I’m getting ready to rough in my speaker wires for my stereo system with two speakers in 4 rooms and two porches. There will be several volume controls on the walls and maybe one or two remote controls boxes on the walls. The way i understand it (or don’t) is that you run 4 wire from the entertainment center to the volume control wall box and then a two wire from each speaker to the volume control box. And from the remote control box to the entertainment center a 18-2 sheilded wire. I was told to just pull the wires through the drywall when the time comes and the speakers can be cut in at that time and that they mount like a bathroom fan grille. Also to try and keep all speaker wires no closer than 18 inches from electrical wires. I’ll take any suggestions you can give me.
Thanks
Rupert
Replies
I've prewired my last three houses for audio, video, network and phones.
First, your approach SOUNDS fine. 4 wire then 2 wire etc.
A couple of tips.....
If you plan to use a subwoofer with your system in an entertainment room, I would put it in the floor and wire with nothing less than 12-2. (all wire should be multistrand)
Best tip - use 1/2' pvc pipe and feed the wire through that. With this, you can easily rerun the wire if it gets cut during drywall installation or you can feed additional wire through if needed in the future. I do the same from areas such as the crawl space to the attic for future needs but use 1 1/4". You'll need to plug the ends to minimize the potential of fire spread. I wrap a coathanger around fiberglass insulation and stuff it in the ends to the tube. This makes it simple to pull back out when I'm ready to run more wire.
More?
Pedro the Mule
I would go here http://www.crutchfield.com and see what they have to say. Certainly Pedro's idea re the pvc is a good one. I would also try to get the installation instructions for the intended speakers beforehand. The porch ones may need a little more care if their are exposed (to some extent) to the weather.
I would also check out Monster Cable's site for wire recommendations. Your 18-2 sounds a little small.
Any time that I run speaker wire to and from a volume or remote control box, I have been told by my stereo contractor it always pays to run one or two additional category 5 lines. Also depending on the equipment and their locations we have sometimes needed to run 15 pin computer cables between the stereo location and the tv location, as well as several coax lines. In other words, it is important to understand the layout ahead of time and what type of equipment is involved, yes you can add wires later, but it is alot easier to do it ahead of time. The equipment changes all the time, so it helps to be prepared with a clear plan.
Bill
If you have an alot of extra pvc then you can use. Otherwise I would use the blue "smurf" conduit. Much cheaper and easiere to work.