All Stealth Acoustics speaker panels are built with a mounting frame covered by a 3/16” multilayer sheet of paper and foam we call the face panel. The face panel is the active surface of the speaker (or the cone in conventional speakers). Printed on the face panel are basic installation steps and a dashed line that identifies where the mounting frame stops and the active area begins. The mounting frame is attached to the structural framing with drywall screws secured through the mounting frame into the studs. The edge of the face panel is tapered in a manner similar to drywall board. The seam between the face panel and the drywall board is taped and feathered in with joint compound in the same manner as a drywall patch.

The Stealth Acoustics speaker panels are designed to work with either 1/2” or 5/8” wallboard. There is a 1/8” deep notch on both ends of the mounting frame that allows the panel to set back when 1/2” wallboard is used. When the speaker panels are used with 5/8” wallboard the notch is filled with 1/8” by 7/8” shims provided with the speaker.

Checking Placement

The Stealth Speaker Panels are designed to be placed so that the face of the panel is 1/16” beyond the finished surface of the drywall. This allows room for the joint compound to be feathered from the dashed line on the panel out onto the wall. This will keep joint compound out of the active area of the panel. By placing a straight edge across the face of the panel there should be a 1/16” gap between the straight edge and the wall.

The edges of the Stealth speaker panel are tapered similar to a piece of drywall board. This is done to allow room for the tape and joint compound needed to blend the panel into the wall. We recommend using self adhesive nylon mesh tape.

Feathering the speaker panel into place is done with standard drywall joint compound in the same manner any other drywall joint is treated. In this case it is important that enough joint compound be applied to make a very gradual transition from the surface of the wall board to the face of the speaker panel. It will normally take at least a 12” fan of joint compound around the panel to create a seamless transition.

The last and very important step before the painting begins. This can make or break the quality of the installation. Most of the time when sanding begins imperfections in the application of the joint compound will appear. It usually takes a second or third application of joint compound to smooth this out and create a seamless transition.

Painting and Finishing

Once the feathering is complete the panel is ready for finish painting. The Stealth Acoustic speaker panels are engineered for optimum audio performance with four coats of latex paint applied to the surface. A light spray-on “orange peel” texture can be applied or even wallpaper. Heavy knock-down finishes where the texture is finished with a trowel, are not recommended.

This is a common concern and frequently asked question. The short answer is no, there will be no cracking. There is no movement outside the dashed line printed on the face of the speaker panel. If the speaker panel and the wallboard it is adjoining are both properly secured to the framing, and the joint is properly taped and finished, there will be no cracking.