Busted Phillips Screws

As a pro, drill it carefully with a drill slighty larger than the threaded part of the screw, you just want to take the heads off, do it to the rest of the stripped heads......... then you will be able to remove the plate, when you remove the plate the threads of the now drilled screws will be pertruding. use a vise grip to remove the screws. walla! damage free! get new screws and your done, and forget the power screw driver, when you install the new ones!

If the screws are countersunk then I think the best method is the one mentioned by Chichiuno. Most of the other methods involve some type of impact onto the speaker cabinet, which is not good. A high quality easy out still needs to be given a good tap in the drilled hole to set the edge in order to grip the damaged screw. If the cabinets are pretty sturdy this should be a minor concern.

All the above mentioned methods will work but drilling off the screw heads is the least stressful to the cabinet. If the screw heads are accessible, a pair of high quality diagonal cutters can grip the sides of the screw by actually digging into the sides & you can back them out while squeezing HARD.

If you're unable to drill I would take the approach which has the least amount of impact, so the first approach is the easiest. I would start with another screwdriver & if at all possible, lay the speaker face down so you can exert more pressure on the screwdriver. If you try this first use a high quality screwdriver & pay attention to the tip to screw line up.

Herman, good point! If I ever have to drill metal on ANY audio gear, I will put a small circle of Blue Tack around the drilling site, so that any metal shaving will be held by this material. Also, one of those mini hand held computer vacuums used while drilling comes in handy!

take a small file or dremel and cut a straight cut into the screw then use a straight blade screw driver. go slow with the extraction. the power driver isn't always a good tool

Great ideas guys. Another tried and true method on breaking the grip of a "frozen" fastener is to tap the end of the screwdriver firmly but not too hard, when sitting in the slotted head.