I may be able to convience my wife to finally complete my HT around March (cross the fingers), if we really get a nice tax return. I also know that I won't be able DIY the QS8s in my wall (including wiring) and I don't want to do a lousy job on my new nice condo. Do you guys have suggestion for an economic way to install them considering that this is probably a small job for a full HT installation? If you have any suggestion in my area (D.C Northern VA and MD) I would really appreciate it! I know it is early buty these are factors I have to consider and talk my wife into.

I'm in your area. The best way to conceal the speakers and the wire is to drop them off at my house...

The real answer could be paintable, flat speaker wire. Some varieties even come with adhesive on them, so you just peel and stick.

Cool! I like those cables. Bookmarked the site, Thanks! But I think my wife would still prefer them totally hidden behind the wall.

Also, I am not very good in drilling wholes in my wall to mount the QS8s, finding studs, clean drilling etc. is not easy for me I know many guys here at the forums are just as good as professionals, but unfortunately not me.

Mounting the speakers is not as big of a deal as you may think. The QD8s come with mounting bracket with a goon number of holes in them to attach them to a wall. Keep this in mind, though. The brackey it not that big, so it is unlikely that you would have a stud right where they should be mounted for the best sonic reasons. So just drill some holes straight into the wall where the holes on the bracket are (measure and level the bracket on the wall first, and mark with a pencil where the holes line up and then just drill the holes), and then use toggle bolts to hold the braket. Works great. Just be sure to get toggle bolts big enough that you don't need to use any washers to prevent them from going through the holes in the mounting bracket (seems obvious, but....) and you will be all set.

This is what a toggle bolt looks like and they are available at home improvement stores or even Wal-Mart.

Oh, installing speaker wire is a different story. It can be a simple job in some cases, and a real pain in the butt in others. Just depends on where you need the wire to go.

One option may be to drill a hole in the wall behind the speaker, then borrow what is called a fish tape (see picture below) and stick it in the hole going down to the floor, or up to the ceiling if you have an exposed attic above this room. This is to make sure that you have a clear path in the wall cavity. If you go up to the attic, you will most likely need to drill through a header 2x4 or two to get a hole that you can fish the wire through. Get it up in your attic, and find where you need to bring it back down into the room (by your amp or receiver) and repeat the process. Drill a hole behind the receiver/amp and fish up again and as long as it is clear up to the ceiling, go back up in the attic and drill a hole for the wire. Fish the wire down the hole to the receiver.

An easier option might be to fish down to the floor, and pop off the base board running along the bottom of your walls. Be carefull not to damage the walls when doing this (just take your time. If you get lucky, the baseboard removal will show a small gap between the floor and the bottom of the wall, you can run your wire in that gap and put the baseboard back on when done. Completely hidden that way.

Just two thoughts.

Oh, and here is a fish tape.

Thanks Nick, taking notes from your advise.

You can also look at Decorp. They have flatwire that lies directly on the wall and you paint it. Very nice system.

Decorp

are toggle bolts better than drywall anchors? I will be in the same boat in 3 weeks..

Those toggle bolts are great. They only thing to keep in mind is that they're a one-time-use only kind of thing, so be sure you're confident in where you're placing them. Once you push the clips through the drywall, they will be forever back there. Oh sure, you can unscrew the bolt, but then the clips will fall down the wall space. Not a big deal, but something to be aware of.

I installed an over-the-range microwave in my home, and the kit had 4 toggle bolts that provided the main support for holding the frame onto the wall. They work beautifully and hold a pretty heavy microwave with no problem. I suspect they will work quite well at mounting speakers.

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are toggle bolts better than drywall anchors? I will be in the same boat in 3 weeks..

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