Help, how to instal speaker cable for surround sound sockets
Discussion
Needing some advice on installing speaker cables for surround sound in a new build house.
In the living room I would like the sockets on the walls to plug speakers in without the wires all over.
Do I need to use good quality cable such as this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Loudspeaker-Cable-50m-OF...
and run it from the tv area to the corners of the room where the speakers will be to something like this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SPEAKER-WALL-CONNECTION-...
Are these the plugs needed to go with the sockets?
Also with the surround sound there will be an AMP under / beside the tv where all the speakers connect but will it be possible to have wall sockets behind the AMP and just connect the cables when needed or would this need the wires connecting all the time?
Sorry for sounding a bit dim but need the advice from those who have done it and know what to do.
Cheers
In the living room I would like the sockets on the walls to plug speakers in without the wires all over.
Do I need to use good quality cable such as this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Loudspeaker-Cable-50m-OF...
and run it from the tv area to the corners of the room where the speakers will be to something like this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SPEAKER-WALL-CONNECTION-...
Are these the plugs needed to go with the sockets?
Also with the surround sound there will be an AMP under / beside the tv where all the speakers connect but will it be possible to have wall sockets behind the AMP and just connect the cables when needed or would this need the wires connecting all the time?
Sorry for sounding a bit dim but need the advice from those who have done it and know what to do.
Cheers
The speaker cable looks fine to me. There's no need to go expensive with speaker cable (providing you're not buying complete rubbish of course!). If you dig around on the interweb you'll find loads of arguments about it and the men with beards who can actually test this stuff do say there is no point using the silly money stuff that will cost you a few hundred quid. I have some 'decent' cable at home and when I replaced it with pretty much the same stuff you're looking at I couldn't notice the difference in the slightest.
The sockets you're looking at also look like the right thing also but I'd be a bit dubious about using them. What size speakers are you using at the rear? If you're using some very small satellite speakers then you'll see the plates on the wall and in my opinion they will look a bit naff so may be better off just getting the speaker cable to poke out the wall in the right place and they will look more discreet. Is the new build you're moving in to built yet?
You'll need to keep all the cables in the amp plugged in all the time as you'll soon tired of faffing about with it. To keep your install looking neat you really want to put the time and effort in now, get it all working and then leave it alone. I had to move my amp the other day and can confirm it's a right pain to put back! If you have all your AV gear in a cabinet it's not too big a problem but as I have my amp mounted in an alcove with a false wall behind it, all the cable are hidden in the wall so have minimum amount of room behind to amp to connect stuff up. If I never had to touch it again I'd be a happy man!
The sockets you're looking at also look like the right thing also but I'd be a bit dubious about using them. What size speakers are you using at the rear? If you're using some very small satellite speakers then you'll see the plates on the wall and in my opinion they will look a bit naff so may be better off just getting the speaker cable to poke out the wall in the right place and they will look more discreet. Is the new build you're moving in to built yet?
You'll need to keep all the cables in the amp plugged in all the time as you'll soon tired of faffing about with it. To keep your install looking neat you really want to put the time and effort in now, get it all working and then leave it alone. I had to move my amp the other day and can confirm it's a right pain to put back! If you have all your AV gear in a cabinet it's not too big a problem but as I have my amp mounted in an alcove with a false wall behind it, all the cable are hidden in the wall so have minimum amount of room behind to amp to connect stuff up. If I never had to touch it again I'd be a happy man!
ROB_GTR said:
Needing some advice on installing speaker cables for surround sound in a new build house.
In the living room I would like the sockets on the walls to plug speakers in without the wires all over.
Do I need to use good quality cable such as this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Loudspeaker-Cable-50m-OF...
and run it from the tv area to the corners of the room where the speakers will be to something like this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SPEAKER-WALL-CONNECTION-...
Are these the plugs needed to go with the sockets?
Also with the surround sound there will be an AMP under / beside the tv where all the speakers connect but will it be possible to have wall sockets behind the AMP and just connect the cables when needed or would this need the wires connecting all the time?
Sorry for sounding a bit dim but need the advice from those who have done it and know what to do.
Cheers
In the living room I would like the sockets on the walls to plug speakers in without the wires all over.
Do I need to use good quality cable such as this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Loudspeaker-Cable-50m-OF...
and run it from the tv area to the corners of the room where the speakers will be to something like this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SPEAKER-WALL-CONNECTION-...
Are these the plugs needed to go with the sockets?
Also with the surround sound there will be an AMP under / beside the tv where all the speakers connect but will it be possible to have wall sockets behind the AMP and just connect the cables when needed or would this need the wires connecting all the time?
Sorry for sounding a bit dim but need the advice from those who have done it and know what to do.
Cheers
Autopilot said:
The speaker cable looks fine to me. There's no need to go expensive with speaker cable (providing you're not buying complete rubbish of course!). If you dig around on the interweb you'll find loads of arguments about it and the men with beards who can actually test this stuff do say there is no point using the silly money stuff that will cost you a few hundred quid. I have some 'decent' cable at home and when I replaced it with pretty much the same stuff you're looking at I couldn't notice the difference in the slightest.
The sockets you're looking at also look like the right thing also but I'd be a bit dubious about using them. What size speakers are you using at the rear? If you're using some very small satellite speakers then you'll see the plates on the wall and in my opinion they will look a bit naff so may be better off just getting the speaker cable to poke out the wall in the right place and they will look more discreet. Is the new build you're moving in to built yet?
You'll need to keep all the cables in the amp plugged in all the time as you'll soon tired of faffing about with it. To keep your install looking neat you really want to put the time and effort in now, get it all working and then leave it alone. I had to move my amp the other day and can confirm it's a right pain to put back! If you have all your AV gear in a cabinet it's not too big a problem but as I have my amp mounted in an alcove with a false wall behind it, all the cable are hidden in the wall so have minimum amount of room behind to amp to connect stuff up. If I never had to touch it again I'd be a happy man!
Thanks for your reply and it sounds like im on the right track The sockets you're looking at also look like the right thing also but I'd be a bit dubious about using them. What size speakers are you using at the rear? If you're using some very small satellite speakers then you'll see the plates on the wall and in my opinion they will look a bit naff so may be better off just getting the speaker cable to poke out the wall in the right place and they will look more discreet. Is the new build you're moving in to built yet?
You'll need to keep all the cables in the amp plugged in all the time as you'll soon tired of faffing about with it. To keep your install looking neat you really want to put the time and effort in now, get it all working and then leave it alone. I had to move my amp the other day and can confirm it's a right pain to put back! If you have all your AV gear in a cabinet it's not too big a problem but as I have my amp mounted in an alcove with a false wall behind it, all the cable are hidden in the wall so have minimum amount of room behind to amp to connect stuff up. If I never had to touch it again I'd be a happy man!
ROB_GTR said:
Needing some advice on installing speaker cables for surround sound in a new build house.
In the living room I would like the sockets on the walls to plug speakers in without the wires all over.
Do I need to use good quality cable such as this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Loudspeaker-Cable-50m-OF...
and run it from the tv area to the corners of the room where the speakers will be to something like this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SPEAKER-WALL-CONNECTION-...
Are these the plugs needed to go with the sockets?
Also with the surround sound there will be an AMP under / beside the tv where all the speakers connect but will it be possible to have wall sockets behind the AMP and just connect the cables when needed or would this need the wires connecting all the time?
Sorry for sounding a bit dim but need the advice from those who have done it and know what to do.
Cheers
In the living room I would like the sockets on the walls to plug speakers in without the wires all over.
Do I need to use good quality cable such as this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Loudspeaker-Cable-50m-OF...
and run it from the tv area to the corners of the room where the speakers will be to something like this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SPEAKER-WALL-CONNECTION-...
Are these the plugs needed to go with the sockets?
Also with the surround sound there will be an AMP under / beside the tv where all the speakers connect but will it be possible to have wall sockets behind the AMP and just connect the cables when needed or would this need the wires connecting all the time?
Sorry for sounding a bit dim but need the advice from those who have done it and know what to do.
Cheers
Not decided on any speakers etc just want the wiring in now as we build to avoid messy wires around the room once finished and the wall sockets would just be tidy and discreet.
No problem at all!
One thing worth thinking about is what sort of speakers you will probably end up buying as this would make a difference where you run the speaker cable to. Floor standing speakers typically have their connections at the bottom of the speaker so you'd probably want to put your wall plate low down where as if you were using a satellite or bookshelf speaker you'd want to have the plate right behind where the speaker is going to go which will typically be at ear level when seated otherwise you could end up trailing a cable from near the floor up or from half way up the wall back down etc.
I think I probably spent more time planning my build than actually doing it to be honest. I wanted to be cable free so put a false wall in an alcove so all the speaker cables run behind it and in to the floor and the tops of the cable were obviously where the amp was to be positioned. My TV can connect to my wifi router so also ended up running an ethernet cable from the tv to router....and my amp also has internet connectivity so had to run another ethernet cable from the amp to the router. My PS3 and Xbox live on a different shelf to the amp (so had to run HDMI leads from these to the amp and a single lead from the amp to the TV. Everything is either behind a false wall, chased in to a solid wall or under the floor (old house - Suspended floors) and gave me a few headaches. You're doing the right thing asking questions now as it's blimmin hard to add anything later!
One thing worth thinking about is what sort of speakers you will probably end up buying as this would make a difference where you run the speaker cable to. Floor standing speakers typically have their connections at the bottom of the speaker so you'd probably want to put your wall plate low down where as if you were using a satellite or bookshelf speaker you'd want to have the plate right behind where the speaker is going to go which will typically be at ear level when seated otherwise you could end up trailing a cable from near the floor up or from half way up the wall back down etc.
I think I probably spent more time planning my build than actually doing it to be honest. I wanted to be cable free so put a false wall in an alcove so all the speaker cables run behind it and in to the floor and the tops of the cable were obviously where the amp was to be positioned. My TV can connect to my wifi router so also ended up running an ethernet cable from the tv to router....and my amp also has internet connectivity so had to run another ethernet cable from the amp to the router. My PS3 and Xbox live on a different shelf to the amp (so had to run HDMI leads from these to the amp and a single lead from the amp to the TV. Everything is either behind a false wall, chased in to a solid wall or under the floor (old house - Suspended floors) and gave me a few headaches. You're doing the right thing asking questions now as it's blimmin hard to add anything later!
I have previously bought a roll of that speaker cable from the same supplier on ebay. No complaints at all and i couldn't tell any difference between it and the branded stuff from Richer Sounds which i had been using previously!
As far as the wall sockets go, you will need to use bannana plugs for the ones you linked to - i bought some cheap plugs one off ebay (was a pack of 8) and they were really badly made so it might be worth paying the extra for decent ones.
alternatively you could buy sockets with screw terminals instead of solder tabs/bannana plugs?
As far as the wall sockets go, you will need to use bannana plugs for the ones you linked to - i bought some cheap plugs one off ebay (was a pack of 8) and they were really badly made so it might be worth paying the extra for decent ones.
alternatively you could buy sockets with screw terminals instead of solder tabs/bannana plugs?
Cock Womble 7 said:
Funnily enough, I was planning the surround sound layout in my fantasy Lottery win house the other week.
I came across these on the net:
I guess these would be located behind the receiver with cables chased through the walls to speaker sockets in the relevant positions.
Ooooooo they look like a great idea! I came across these on the net:
I guess these would be located behind the receiver with cables chased through the walls to speaker sockets in the relevant positions.
Where did you find these?
We just bring cables out of a brush plate to the rear of a receiver if room-based ... less connections = less problems. They're usually at a low height where they can't be seen or could be located in some sort of furniture. I would just run the cables directly to the speakers at the other end as well, again eliminating the number of connections. Yes its nice and neat having nice wall plates but if you're on a budget its just more expense.
Cock Womble 7 said:
Quick search on the web for "7.1 (or 5.1) wall plate". I think they're the same size as a double socket.
Not sure, it looks like a treble socket to me. US spec. 3 vertical columns of 2 screws.I've got one installed in my place for 5.1...but then, I'm in the US.
Monoprice.com does various versions of them; you can obviously order the back boxes as well, and many of the plates work well with low voltage mounting brackets (these are designed to be placed in a hole in plaster board, have wings that are folded out to go behind the plaster board, the wall plate screws tight to them, pulling the bracket tight in against the plasterboard).
Yep, US spec:
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id...
Either get the 3 gang low voltage bracket if you've got plasterboard:
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id...
Or use the back boxes if you've space:
http://www.lowes.com/pd_31000-223-B355R_4294821892...
Or just rawl plug it up there....
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id...
Either get the 3 gang low voltage bracket if you've got plasterboard:
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id...
Or use the back boxes if you've space:
http://www.lowes.com/pd_31000-223-B355R_4294821892...
Or just rawl plug it up there....
I have just finished my install in a number of rooms. Mostly in ceiling or in wall but the ones that are mounted on brackets I just poked the cable out of the wall in the position the speaker was to be mounted. I will try to upload a pic later.
Try to avoid using face plates. If the amp is to be positioned in an area that will not be visible then don't bother with a face plate. It avoids connections in the signal path.
Depending on room size also put in some cables for 7.1 or even 9.2 even nif you do not want it at the moment.
Try to avoid using face plates. If the amp is to be positioned in an area that will not be visible then don't bother with a face plate. It avoids connections in the signal path.
Depending on room size also put in some cables for 7.1 or even 9.2 even nif you do not want it at the moment.
jimmyjimjim said:
Yep, US spec:
Sorry, I only used that picture as an example. You can get UK versions.I got my sockets for behind the TV from this place - http://www.euronetwork.co.uk/acatalog/Audio_Video_...
They can make up the plates with exactly the sockets etc that you need.
For my surround speakers I just chased the wall and ran the wires from the ceiling down the groove. Our walls are breeze block so that was much easier than sinking a patress box into the wall. The wires just stick out through the speaker brackets so are not visible once the speakers are in place.
They can make up the plates with exactly the sockets etc that you need.
For my surround speakers I just chased the wall and ran the wires from the ceiling down the groove. Our walls are breeze block so that was much easier than sinking a patress box into the wall. The wires just stick out through the speaker brackets so are not visible once the speakers are in place.
ROB_GTR said:
Your all w
kers, the lot of ya! (OH is going to linch me)
Got me spending a bloody fortune now
Looking for a wall plate that (idealy) will have 5.1 surround sockets, coaxial socket (tv ariel) and a phone socket if such a thing exists?
Thanks for all the input
You can almost do that.kers, the lot of ya! (OH is going to linch me)Got me spending a bloody fortune now
Looking for a wall plate that (idealy) will have 5.1 surround sockets, coaxial socket (tv ariel) and a phone socket if such a thing exists?
Thanks for all the input
Have a look at aca-apex.co.uk as a supplier, he makes these in the uk. 5.1 & 7.1 speaker plates.
No relation other than a very good supplier of mine.
V.
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