The present invention comprises a method and apparatus for installing a tile-mounted ceiling speaker that combines the ease of installation of a lay-in speaker system with the visual appearance of a tile-mounted speaker system. In one or more embodiments, the apparatus of the present invention includes a support frame, back box assembly configured for installation on top of a ceiling tile, a ceiling ring configured to be mounted in an opening in a ceiling tile, and a loudspeaker cartridge configured to be mounted to the support frame through the ceiling tile opening.