Home Theater Wiring – Tricks for Installing Your Own Speaker System
If you decide to install your home theater system yourself rather than having it custom installed, one of the major issues you will encounter is how to wire the system so that the system looks streamlined and your equipment wires are out of the way.
When purchasing your home theater equipment ask the retailer to confirm that all the necessary wiring for the home theater you are creating is included. If not, you may need to purchase a couple of additional cables or wires separately. Make sure you have the dimensions for the home theater room you are creating as well. This way, you can be sure that the wires will reach all of the necessary speaker placement points in the room. Your retailer will be able to direct you to the best quality brand of wires for the type of system you are installing.
Once you have the wiring for your system, the challenge becomes hiding the speaker wires from sight so that the beauty and mystique of your theater is not tarnished by the reality of wiring. There are a number of options available to help with disguising home theater wiring. You can use undercarpet tape. This will fasten the wires on the floor. It is recommended that if undercarpet tape is used, that it be used in areas with very little foot traffic. It is also possible to run the wires along the outer edges of the room so that it reaches the rear and far sides of the room. If you go down this path, you must ensure you have plenty of wiring to reach the far corners.
If you have wall mounted speakers that require wiring, you will most likely need to drill into the wall and run the wiring through the wall to the back of the main system. If you don’t want to drill into the walls, there is flat ribbon wiring available that can be ran down the walls, under windows, etc. The wire is thin enough so that it can be painted over or wall papered so that it is less noticeable. This is a good option especially if you have a home theater room where the lighting can be dimmed to hide the wires even farther from sight.
Wiring a home theater system can be challenging but it does not have to be impossible if you are smart and use some creativity.
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July 17th, 2007 at 5:47 pm
[...] « Home Theater Wiring – Tricks for Installing Your Own Speaker System [...]
August 13th, 2007 at 10:06 pm
[...] investing a large amount of your savings or a small part of your budget on your home theater, your speaker placement will play a big role in the sound quality and sonic performance in your home theater [...]