Very Basic Wiring & Speaker Location Questions (1 Viewer)

[ridgerunner78]

Hi all - thanks in advance for any information you can give me. I do electrical work but have never ventured into the home theater scene until now.
 

I have a 12x36' room that will serve two main purposes - one side will be a home theater, the other will have a pool table and mini bar. It will be a basement room with engineered hardwood flooring on top of the slab. The drywaller is coming next week, so I'm trying to get all the pre-wiring done this week.

 

Question #1- I want to install a 5.1 surround sound system. I want in-ceiling rear speakers. (I don't have any components yet). Do I simply run two audio wires (+ and -) to each speaker location and run the other end of the wires to a junction box behind the wall where the amp will be?
 

Question #2- I want to have two in-ceiling speakers around the pool table. I've heard it's best not to have them directly over the table so sound will not echo. How far from the table should they be?
 

Question #3- I plan to run a 4-conductor wire from the amp to a volume control near the pool table, then two separate 2-conductor wires to each of the speakers. Is this correct or should both speakers be powered by a single 2-conductor wire (wired in parallel)?
 

 

[MalteseChicken]

Question 1: Yes - all you need is 2 conductor unless you are planning on bi-amping them (the woofer and the tweeter of one speaker are run off of two different channels - but it doesn't sound like you'll be doing that).

 

Question 2: Acoustics are funny like that - and it will also depend on other factors such as floor type distance from the walls etc - unfortunately this may be one of those trial and error bits. I think a safe bet would be to locate the speakers slightly out side the area of the pool table so the sound won't go straight down into it, but past it and reflect off the sides.

 

Question 3: It sounds like you are planning on an old - school resistor type of volume control. I'm guessing you want this option so you can have a different level of sound in that location compared to the other locations. Personally I'm not a fan of those units as I wonder what the increased impedance does to the amp, and many amps allow for you to control the volume of each individual speaker through the remote, so that would be the option I would use . . . but that's not the question your asking . . .
 

In regard to your question, it all depends on the speaker and the amp. Option 1 with the 4 wire, allows for a stereo signal to be maintained - but you will need to have a stereo volume control then too. Option 2 with the 2 wire set-up give you a very basic volume control to wire, but then you must calculate the final load of the speakers and see if it is compatible with the receiver - here you will need to know the capabilities of your receiver as well. My receiver can handle 4 - 8 ohms on speakers A or B [if I want to run A & B at the same time each set will need to be 8 - 16 ohms which would create the 4 - 8 ohm final], but my surrounds and centers must be 6 - 8 ohms. Find out that information first. Then you'll need to know the impedance of the speakers you are installing - two 8 ohm speakers in parallel will be 4 ohms, two 6 ohms will be 3 etc . . . or you can always series the speakers to increase the impedance if that will better suit your needs.