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I am trying to mount speakers on the topmost part as you can see here:

enter image description here

Basically I am mounting it on that thin vertical area that you can see. Is this part wood or drywall? From tapping it, it sounds more solid. So does that mean it is wood?

I am also going to mount speakers on the opposite side, at the top of the wall as well. It looks like this on the opposite side:

enter image description here

Would this be wood as well?

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  • I'm going to go out on a limb here and say it's most likely drywall over solid wood (or stacked 2x4's, giving the same effect). Based on what I saw when I redid my basement, I'd be surprised if it was plain wood. – John Jan 18 '14 at 21:46
  • @John Ah, ok so the speaker mounting bracket has wood screws as well as a way to mount it over normal drywall. Should I use the wood screws instead since it is drywall over wood? Thanks! – DiyNewb Jan 18 '14 at 21:47
  • Adding some dimensions to the images would be helpful, as it can be difficult to judge size in photos. – Tester101 Jan 20 '14 at 12:19
  • Have you considered using speaker stands instead? They're movable, so you'll be able to fine tune the sound (if you're in to that type of thing). Also, mounting the speakers higher may not provide the best speaker performance. Mounting speakers to building framing, almost never puts the speakers in the optimal location to provide the best performance. – Tester101 Jan 20 '14 at 12:25
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This is an example of a typical framing of the wall you describe

wall framing

The drywall covers the framing and the white areas in between.

In general, when mounting anything on the wall (other than the lightest of pictures), it is better if you can attach to a stud (one of the framing members, usually wood, but sometimes thin steel).

To find out where the studs are, you can use a stud finder.

stud finder

Or you can poke a series of holes until you find where the hollow (drywall) ends and the solid (stud) begins. To poke the holes, you can use an awl or a very small drill bit.

In your particular case, figure out where you want your speakers. Then check to see if there are studs in the immediate vicinity or close. sometimes it's worth shifting an inch or three to get a solid mount.

If there are studs within reach, use wood screws to attach to the studs. If there are not, use drywall mounts.

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    I'd agree with your wall diagram for a non load bearing wall. For a load bearing wall, the cripple studs may be completely replaced with a solid wood header. Either wall will certainly support the speakers – HerrBag Jan 18 '14 at 23:22
  • @HerrBag Agreed that a load bearing header is not illustrated, but not at issue in this question. – bib Jan 18 '14 at 23:56

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