drywallmountingspeakerswood
I am trying to mount speakers on the topmost part as you can see 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:
Would this be wood as well?
If you check out a home theater/audio site like Parts Express, you'll find oodles of different ways to wall mount a speaker.
For heavier speakers, I've used these guys in the past with excellent results. I think they're rated for 50lbs each. Plenty of adjustability and easy installation. I used heavy-duty drywall anchors to mount mine.
Add some in-wall speaker wire and some wall plates with binding posts, and you've got a nice, clean install.
If you use decent screws, you should have no problem mounting right to the surface wood, without worrying about where you are behind it. It's a much more robust material than drywall, and 52 lbs is not all that heavy. You could certainly line up the top bracket screws with a strap and use longer screws there, but you probably don't need to.
Best Answer
This is an example of a typical framing of the wall you describe
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.
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.