Newbie has a few speaker cable and wire clean up questions *pics inside* (1 Viewer)

[mikeSantos]

Hello everyone,

I just recently purchase a surround sound system for my entertainment room.

I purchased the Panasonic SC-HT730

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Panas...oductDetail.do

Today, I purchased some wiremold from Home Depot. Since, I'm not going to be drilling any holes. Other than holes for my speaker mounts. Would it look funny if I run the wiremold down the middle from the speaker mounts? The wiremold that I bought is white.

I know that the speakers in the corner will have a clean look because it has the edge but the one I'm concerned about is running it down the middle.

In the full room view picture, you will notice the subwoofer in the middle of the room. Should I leave it there?

Here are some pictures.

Full Room View

http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...19559158&idx=1

Left Side

http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...19559158&idx=2

Right Side. THis is where I'm going to run the wiremold down the middle.

http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...19559158&idx=3

My last question is what's the best speaker wire that I can get for the money?

Pics of the speaker wire

http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...19559158&idx=3

If anyone can point me in the right direction, I would greately appreciate it! Thanks a million!

 

[Bob McElfresh]

Hi Mike.

Well - first, dont worry about "the best" speaker wire. Untill you spend $4,000+ on electrostatic panel speakers and are pushing 300 watts per channel with a dedicated amp - you wont notice any difference because of the wire for a movie.

Subwoofer - a 1/3 or 2/5 position along a un-broken wall is a good place for a subwoofer. This lets the wall reflect a lot of frequencies without over-emphasizing them.

I would suggest going to our primer/FAQ (see the button at the top of the basics page) and read some of the articles about calibration. A setup DVD like Avia/Video Essentials and a Radio Shack SPL meter is a simple thing to do (but most people dont know about it).

Enjoy your system - it looks like a nice one.

 

[mikeSantos]

Thanks Bob for the response.

Sorry that I'm replying a little late.

Well anyways, I went ahead and bought some Monster THX certified cables and I bought 100 ft. I know alot of people knock monster but for $20.00, I couldn't complain.

Anyways, with the satellite speakers, where should I place them?

Also, how high should or place them? Or should I say, what is the highest that I can place them?

I have two rears, two fronts and one center speaker. What's the best way to place these based on my room size and my system? I currently have a 27" TV and plan on getting a 60 inch+ soon so I don't want to have to rearrange the wires or the speaker placements.

 

[Bob McElfresh]

The front speakers should be all at the same height so most people put them at the level of the top of their television.

You will need to go out and select a 'target' television and measure the height to put your front speakers in a place that will fit it.

I tend to favor putting the rear speakers at the same height as the fronts.

But the Dolby website say to put them about 6 ft from the floor. Sometimes you have to do this to get some distance so people are not wearing them like headphones.

 

[mikeSantos]

Thanks Bob for the prompt reply.

Is there a rule of them as far as width wise? Let's say my entertainment room is 14 x 14. Where should I place my fronts and rears?

 

[Bob McElfresh]

A 45 degree angle off a line to the center speaker is a good place to start.

There cannot be any hard-and-fast rule because each make/model of speaker has a different radiation pattern. Then you can compensate by angling wide speakers inwards.

My advice:

- block off an area for your new TV

- Put the L/R speakers a foot or two out from the edges of where the new TV will be.

- Decide how tall the TV would be, then put your center speaker on "top" and measure the height of the tweeter.

- Mount the L/R speakers so it's tweeter is at the same height as the center.

Once you get the new TV - there is some toe-in and level-adjusting you have to do (a big box in the room changes the sound a bit). But these guidelines should get you close.