Cables, Stands and Mounting Brackets—Oh My!
By Paul Vnuk Jr.
Welcome to part three of my journey into immersive audio and Dolby Atmos.
In part one (March 2025), we looked at the conversion of a corner of the basement in my 1920s Midwest home into my home office and editing suite, and began its evolution into an Atmos listening and mixing space treated with bass traps, panels and DecoShapes from GIK Acoustics.
Last month (May 2025), we looked at my choice of an immersive bundle of IK Multimedia iLoud MTM MKII monitors (reviewed February 2025), along with a JBL LSR310S subwoofer to handle the low-frequency extension (LFE).
We also started considering Atmos interface options, software-based room correction and further room treatment needs for my space.
Finally, we input data into the Excel-based Dolby Atmos Room Design Tool (DARDT) to guide our speaker selection and get placement advice for the 12 necessary speakers in the 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos array (7 surround speakers, an LFE ‘sub’ channel, plus 4 height speakers).
In future installments, we will revisit the numbers, DARDT layout suggestions, and the quirks of my room. But first, lets explore crucial, often overlooked elements of any immersive speaker installation.
It should not be surprising, but besides the speakers and interface, you will also need to consider stands and/or mounting brackets plus a way to get power and audio signals to each speaker.
Mount Up
Depending on your space, the seven surround speakers can be placed on monitor stands, mounted to the walls, or some models (like the iLoud MTM MKII) can be affixed to microphone stands.
Height speakers require ceiling brackets, or I have also seen height monitors installed on heavy-duty telescoping boom mic stands or modified lighting trusses.
Companies like Triad Orbit and IsoAcoustics specialize in wall and ceiling mounting solutions for a wide range of popular monitor speakers, big and small. Many companies also offer bespoke mounting solutions.
Nicely in my case, IK Multimedia offers a custom iLoud Wall/Ceiling Bracket ($49) that screws into the MTM MKII mic-stand mount. These simple, yet robust brackets offer both side to side and up-and-down tilt options for proper angle and positioning.
Due to my space’s tight dimensions, I chose four IK brackets for the height speakers and two brackets for my side monitors.
Compromises
One of the side speakers needed to be mounted directly to a utility closet door that opens out into my mixing space. This required a piece of plywood to be fixed to the opposite side of the hollow core door to accommodate the weight of the speaker and bracket.
The necessary position of the rear-height speaker also now impedes the door from opening wider than 15″. The height speakers were mounted directly overhead to a layer of drywall and into the subfloor while maneuvering around water/radiator pipes.
Installing the IK brackets was straightforward with four mounting screws. Once your speaker is screwed on the bracket mount, the tilt and angle bolts are tightened by a pair of included wrenches. Each bracket also includes a required safety wire.
Take a Stand
For rear surround speakers, I chose to mount them on a pair of straight, round base mic stands from On Stage. While best known for super-affordable mic stands in the $20 to $30 range, On Stage also offers a range of ultra-robust upper-end options.
Case in point, I selected the MS9212 ($75). This stand has a 12″ diameter, 10 lbs low-profile base that is only 0.25″ high. The MS9212 can extend up to 65″ with a super-thick 1.125″ stand tube. As far as straight stands go, the MS9212 is next level.
Mounting the iLoud offerings on a mic stand requires the use of a Euro 3/8” male to USA 5/8” female mic screw adapter. In this case, I chose two black On Stage MA100B adaptors ($4.95 each).
This setup does a great job of keeping the 5.5 lbs. iLoud MTM MKII monitors firmly in place with only the slightest controlled momentary wobble if bumped. To ensure they can be returned to the proper position and angle if moved, I plan on marking each base and the concrete floor with three small alignment marks.
For my LCR speakers, which live on the upper shelf of my Wavebone Headquarter studio desk, for now I will be using the included IK stands for the left and right speakers and horizontal mounting pad for the center speaker, although I may consider a pair of mini-desktop mic stands in the future.
The Hookup
Installing 12 powered Atmos speakers logically requires 12 IEC power cables and 12 audio cables—most likely 1/4” TRS or XLR.
Most current, professional-powered monitors conveniently offer a choice of both, often via a combo input. This means your choice of cabling will most likely depend on the output options of your chosen audio interface.
There are few, if any, audio interfaces on the market today that offer more than two XLR outputs, which are usually reserved for a set of stereo monitor outputs. Most high channel count audio interfaces make use of eight or more 1/4” TRS outs or one or more DB25 connectors, which require the use of a breakout snake terminating in your speaker’s required format.
If you are fortunate enough to be able to run cable conduit and/or power outlets through your walls, floors and ceilings with custom cable runs, that is the most efficient option for any immersive audio install.
If you are not able to do so, things can get a bit more complicated.
For the rest of this discussion, I am going to use the Audient ORIA (1/4” TRS-based) and the Apogee Symphony Studio 2×12 (D-Sub-based) as my examples. Both units are some of the very first Atmos-specific interfaces on the market, and they are both reviewed elsewhere in this issue.
This is also a good place to point out that, as a professional gear reviewer, my Atmos setup needs are a tad unique. At times, I will need to accommodate both 1/4” TRS and DB25 options. That said, I did settle on 1/4” TRS cables as the best and most versatile option.
Length Matters
When you measure for your cable runs, you need to account for every single surface that the cable needs to traverse to get from point A to point B—a laser measure is invaluable for this task.
Here are a few examples:
For my rear-height speakers, the cable distance included 1′ from the back of the centrally mounted audio interface to the rear wall. Then it was 4.5′ from there to the ceiling, followed by 5.06″ to the speaker input—roughly 11′ total.
When routing cables for the rear speakers, I had to account for a 1′ run to the back wall, 3′ to the floor, 3′ to the side wall, and 8′ to the mic stand. Additionally, the cable required an extra 3.08′ to run up the mic stand to the back of the speaker—factoring in the cable jack and necessary bends on every speaker and the interface.
Using the above two examples, I need roughly 11′ of cable for the rear height speakers and 19′ for the rear surrounds. If you’re purchasing pre-made cables, round up—don’t try to stretch a 10′ cable when you need 11′. Opt for 15′ to allow for unforeseen adjustments.
I determined I needed three 5′ (LCR), two 10′ (LTF and RTF), five 15′ (LS, RS, LTR, RTR and LFE), and two 20′ (LRS and RRS) cables for both audio and power.
Cable Choice
Balancing cost and quality, I went with Hosa cables for my power and audio. Hosa has been manufacturing reliable, affordable cables and adaptors for over 40 years. I chose the mid-grade Pro Balanced Interconnect Series, which features nickel-plated REAN plugs, 24 AWG Oxygen-Free Copper (OFC) conductors, and 90% OFC spiral shielding.
I found them well-built—firm yet pliable—and the connectors offered a tight fit in both the speaker and audio interface.
For power, I selected Hosa 14 AWG IEC C13 to NEMA 5-15P cables. Like most of us, I don’t usually even think about power cable specs, but these offer OFC conductors for increased current flow and a durable black PVC jacket.
D-Subs and Adaptors
Now it was time to address any possible DB25/XLR needs.
For a permanent install, I could source and order custom-made DB25 to XLR or DB25 to 1/4” TRS snakes with length/speaker-specific breakout cables, which could be around $400 per snake conservatively. A more flexible, yet not necessarily cheaper option would be to get a pair of short 2′ DB25 to male XLR snakes and connect those to a selection of standard XLR cables in the necessary lengths.
Instead, I opted to use the installed 1/4” TRS cables. If I need to use a DB25-equipped interface, I can repurpose my existing 3m Hosa DB25 to XLR male snakes and connect them with 12 Hosa GXJ-183 1/4” TRS to XLR3F adaptors ($10.95 each). While not an inexpensive solution, this approach provides a decent, workable compromise for my needs as a reviewer.
After factoring in three repurposed power cables from the iLoud monitors for the LCR speakers and two DB25 snakes I already owned, the total cost of mid-grade audio and power cables, plus adaptors, added up to roughly $832 before tax and shipping. This is just to point out that cables, while necessary, add up quickly.
Powering It All
Next, I needed a way to distribute power. Ideally, dedicated outlets would be installed, but I opted for two Radial Engineering Power-2 units ($199 each).
The Power-2 is a 19″ rackmount power conditioner with eight rear and one front power outlet. It features a U.S.-made Metal Oxide Varistor for surge protection, exceptional RF interference rejection, and a handy USB-power outlet. A cool slide-out multicolor LED light is a bonus.
The rear power outlets provide power to my 11 iLoud monitors, JBL LFE/Sub, audio interface, and my 2.1 mixing setup. The front-side USB/3-prong outlets are useful for charging my phone or AirPod Max headphones and/or occasional desktop synths, and other random test gear, respectively.
Best of all, Radial Engineering gear is rock solid. If you don’t need the LED pull-out tray, the Power-1 offers three front-side XLR outlets for a super affordable $109.
Dressing the Cables
“Dressing” the cables—organizing them neatly—is the final step.
For the left side and rear speakers, I bundled cables with Velcro ties along the wall and my throw rug. For my height speakers, the “web” of pipes and conduit that hindered my exact speaker placement actually helped my cable placement. The GIK Acoustics room treatment also conceals many cables.
The trickiest cable run was for the right-side speaker mounted on the closet door. For that I used 3M stick-on cable tie holders to guide the cables behind DecoShapes panels, under the door, along the inner closet wall, and through a small access gap.
One final tip: I strongly encourage you to label the end of each cable that plugs into the interface—keeping track of 12 speakers can get messy.
For this, Hosa offers Label-A-Cable adhesive cable labels ($14.95), which come in a pack of 60 wrap-around labels. You can write directly on them, or, as I did, print the cable names with a label maker and secure them inside the wrap-around label.
Wrap Up
I hope you found my insights on Atmos mounting, cables and power solutions helpful, Stay tuned for next month’s installment, where I’ll continue refining my immersive audio setup and sharing new discoveries along the way.