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It is a good idea to use a dedicated RJ45 cable tester to verify the proper operation of each
Ethernet cable prior to installation, especially if you are building the cables yourself and
especially if the cables will be routed through the walls, even if using pre-made cables. A
cable tester can save a lot of time and frustration in troubleshooting any connectivity
issues discovered during installation.
Speaker Wires
You will need speaker wire to connect each speaker in each zone to the Master
Controller/Amplifier. The size (AWG) of wire you choose depends on the distance from the
amplifier to the speaker(s), the speaker impedance, and the physical limits of the terminals
at each end.
Other than saving a few pennies of cost or grams of weight per foot, there is no reason to
use anything other than the thickest wire possible. The Master Controller/Amplifier uses
Euroblock Terminal connectors, which can accept up to 14 AWG wire, so it is recommended
to use 14 AWG speaker wire. If the speaker terminals cannot accept 14 AWG wire, you can
use a banana or pin plug to connect the wire to the speaker terminal.
Whatever speaker wire you get, make sure that it has marks to identify one conductor
from another. Most speaker wire uses a colored stripe to identify one of the conductors.
The identified conductor is usually used for the positive (+/red) connection and the other
for the negative (-/black) side.
Note: When cutting speaker wire, ensure that the length of each stereo pair is the same.
This ensures that the overall impedance of each channel is identical. If there is any excess
speaker wire, it should not be coiled, as it could create an antenna to receive stray radio
signals. Instead, snake the excess wire back and forth.
RCA Cables
If there is a significant distance from the Master Controller/Amplifier to a given speaker
zone, it might be better to use an external power amplifier to power the speakers in that
zone. If this is the case, you will need stereo RCA cables to connect from the preamp
outputs to the inputs of the external amp.
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