QuestionThanx Parke for your info, to tell you the truth I really am starting from scratch. I don't even have the TV yet and a very old stereo system at that. I just wanted to know the type of wire to use and where to run it in a just about square room. And yes I got the Radio Shack speel on what wire I HAD to have. Also I'm going both ways on whether to mount speakers in the ceiling or not. I have seen this in homes but I'm also being told it's not the greatest thing to do, any thoughts? One more thing what's the best way to run wire through the wall, is there cover plates, fittings, manifolds etc?
Thanx so much
Doug
-------------------------------------------
The text above is a follow-up to ...
-----Question-----
Hi Parke, I'm finishing my basement and would like to rewire for surround sound etc. I'd like to possible hook up my TV to separate speakers say in the ceiling etc. Is it best to have the TV and Stereo together and speakers say in the ceiling? I don't quit know where to run my wiring and I'd like to get started on this because it's hanging me up. Also is there any particular wiring for audio I should use? Thanx for any help or additional ideas.
-----Answer-----
This is a great question, I'd love to help!
I'm not entirely sure what you mean here though, so if you could tell me a little more it would help me allot.
You can certainly use speakers other than the ones on your TV, I recommend it, but it will depend on the kind of TV you have and whether your "stereo" has extra available inputs. Unfortunately, you can't just buy an adapter and run a wire straight from your TV to a pair of speakers.
Also, 99-percent of the time, just running audio from your TV to your stereo isn't "surround sound". It's stereo. Getting surround sound from standard Cable TV is a bit difficult, less so with some satellite TV services. Depending on what you have for a "stereo", it shouldn't be too difficult to set up for good stereo when watching TV, and surround when watching a DVD.
I usually only recommend (and not very highly, at that) standard ceiling speakers for the rear channels in a surround-sound system, but there are ways to get around that, and not matter what it will probably be better than what you had before (just listening to the TV speakers).
As far as cabling, this isn't rocket science. There are all sorts of companies out there (Monster Cable, lightning Audio, etc.) that will swear to you that you HAVE to buy their $10 a foot special "single crystal: double-ought gauge speaker wire our else your system isn't going to work properly. Well, let me tell you - that's salesmanship.
In real life I am a scientist, and I've tested this. In real world terms, unless you've got the biggest basement in the world it just isn't true.
Just use any two-conductor 16-Gauge copper braid cable, you'll be fine.
Technically, if you want to run wire inside the walls/finished ceiling you should be using "Plenum rated cable" on the runs up from your stereo to your speakers. An example of this would be West Penn/CDT's 25225B wire (but anything similar is fine).
In truth, if you're doing this yourself you might be interested to know that the cheap "lamp-cord" or "zip-cord" you can buy by the foot at your local Home-depot works great and comes quite cheap.
Get back to me about what exactly you want to do with your TV and I'll be happy to take you the rest of the way with this project. Also, if you submit a new question to me and check the "make this question private" then I might be able to provide you with more personal information (in case we need to exchange diagrams over e-mail, etc.). In your reply, it would be helpful to know what all you have already - brads and model numbers, etc - and what you want to do with it.
It might seem really frustrating now, but this sort of a thing makes for a GREAT home project. If you see it through I bet you'll be really happy with the results. It's what got me into this field so many years ago.
I wish you luck!
AnswerHi Doug,
I'm really sorry to take so long - I've been dying to get back to you but things kept coming up and I couldn't devote the time you deserve to get a concise and thorough response. Instead you'll get this one:
Type of wire from "stereo" to speaker shouldn't be difficult - we've talked about that already. If the drywall is already up you can poke holes and use "Electrician's fishing wire" to draw it up the walls and into the ceiling (if that's where you decide to put the speakers). If that sounds like a hassle you can always use "surface raceway" like the snap-together kind from wiremold. There are indeed pre-manufactured coverplates you can use with any "retro-fit box" to install most of the wire-run inside your walls for a clean look, if that's what you want. It can be a real pain - knocking out sections of drywall, using an angle drill and fish wire to get cable through studs, etc - but the rewards are great if a clean look is important. The best resources for this might be your local Lowes/Home Depot, partsexpress.com, and the MCM/in-one catalog. I'll put more specific links at the end of this note.
The alternative is to just leave the wire exposed - especially if you're going to use regular speakers. There is no risk of a real shock, so other than aesthetic concerns it's perfectly fine to leave speaker cable out in the open (or tucked along the wall and behind furniture).
Cabling in between the bits of electronics you have is a little more tricky - what your expectations are (for what you want out of the whole system, what you're willing to spend, how much time you want to invest in this project) will influence that the most, what's on the back of each piece of electronics you have/buy will dictate the rest.
If you're old stereo is indeed just that - good old left and right stereo - you can't get surround sound using it. Surround isn't the same as just adding more speakers, there are several additional channels of audio (Left, Center, Right, Rear at least) added to "surround sound" material. Getting at this requires a special "Surround Sound Decoder" that you do not have.
This doesn't mean that you can't still enjoy watching movies or TV using your old stereo, it just means that it isn't and never will be surround sound. Let me know if this is how you want ot proceed, and I'll walk you through it.
If you DO want to make the leap to surround sound, you may be interested in the various "surround-sound--in-a-box" systems. These are totally pre-packaged systems that come with speakers, decoder/amp, and wires - all sold together.
Typically, the sound quality is awful. Well, at least to me it seems that way. But if you want to dip your toe into surround-sound and don't want much of a fuss it might appeal to you.
The next step up would be to buy a Surround-sound decoder appropriate to your budget. YOu will also need at least five speakers (I will attach some links to get you up to speed on the various aspects of Home Theater. For simplicity, I suggest you start out with 5.1, you can expand as you gain knowledge and enthusiasm).
If you want to experience surround sound while watchind DVD's, you will also need to have a DVD player that provides some sort of "digital audio" output - virtually ALL of them do. This is usually either one or both: Digital "co-ax" that looks just like a regular "RCA" type audio connecter, except (usually) orange, or an optical "toslink" fiber-optic connector. Simply choose the format that matches the inputs of your surround decoder, connect your speakers, and your in.
Getting your TV in on the surround deal can be a little harder. Unless you know where to look, it's kinda hard to get surroud while watching TV, though there's no reason you can't still watch it in stereo through the surround-sound system. For the most common way to get REAL surround you'll need to make sure you have a cable (or satellite) TV box and that you are getting the (often premium) surround-sound package.
Now on to speakers: Surround Sound relys on a game of directivity - if the movie cretor wants you to think there's a gun going off behind you then the surround decoder plays that sound effect through a speaker behind you. AS such, there is a general guideline for placement and connection of speakers around the room:
http://www.dolby.com/consumer/home_entertainment/roomlayout.html
Not surprisingly, you'll find the speaker conections on the back of your new surround sound decoder labled similarly: Left, Center, Right, Surrounds (rear), subwoofer, etc.
The point I'm getting at here is that ceiling speakers rob you of a good portion of this effect because you no longer have speakers located where they are intended. For instance, if someone is talking on-screen, when you have a center-channel speaker mounted above (or below) your TV it gives the illusion that the voice is comming from the screen. If you mount a speaker within the ceiling, you instead localize on a voice comming from somewhere above, and it detracts from the sensation of being "immersed in the action".
Furthermore, most ceiling speakers do not sound as good as a regular box speaker of the same price.
That being said, ceiling speakers are great for some things. That same localization problem can make them very handy if your intent is to make a very diffuse "background-sound" system for, say, playing music at cocktail parties or having music play evenly throughout the whole house.
I just don't get the sense that you're wanting to do that. If you are then that's a whole different topic - let me know and I'll walk you through it.
Here are some general links about Surround Sound to get you up to speed:
http://www.crutchfieldadvisor.com/S-ljSqXs73nFh/learningcenter/home/ht_speakers.
http://www.crutchfieldadvisor.com/S-ljSqXs73nFh/learningcenter/home/hometheater_
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surround_Sound
Here are some wiring hardware items you might find helpful:
http://www.partsexpress.com/webpage.cfm?webpage_id=3&CATID=43&ObjectGroup_ID=278
http://www.partsexpress.com/webpage.cfm?webpage_id=3&CATID=54&ObjectGroup_ID=440
Here are some other questions that have been asked before that you might find informative:
http://experts.about.com/q/Audio-Systems-835/Home-Audio-Speakers-7.htm
http://experts.about.com/q/Audio-Systems-835/help-sound-proof-future.htm
Thanks so much for asking an interesting question.
I really hope I can continue to be of help. Feel free to follow-up if you have more specific questions about wiring in this system.
Good luck!
