John Sayers’ Recording Studio Design ForumAn archive of johnlsayers.com, 2003–2022

Speakers and soffits

This topic collects discussions on soffit mounting and flush mounting of studio monitors, a technique in which speakers are built into a wall or soffit rather than left freestanding. Contributors weigh the acoustic rationale — reducing nearby boundary reflections and comb filtering, particularly at low frequencies — against practical construction questions such as enclosure isolation, cabinet angles, and the maximum recommended downward tilt for a soffit. Several threads address flush-mounting freestanding monitors that were not designed for soffit installation, including methods for isolating cabinet vibration and filters that compensate for the loss of "baffle step" boost when a speaker is pulled into a wall. Others troubleshoot problems after construction, such as monitors losing midrange and high-frequency definition once soffited. Specific monitor models discussed include Adam S2A and A7, Mackie HR824, and Klein & Hummel O300, alongside a DIY reference-monitor build. Readers will also find soffit planning folded into broader room designs, from garages and basements to dedicated mix rooms.

Introduction drafted with AI assistance from forum posts.

  1. Start hereSoffit mounting? 223 replies, 2003–2019. Started by Ethan Winer in Studio Design. With Soundman2020, John Sayers and AVare.
  2. Start hereMonitor Flush Mounting Method 76 replies, 2003–2021. Started by barefoot in Speaking of Speakers. With Soundman2020, Eric Best and RJHollins.
  3. Start hereDIY Filter for Flush Mounting Freestanding Speakers 26 replies, 2003–2019. Started by barefoot in Speaking of Speakers. With Soundman2020, Gregwor and Eric Best.
  4. Start hereSoffit Mounting, Did i do something wrong???? 40 replies, 2003–2016. Started by -=glEnn=- in Speaking of Speakers. With barefoot, giles117 and John Sayers.
  5. Start hereDIY flush mount speakers 111 replies, 2011–2020. Started by Eric Best in Speaking of Speakers. With Soundman2020.
  6. another 20 x 20 x 10 garage design. would this work? 55 replies, 2003–2005. Started by nukmusic in Studio Design. With John Sayers, knightfly and Ethan Winer.
  7. The Killatone DIY speaker project 5 replies, 2003. Started by barefoot in Speaking of Speakers.
  8. Soffit mounting LCR and additional stereo pair? 48 replies, 2012–2016. Started by FriFlo in Speaking of Speakers. With Soundman2020 and gullfo.
  9. Adam A7 soffit mounting? 14 replies, 2008–2010. Started by Soundman2020 in Speaking of Speakers. With John Sayers, AVare and Ro.
  10. My soffit plans 42 replies, 2009–2010. Started by g-slam in Studio Design. With Ro, jbassino and Soundman2020.
  11. 5.1 Postproduction in Garage 67 replies, 2003–2004. Started by dtess in Studio Construction. With knightfly, giles117 and cadesignr.
  12. Songwriter's studio - 12'x12' mix room, other recording room 25 replies, 2006. Started by Sandersd in Studio Design. With guitardad72, barefoot and John Sayers.
  13. Mackie HR824 Soffit mounted - with a HRS120 sub 14 replies, 2009. Started by ian.lb in Acoustics. With Ro, Soundman2020 and John Sayers.
  14. Small Basement Studio - Home Working Place 59 replies, 2011–2012. Started by hansaffe in Studio Design. With Soundman2020, gullfo and RJHollins.
  15. Alternatives to NS10 20 replies, 2009–2010. Started by pootle roche in Speaking of Speakers. With Soundman2020, John Sayers and jbassino.
  16. barefoot, soffit help 12 replies, 2003–2021. Started by stone_eufemia in Speaking of Speakers. With barefoot, John Sayers and knightfly.
  17. Downwards soffit angle 21 replies, 2008. Started by Phybeau in Studio Design. With Soundman2020, AVare and lilith_envy.
  18. Genelec 1032A 13 replies, 2003. Started by LDQ in Speaking of Speakers. With barefoot and John Sayers.
  19. Soffit design..why so much complication? 11 replies, 2012–2015. Started by ToneAlive in Speaking of Speakers. With Soundman2020, John Sayers and Eric Best.
  20. Studio Monitor Stands on Wooden Plank Flooring - Decoupling 6 replies, 2008–2009. Started by needlz in Studio Design. With gullfo and Soundman2020.
  21. Monitor Stands 13 replies, 2013–2014. Started by Soundman2020 in Speaking of Speakers. With John Sayers, Eric Best and RJHollins.
  22. Help with speaker & monitoring positioning in new studio 10 replies, 2011. Started by ian.lb in Speaking of Speakers. With gullfo, John Sayers and BriHar.
  23. Soffit mont kit speakers? 11 replies, 2003. Started by jsshop in Speaking of Speakers. With barefoot, John Sayers and Eric Best.
  24. Slanted Soffits 32 replies, 2003. Started by frederic in Speaking of Speakers. With knightfly and John Sayers.
  25. KRK V88 27 replies, 2003–2009. Started by Guest in Speaking of Speakers. With John Sayers and barefoot.
  26. Mounting Mackie HR824's in a sofit 11 replies, 2003–2005. Started by giles117 in Acoustics. With barefoot and dymaxian.
  27. Active vs Passive 9 replies, 2003. Started by Eric Best in Speaking of Speakers. With barefoot, John Sayers and knightfly.
  28. use of a sub in a small room 24 replies, 2013–2014. Started by axemanchris in Speaking of Speakers. With Soundman2020.
  29. Designing & Building My Soffit Mounts 49 replies, 2021. Started by snailboyawayyy in Studio Design. With gullfo and Paulus87.
  30. Allround monitor for media compagny 13 replies, 2003. Started by Jan Holm in Speaking of Speakers. With giles117, barefoot and knightfly.
  31. Speaker design 6 replies, 2008–2009. Started by lilith_envy in Speaking of Speakers. With John Sayers and jbassino.
  32. r 26 replies, 2010. Started by studious in Speaking of Speakers. With Soundman2020, John Sayers and lilith_envy.
  33. Constructing soffit boxes for the Alesis Monitor Two 14 replies, 2010–2016. Started by Gash in Speaking of Speakers. With Soundman2020 and gullfo.
  34. Building a Killatone 10 replies, 2010. Started by jbassino in Speaking of Speakers. With John Sayers.
  35. Speaker Height Help!!! 10 replies, 2006. Started by len-morgan in Speaking of Speakers. With John Sayers, knightfly and AVare.
  36. Focal Twin 6's and soffit mounting 19 replies, 2011–2019. Started by Funktion in Speaking of Speakers. With Soundman2020, Eric Best and gullfo.
  37. Question for Thomas :) 7 replies, 2003. Started by John Sayers in Speaking of Speakers. With barefoot.
  38. Super Subs 14 replies, 2003. Started by frederic in Speaking of Speakers. With knightfly, John Sayers and barefoot.
  39. Soft Flush mount specs 42 replies, 2018–2019. Started by matt-korban in Studio Construction. With Soundman2020, Gregwor and DanDan.
  40. Auratones 13 replies, 2003–2006. Started by longsoughtfor in Speaking of Speakers. With barefoot, John Sayers and TomVan.
  41. Want to Flush mount speakers...Like this photo (Update 2) 8 replies, 2005. Started by camistan in Speaking of Speakers. With AVare, knightfly and kendale.
  42. "Mine is bigger than yours, so there!" 10 replies, 2010. Started by Soundman2020 in Speaking of Speakers. With John Sayers and jbassino.
  43. Event 20/20s soffit mounted 17 replies, 2003–2004. Started by eric in Speaking of Speakers. With barefoot, giles117 and John Sayers.
  44. Need help about soffit, stereo filter, thx barefoot... :P! 15 replies, 2003. Started by tenkas in Speaking of Speakers. With barefoot, John Sayers and knightfly.
  45. soffit unit? 11 replies, 2003. Started by rsb in Studio Construction. With John Sayers.
  46. In-wall or soffit mounting monitors? 20 replies, 2008. Started by jlemon in Speaking of Speakers. With Ro, xSpace and Soundman2020.
  47. Bose 901 for post-mixing listen 19 replies, 2006–2012. Started by gullfo in Speaking of Speakers. With guitardad72 and jwl.
  48. How to attach speaker in soffit without drilling it? 26 replies, 2016. Started by josephwit in Speaking of Speakers. With Soundman2020.
  49. monitor soffit questions? 17 replies, 2003. Started by jc71 in Studio Design. With John Sayers.
  50. What about these for mains? 12 replies, 2003. Started by ollie in Speaking of Speakers. With barefoot, Eric Best and John Sayers.
  51. Framing for flush mounts that lean in 9 replies, 2011–2012. Started by bcslaam in Speaking of Speakers. With Soundman2020 and BriHar.
  52. Soffit mounting - some helpful threads 0 replies, 2006. Started by knightfly in Speaking of Speakers.
  53. Soffit Construction - Final Design 16 replies, 2007. Started by gareth.h.rees in Studio Design. With Eric_Desart and gullfo.
  54. Speaker design 12 replies, 2003. Started by Eric Best in Speaking of Speakers. With barefoot.
  55. Soffit Construction 17 replies, 2004. Started by Frontman in Studio Construction. With knightfly, cadesignr and barefoot.
  56. Barefoot, what speaker would you Soffit?/ Also, decoupling? 11 replies, 2003–2004. Started by dbluefield in Speaking of Speakers. With barefoot and John Sayers.
  57. soffit or not? 35 replies, 2017. Started by shimmer in Studio Design. With Soundman2020.
  58. Soffit mount transmission line speakers (PMC) 24 replies, 2006–2014. Started by AnaMix in Speaking of Speakers. With Soundman2020, knightfly and bassman.
  59. Modular Freestanding Speaker Soffit? 9 replies, 2009–2010. Started by jgastineau in Speaking of Speakers. With Soundman2020 and John Sayers.
  60. Wall Isolation Plan : regarding isolation of speaker baffles 19 replies, 2009. Started by Sandersd in Studio Construction. With Soundman2020, Ro and John Sayers.
  61. Dynaudio BM15a 9 replies, 2003. Started by Oliver Sheen in Speaking of Speakers. With barefoot and John Sayers.
  62. Soffit Construction 10 replies, 2003–2005. Started by LDQ in Studio Construction. With John Sayers and hugo_inside.
  63. DIY Power amps 10 replies, 2009. Started by D3lta in Speaking of Speakers. With John Sayers and jbassino.
  64. Dave Blauvelt's soffit mount is up. 3 replies, 2003–2004. Started by John Sayers in Other Studios. With knightfly.
  65. Nearfield Speaker Designs/Plans 11 replies, 2003–2018. Started by Barefoot-Studio in Speaking of Speakers. With barefoot, Soundman2020 and Eric Best.
  66. Baffle Step Compensation for Soffit Mounted Focal Alpha 65s 10 replies, 2017. Started by marcjeffares in Speaking of Speakers. With Soundman2020 and Eric Best.
  67. soffit mount design 26 replies, 2012–2017. Started by monstertraxstudio in Studio Construction. With Soundman2020.
  68. Need speaker type/brand suggestions 7 replies, 2006–2015. Started by camistan in Speaking of Speakers. With knightfly and Soundman2020.
  69. speaker soffit placement question 23 replies, 2009. Started by biggator in Studio Design. With NativeLuv17.
  70. Flush mounting yamaha ns10 ?? 10 replies, 2007. Started by mika in Speaking of Speakers. With John Sayers and gullfo.
  71. Flush Mounting Adam S3-A. Anybody done it? 7 replies, 2017–2018. Started by kHz in Speaking of Speakers. With Soundman2020.
  72. John, Question about Warren Jergens studio 1 reply, 2010. Started by MOSHWITZ in John Sayers Productions Designed Studios. With John Sayers.
  73. How big a soffit for my mini mains? 7 replies, 2003. Started by dbluefield in Speaking of Speakers. With barefoot and John Sayers.
  74. diy soffit mounted speakers 11 replies, 2003. Started by jdean in Speaking of Speakers. With barefoot, giles117 and Eric Best.
  75. Hybrid Superchunk-Soffit 17 replies, 2009. Started by Phazinhead in Acoustics. With Soundman2020, Ro and xSpace.
  76. Looking to replace Mackie HR824's 17 replies, 2005–2006. Started by kendale in Speaking of Speakers. With giles117 and bassman.
  77. Guidelines & Recommendations for 5.1 Surround 5 replies, 2004. Started by Aaronw in Studio Design. With AVare and John Sayers.
  78. Ventilation for soffit mounted speakers 15 replies, 2012–2014. Started by yellowfever in Speaking of Speakers. With Soundman2020 and BriHar.
  79. Monitor size, yamaha HS7 or HS8 ? 13 replies, 2016–2021. Started by Eugen Jeličić in Speaking of Speakers. With Soundman2020, gullfo and DanDan.
  80. Near Field Height 20 replies, 2005–2006. Started by Cujo in Speaking of Speakers. With knightfly.
  81. First studio monitors - Yamaha HS80M or something else?... 9 replies, 2010. Started by Zoli in Speaking of Speakers. With John Sayers.
  82. Main monitors DIY 15 replies, 2005–2006. Started by moby in Speaking of Speakers. With cadesignr, knightfly and barefoot.
  83. Soffit mounting of Genelec 8050? 4 replies, 2006–2008. Started by Jamzone in Speaking of Speakers. With knightfly.
  84. The Consulate - Redoing a Michigan Basement 13 replies, 2006. Started by Consul in Studio Design. With John Sayers.
  85. SOFFIT MOUNT MONITORS STAND: board, legs, studs or column? 3 replies, 2011. Started by hugo_inside in Studio Design. With John Sayers and Ro.
  86. Soffit-mounting a rear-ported D'Appolito array? 15 replies, 2021. Started by mbene085 in Studio Construction. With DanDan, gullfo and Paulus87.
  87. Surround Sound Soffit mount question 6 replies, 2003–2004. Started by Jester in Speaking of Speakers. With John Sayers, barefoot and cadesignr.
  88. Simple Question on Frames... 6 replies, 2006. Started by camistan in Studio Construction. With knightfly, rod gervais and SonicClang.
  89. Yamaha NS10 problems!! 5 replies, 2003. Started by kogote in Speaking of Speakers. With John Sayers, barefoot and knightfly.
  90. challenging soffit mount situation 7 replies, 2005. Started by igloo in Studio Design. With John Sayers.
  91. Speaker Height 12 replies, 2004. Started by Riad in Studio Design. With John Sayers and AVare.
  92. Help with Tannoy monitors 6 replies, 2010. Started by Sparky in Speaking of Speakers. With John Sayers.
  93. To flush or not to flush? 16 replies, 2016. Started by saemola in Studio Design. With Soundman2020.
  94. How's this soffit design? 5 replies, 2005. Started by Pasz in Studio Design. With John Sayers.
  95. Importance of impedance? 9 replies, 2006. Started by Ethan Winer in Speaking of Speakers. With gullfo.
  96. soffit mount two speaker systems. 8 replies, 2011. Started by LRRecords in Speaking of Speakers. With gullfo.
  97. Barefoot's soffit-bound diy kit? 9 replies, 2004. Started by Jon Best in Speaking of Speakers. With barefoot and Eric Best.
  98. DIY Speaker stands 5 replies, 2004. Started by Anton in Studio Construction. With knightfly.
  99. question about soffits 8 replies, 2004. Started by jdf in Studio Design. With giles117, John Sayers and barefoot.
  100. Should I Soffit mount in this space? 8 replies, 2009–2011. Started by sonicsix in Speaking of Speakers. With gullfo.
  101. Soffits - step by step ? 6 replies, 2003. Started by Dabugen in Speaking of Speakers. With knightfly and John Sayers.
  102. soffit mounting near fields 5 replies, 2003. Started by james arnold in Studio Design. With giles117, John Sayers and knightfly.
  103. Is this equilateral triangle too small? 11 replies, 2005. Started by Pasz in Studio Design. With John Sayers and AVare.
  104. How do I determine the distance to place speakers from wall? 8 replies, 2018–2021. Started by henryrobinett in Speaking of Speakers. With Soundman2020 and DanDan.
  105. Tannoy Ardens concentric speakers for main studio monitors 5 replies, 2013. Started by Gregdx7 in Speaking of Speakers. With John Sayers.
  106. Soffit and 5.1 surround 9 replies, 2005. Started by RCA in Studio Design. With John Sayers and Aaronw.
  107. free standing soffit mount? 6 replies, 2003. Started by Jason Poff2 in Studio Design. With John Sayers, barefoot and giles117.
  108. Ideal speaker height 9 replies, 2008. Started by Soundman2020 in Speaking of Speakers. With AVare and xSpace.
  109. JBL - LSR 28 P - What do you think 'bout them? 15 replies, 2003–2004. Started by the dreamer in Speaking of Speakers. With barefoot, Aaronw and knightfly.
  110. Speaker baffle test - comments please! 16 replies, 2021. Started by ScotcH in Acoustics. With gullfo, DanDan and Paulus87.
  111. 12 X 16 project studio 9 replies, 2005. Started by bouche in Studio Design. With John Sayers.
  112. Soffit mount, don't know which design to choose 11 replies, 2005. Started by Pasz in Speaking of Speakers. With giles117.