New House! Wife says NO VISIBLE SPEAKER WIRES! (1 Viewer)

[Stephen Orr]

Okay guys, I gotta do this on the cheap. We are moving into a new townhouse at the end of June. My wife has already said there will absolutely, positively be no wires showing anywhere downstairs (where my 35-inch Sony and entertainment center will be located.) Right now I have cube-style JVC speakers mounted in the corners of my living room. The new room will be approximately the same size, but I need other solutions - hiding the speakers, what to do with wires for fronts and rears, etc. Is there a wireless solution? Or am I gonna hafta get into the walls (Tim Taylor,I am not....)

Thanks in advance.

 

[SkiingNinja]

No speaker wires? Tell her no nick-naks or lacy-doylie crap showing and that will be fair

 

[John Royster]

Seriously, that is an outrageous request and shouldn't be tolerated. Compromises are a good thing.

/off soapbox.

What you can do is run flat speaker wire under the carpet, then behind the base trim behind the drywall and right to the speaker.

 

[Chu Gai]

The things us guys put up with for the regular? horizontal mambo sessions!

John's suggestion is a practical one that involves little work on your part since you don't have to go horizontally through the studs and all.

A variety of flat wires are available.

www.decorp.com (a bit pricey IMHO but but flatter than an anorexic woman)

Monster's got some Navaho paintable self-stick white that might do the trick. Only 14 or 16? gauge I think. That'd work.

Also a few selections over at Parts Express.

Wireless speakers such as Advents can be found over at BestBuy but you still need to run a power cord. That'd probably piss her off even more.

You could also consider in-wall or in-ceiling speakers but that's gonna cost a bit and doesn't qualify as 'on the cheap'.

 

[DanaA]

I once ran speaker wire behind the molding where the carpet meets the wall.

 

[Todd Alexander]

I just had an electrician run rear speaker wire through the attic. Cost about $300 in labor plus the wire. I mounted the rear speakers on the wall. The front one can run along the wall/floor and be mostly invisible.

Wireless loses fidelity.

I'm glad I bought my house before estrogin could interfere. Good luck!

 

[Mark Dickerson]

I have had the same edict. In fact, she doesn't want to see the speakers! I drew the line when she suggested Bose or Jamo speakers, however.

Flat wire by Monster Cable can be run under the carpet fairly easily, and you don't have to be Tim Taylor to do it (need to get a "fish-wire" from Home Depot). Do you have a basement? Wire can easily be run behind the receiver/amp through the floor and into the basement, then run the wire to the speaker's position in the room, back up through the floor. Are your speakers floor standing or stand-mounts? If you aren't sure how to do it, contact a professional installer. There are ways to get this done, so take heart. All is not lost!

 

[Brett DiMichele]

Steve,

Ugg... Glad I am single.. BUT... I still don't want to see
wires either.. My solution was this..

I picked up a 100' spook of RadioShack 16Awg Navajo White
Flatwire and a couple boxes of RadioShack White RG-6 Cable
Wall Pass Thru Bushings.

I went up into the attic and drilled holes down through the
celing where the surrounds would sit and a hole right smack
in the corner of the room closest to the audio rack. The
Radio Shack wire is CL-2 so it's cool for attic and in wall
use. Then I tapped the RG-6 Bushings up into the holes for
a finished look (hold Diameter is 5/16") I ran my wire down
to the surrounds and terminated in RatShack 24K Gold Banana's.

On the other side of the room I ran the wires down the
corner of the wall then I went to Lowes and got a piece of
simulated wood (made out of foam) corner moulding. I carefully
places the wires behind the moulding and gently tapped the
nails through the foam and pushed them by hand into the dry
wall (so I could "feel" if I was hitting the cable) and
then finaly tapped them in flush with a hammer. I then
painted the trim the same color as the wall..

I don't have recent pictures with the trim in place, but
this is what it looked like when it was exposed against a
white wall.