Lc265i Install

THXplasma

HELP Newbi ! Hi club members new member on this awesome support forum.
Well for starts i most recently encounterd a 2x6 wall stud on center of right front speaker, i have some real concerns on overcomming the split wall cavity delema and performance. what options may resolve this issue, im not sure if i realy want to install polk enclosures or build foam enclosures, any other tricks or technical speaker information please reply ASAP!

Thanks!

VR3

Well depends really....

What on earth is a 2x6 wall stud supporting?

Only thing we use them for is between bath tubs, are ur speakers in ur bathroom? lol

Can you just *move the speaker over?*

THXplasma

ROLMFAO! yes very nice bathroom j/k. no the 3 LC265I speakers are all front a center channel speakers. the 6" wall is accomodating electrical and plumbing for the adjacent laundry room . i cant move or offset center by 4" for asthetic reasons.

scottnbnj

the easiest fix is probably just putting as much fiberglass insulation in the wall bays with speaks as you can without compressing or crushing the the insulation more than is required for it to hold itself up in the cavity.

from what i gather from folks that have tried both uninsulated and insulated, most prefer insulated.

if you're thinking about opening the walls and cutting studs, polk says the 'ideal-volume enclosure' is one cubic foot.

mdf is probably the ideal material. for 2x6 blocking you'll need verticle and horizonatal blocking on the double bay speak to keep the same volume on all of the enclosures *and* maintain the one cubic foot volume.

if you're going through the trouble of building an enclosure, seal the joints. glue for mdf and silicone caulk for 2x6.

you'll probably get better bass with an enclosure but you don't have much to lose by trying the insulation first. trying the insulation first might also help you decide whether you need to adjust the speaker placement before opening the walls.

)

THXplasma

Thanks scottnbnj ! 1 cubic foot is the overall diammeter i was looking for. MDF is a sure tight seal, however reguarding my 6" thick thermal insulator sealed enclosure , would that type of material be suitiable for a speaker enclosure? anyone know what material polk uses for the LC265I enclosure

scottnbnj

there are speaker builders around here that might know something that i don't. you might get their attention if you start a new thread that asks about building enclosures for the lci's in the subject line. if that doesn't work, polk's customer service is excellent too. it might be worth giving them a call if you need more detailed info.

the page for the lc265i has a link to a white paper that might help:
http://www.polkaudio.com/home/products.php?category=9&speaker=357

good luck, keep us posted on your progress and how everything turns out.

)

VR3

I build houses, but I dont understand exactly what he is asking...

Is the speaker going to disrupt anything in the wall? or what?

If not, it wont hurt a thing to cut into a stud, you have one every 16 inches!

As long as you put something in the place u cut out (ie, the enclosure) - u will have ZERO problems.

As for the enclosure, MDF is ideal.

amulford

If not, it wont hurt a thing to cut into a stud, you have one every 16 inches!

Watch what you say there young carpenter. Make sure the wall is just a partition wall before you do that. If it is, then cut away; but you have to install blocking to hold the stud still. If the wall is load bearing, you need to install a header and jack studs to carry that load.

Once you have this accomplished, insert box, insulate, and install your speakers. Actual box construction shouldn't matter if your using sound insulation, but MDF will work nicely, and you avoid resonance even more.

Good luck...

VR3

Thats what I asked in the first post...

*is it supporting anything*

But if it is just a first story, I don't think it would harm anything...

But he said it has plumbing and electrical...so I dunno

:::the 6" wall is accomodating electrical and plumbing for the adjacent laundry room:::

So he can cut into that, as long as he dosnt cut the plumbing or electrical....

THXplasma

Ok thanks! my bad sorry about all the structual details that were not included in the enitial post. however all mods will be made with the structial integrity and safety as primery concern. also to clerify the interior wall is a 6"non load bearing, no header top plate only. all other inner wall plumbing , elect, cat5, Etc. will be alocated and accounted for...... THE END
Chapter 2:
Help!!! The Inwall Sony 42 plasma !


Thanks

VR3

do you by chance have a camera to help us help you with all of this?

amulford

Why does it have to be "inwall"? Given the thickness of most plasma monitors, it could be hung on the wall very tastefully.

Just my .02...

goingganzo

buld a seccond wall on top of the first one that will do the trick
or take a sawza and cut the 2x6 then put cripple studs above and below where you cut it out for strent then patch drywall and cut out for speaker. you dont need a 2x6 for criple a 2x4 will do just so the 2 stud dint move from side to side and front to back

here is how to do it
take a drywall saw and cut a box 4 in higher than the speaker will be from the stud on the right of the stud yo are going to cut out to the stud on the left of the stud you are going to cut out.then repete prosess 4 in below where speaker os to be placed. then cut along studs up and down on the inside of the stud tward the stud you are going to be removeing. remove drywall. cut middle stud out flush with drywall top and botom. buld a box size of opening out of 2x4 and atach to 2 otter studs and atach to the cut stud. now drywall tape and mud. now cut opening for inwall speaker.

THXplasma

goinganzo hey thanks for all the much needed supporting ideas very good! somewhat in the lines of my first approach on a 4" interior wall. stack and build on top staggerd multi layer light weight 3D foam board picture frame, tottaly surrounding the plasma appearing as inwall. however since then we encountered the 6" interior wall allowing us to build custome stream line stealth finish flushmount system. all other components will store in a remote closet location. the whole house Network Wi-Fi automated system will be driven by a multi media server and a 8 zone 6 source touchpanel A/V distribution system, the media room will also have a inwall docking station for the RS232 wireless master controller Amego by Coraccess. ok thats a quick peak at the overall layout . i will stay posted and advised as the project nears complettion....%#****

Thanks
Polk Rocks!

Larry Chanin

Hi THX,

I have to admit that despite reading your postings a few times, I still don't fully understand your precise question. However, since I've been through a similiar experience I thought I'd jump in on this thread.

Not too long ago I installed a set of LC265i's in Polk's performance enclosures, in a 6" staggered stud wall. To further complicate things I had two layers of 5/8" drywall already installed. Polk's enclosures are approximately 55" x 14" x 4" and they are made out of 1/2" MDF.

I spoke to Ken Swauger at Customer Service before starting. He consulted his installation guys and they recommended removing an entire stud bay, from floor to ceiling. I didn't want to go that route so I tried cutting a hole somewhat longer than the 55". I was up tight against the corners of the side wall and I found it virtually impossible in those close quarter to use a hand saw. I ended up buying a drywall router with a flexible extension. It worked very well.

In addition, since I had about a $1,000 worth of video cable in the wall I was cutting into, it was very important that I be able to adjust the depth of the cuts so as to minimize the chance of nicking the cables. My problems were further complicated by the double layers of drywall. With two layers, the two stud finder I was using provided unreliable readings.

When I finally opened the hole for my left speaker I found the water line for the shower in the bathroom that was adjacent to my home theater. I was lucky that the enclosure still fit if I pulled it out flush with the first layer of drywall. By carefully rearranging the hanging brackets I was eventually successfull in installing the enclosure.

For the other speaker I ran into all six zones of my lighting system. I had to notch out a long section of stud, rearrange the electrical, reinstall an other stud and carefully rearrange the hanging brackets. Again I was eventually succesful in installing the second enclosure.

By way of background, I'm not a "Mr. Handyman" type guy, so I was operating out of my league. After opening the wall and taking measurements, I found it useful to draw everything out to scale in two views on a computer. That way I would practice the relocation "surgery" on the computer several times until I figured out the best way to proceed.

These sort of enclosures really are meant to be put in before the drywall goes up. Retrofitting a utility-laden wall is not for the faint of heart or for those lacking carpentry, plumbing and electrical skills. In my case after 5 days of struggle I lucked out.

Good luck.

Larry

THXplasma

Howdy polkies! Larry .C my pleasure welcome. and thanks for your brilliant intrest in my complex install. however i would like to appolagize for all the mass connfusion, none the less you yourself know first hand all about the unexpected utility encounters!@#* water, gas, exhaust, Data Com, 240v..Etc. OK im sure were on the same page now RIGHT! say yes ROLMAO j/k. Larry if your still not convinced, your guess is im another victam of the poor planning commission your absaloutly right. that's why im just a Industrial Technician smuch, and not the project ENG with 75k salery. oh well 60k and a life is the sweet spot for now. however if we could do it all over again im sure we would start with a set of as built blue prints. although things have appeared a little complexd and somewhat detouring i have managed to improvize and make way for the next challenge of success.



Thanks
LC265is Rock!