of solid masonry, and have no hollow
space for speakers or wires.
Start by examining all the possible routes
you might take to run the speaker wire
from the speaker to the volume control
and back to the stereo. Use a stud sensor
or other device to locate the internal struc-
ture of the wall. You want to avoid all
studs or joists. A typical route would be:
from the speaker location in the ceiling,
across the attic, then down through a top
plate (the horizontal 2x4 or
2x6 laid across the vertical
studs) to the volume control
location, back up to the attic,
across the attic, and finally
down another wall plate to a
J-Box in the wall behind the
stereo system itself
(See
Figure 8)
.
Identify where all of your
electrical, phone, and TV
wiring is likely to be and plan
to route around it all. You
can accidentally induce
60Hz hum on your speakers
if you run your speaker wire
right beside electrical wire for
more than a few feet. Try to
keep speaker wire running
parallel to power cables at
least three feet away. To find
exactly where an electrical
cable is routed, try inspecting the inside of
the wall by turning off the breaker for a
particular power outlet or switch, remov-
ing the cover plate and switch or recepta-
cle, and shining a penlight into the wall. If
you have access to an attic or basement
space you can quickly see which part of
the wall space is free of obstructions
(See
Figure 9)
.
11
Ins
talla
tion F
undamen
tals
Figure 8
Figure 9
Unobstructed space
for speaker wiring
Speaker
Location
Volume
Control
Location
Stereo
Location
