b.
Select your speaker wire and purchase the proper lengths.
Now that you know the speaker locations
and have a wire-routing plan, the wire lengths you’ll need can be estimated.
A good guide is to use 18 gauge wire for runs less of than 75 feet, 16 gauge wire for runs of 75 to 150 feet and 14
gauge wire for runs over 150 feet (the speaker terminals will accommodate 14-gauge speaker wire). Behind-the-wall
wire runs should use UL Class 2 or 3 approved cable to ensure compliance with local building codes (it will be marked
CL2 or CL3).
c.
Route speaker wires away from household wiring because electrical lines will interfere with your
speaker signal.
Avoid the temptation to “piggyback” and use existing holes in the studs where electrical
wiring runs. And, when possible, keep speaker wires more than 18” away from electrical wiring. If you
need to cross electrical wiring, go directly across at a 90° angle.
•
Many distributed sound systems feature individual in-room volume controls. This means you will need additional
wire runs from the control to the speaker so be sure to account for these when planning your wire runs.
•
If you plan to use more than two sets of speakers, be sure they don’t present an unsafe load to your electronics.
There are two ways to deal with this potential problem:
1)
Buy an expensive distributed audio amp with one channel for each speaker or
2)
Buy an inexpensive speaker selector.
Speaker selectors are usually not recommended because they can greatly degrade the speakers’ sound quality (by
wiring your speakers in a series with one another other or by placing a resistor in series with them).
E
XTRA
T
IPS
F
OR
D
ISTRIBUTED
S
OUND
10
6-LCR In-Wall Home Theater Speaker
a.
First, prepare the route of the wire.
Depending on your chosen strategy (from those
above), this may mean drilling holes, removing
baseboards and molding, and/or making
channels in wallboard.
b.
Next, run the wire. A “fi sh tape” can make it
much easier. Leave about two feet of extra wire
to make it easier to connect to your speaker.
c.
NEVER use staples, nails or other metal
objects to secure the speaker wire. A short
could affect your system’s performance, even
damage your electronics. Special insulated
staples are available from your hardware store.
d.
Note the markings on your wire that identifi es
each strand. You’ll need this info later to be
sure you connect the speakers properly.
Step 4. Run Speaker Wires
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