Is it reasonable to mount surround speakers directly to the ceiling like they were a wall, with the woofers pointing horizontally instead of vertically?

Without going into all of the details, I don't have a good way to mount them traditionally, including with the ceiling mount, that is in a good location and not in the way.

No, they could slide off of the little mounting brackets. If you put something in front of them to hold them in place, maybe.

I don't think the Axiom T-Bracket is designed for pull force, only for shear force. I wouldn't do it.

The T-bracket has the speaker sliding down. The speaker would fall off. Can you elaborate more in the blocking elements preventing the ceiling mount? I have 2xQS8 using ceiling bracket and the lowest point of the speaker is only 12" from the ceiling.

You could always put 1 big nail right through the middle of the speaker. (just kidding).

Not a good idea unless proper surround sound is not important to you.

I certainly hope you're kidding!

You should only use screws in the ceiling.

Perhaps what you could do is remove the mounting clips from the back of the surround and utilize the same screw holes to attach a small wooden plaque or wooden bar to the back of the QS8 securely, then put a couple of screws through the plaque or bar into the ceiling. Just leave a small opening or cutout if you use the plaque method to attach the cables.

Jeez, Randy. The QS8 is extremely forgiving in where you put it. I don't think its orientation is all that important -- it will spread the sound out well whether it's vertical or horizontal. The main consideration here is that the T-brackets won't hold it securely to the ceiling.

Jason,
If you tried to mount a QS8 to the ceiling using the T-bracket, the slots on the QS8 would severely torque the tabs on the bracket because they are located near the edge of the cabinet. The opposite end of the cabinet would pull away from the ceiling because there's nothing to hold it up.

I agree with you Peter on the forgiving nature of the Q's, but really they're meant to be mounted more vertically or at least on an angle from the ceiling or wall. An install like this would be awkward and likely comprise the surround to some degree, how much is anyone's guess.

Back to the OP. Is this an 8 ft ceiling? you couldn't use a ceiling bracket?