

I've read a few forums etc and after taking a close look at the speakers e.g. can I open them up etc. and decided I don't want to screw into them (I'm not 100% sure if this is a good/bad decision, I'm making a "safety" call, correct me if I am wrong please).

I think you're worrying too much.

With any bracket, the most important part is locating the wooden stud behind the wall. If you screw the bracket through the drywall and into the support stud, it will stay where you want. (I am familiar with home construction methods in the US. Are you in Australia or New Zealand? Are the construction methods different?) Do not drive the screws into the unsupported dry wall or they will soon pull out.

Is there already a keyhole on the back of your Dalis, as in diagram 3e on the Vogel instructions? If not, is there anything on the back that you can use?

If not, do the following. It's very easy as well as safe & reliable. Look for threaded inserts like this (in the USA they're called E-Z Lok threaded inserts). They come in wide variety of sizes and lengths.

You'll have to decide what size to use for your speakers. Remove the screws that hold the woofer in place, pull it out, and see how thick the cabinet is. You want an insert no longer than the thickness of the wood of your cabinet.

Also buy machine screws (not a wood screw) that match the inside threads of the insert.

Drill a hole on the back of the speaker cabinet the same diameter as the outside shaft of the insert. You want the shaft to easily enter the hole, and as you turn it with a hexagonal drive tool, the threads on the outside cut into the wood. That's all it takes. With the threaded insert you can easily unmount the speakers and remount them without trouble.

This will not harm your speakers, and it will look much cleaner than those larger brackets with the clamps on the bottom.

 

[BlwnAway]

I'm guessing that there's no stud directly behind where you want them since a simple screw is apparently out.
How high are you mounting them and are you looking for vertical angle only our horizontal angle as well?

If you were looking for vertical angle only and were mounting them at the ceiling as heights, I have a DIY solution if your interested?

 

[Latent]

OP said he can't mount them flush and they need to be angled so I don't think it is a stud issue as much as he wants them to face the seating position which means angling them horizontally i'm guessing. If they are mounted high they may also need a small vertical angle.