TOPIC: Mounting surround sound speakers - wall or under cabinet??

I've started a new project adding wireless rear surround speakers. I'm planning on mounting them above my home theater recliners either on the wall or under cabinet (in the slide room). The speakers are Sony SA-Z9R and are fairly small measuring 4" x 6-1/8" x 4" and weighing about 2.25 lbs. each.

I've also purchased a swivel mount system that will allow me to point the speakers downward a bit.

My dilemma is whether I should mount to the wall or under cabinet. I'm nervous about mounting to the wall as I'm not sure the wall board is strong enough to support the mount screws/speakers. Regarding mounting to the underside of the upper cabinet I'm a bit nervous as there is wiring in the cabinet (for the LED lights) and I'm not sure how strong the cabinet fascia is as well.

Has anyone had any experience mounting small speakers in their coaches? If so I'd sure appreciate your thoughts and ideas. Thank you!

I guess no one has experience drilling into their exterior walls.

I know the older models had speakers mounted to th dinette walls
I would try a stud finder to locate something substantial to screw into

Thanks Shane. Since we have aluminum studs in the walls do you know if a typical household stud finder would work or do I need a special one?

They are cheap at home depot, lowes etc
They work on both as the laser measures density

They are cheap at home depot, lowes etc
They work on both as the laser measures density

I still have the option of hanging them from the bottom of the cabinet as well. Does anyone know where the wires for the lights below the cabinets are run?

Pull one of the lights down, there's probably only a couple wires about the size of a light gauge extension cord so shouldn't be in your way.

Thanks for the replies everyone. I decided to mount from the bottom of the cabinet and it worked great!

Do your speakers work with the soundbar? I would like to have more speakers for better surround sound. Any advice is appreciated!

Yes the speakers and subwoofer connect wirelessly to the sound bar and the rear speakers. I couldn’t be happier with the Sony system I installed. Although not cheap at $720 the Sony HT-Z9F system is perfect for my Redwood. It is small but has big sound including Dolby Atmos. It also has wi-fi and Bluetooth connectivity so I can connect it to my home network and easily pair my iPad, iPhone and Bluetooth turntable to it. It also has smart features including integration with Amazon Alexa, Google smart home and various music services like Spotify. It also supports HDMI Arc Control so if your tv is ARC compatible it will turn the sound bar on and off and adjust volume with the tv remote.

It is extremely compact and fits right on the shelf above my fireplace where my original sound bar was. The compact subwoofer fits perfectly behind my recliners. The rear speakers are sold separately at $268 and really add to the sound field. Both the sub and rear speakers need a 110v outlet. I have an outlet behind my recliners and used an extension cord for the rear speakers. I was able to hide the wires for a clean installation.

The factory sound bar in my coach was a 12v unit with integrated tuner and Bluetooth that controlled sound to the bedroom and outside zones. I had to purchase a separate device to wire to those zones.

I’m kind of an audiophile and like quality sound. You can certainly have it in your RV by choosing the right equipment. There are lots of sound bar options out there but I would listen to them or read reviews before buying as many offer only mediocre sound quality. Good luck and don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions!

Thank you! Between my husband and myself we should be able to figure this out. Our 2015 31SL has a Sanyo sound bar. One thing I would like to move is the satellite box and LG DVD player from the cupboard above the TV in the living area (rear living area, tv above fireplace). Currently we have to keep that cupboard door open to use either of the above devices.

I should clarify that the Sony rear speakers I bought will only work with the Sony sound bar. If you like the sound of your Sanyo sound bar you might check with Sanyo to see if they offer a rear speaker option for your sound bar.

Regarding the cabinet door do you keep it open for line of sight for the remote to work? If so most satellite boxes will allow you to reconfigure the remote from IR (infrared) to RF (radio frequency) that does not require line of sight to work. If you don’t have RF capability you can use an IR repeater and mount the receiver sensor outside your cabinet door and then the transmitter sensor to the IR lens on the satellite receiver and the LG DVD player.

I’m guessing you might also be keeping the cabinet door open because sometimes these components (especially the satellite box) can generate quite a bit of heat and need some ventilation.

wow, thanks! Might need to find a young person to help us with this Also plan on mounting a King satellite dish on the roof prior to leaving mid February. Tired of our ground tailgator being too low to find a signal and messing with resetting it when it gets blown over!