Cabling Question (1 Viewer)

[Tim O...]

Like a few others here, I'm about to start an HT room, in my basement. I have been and will continue to search and mine previous threads for good info. I may also post my progress once in while. Here's a quick question, however.

I plan to run PVC pipe in my ceiling to prepare for future wiring needs, a projector, etc. I'm also going to run all speaker wire inside the walls before drywalling. I'm already using this room as an unfinished HT room. I've done extensive experimentation and calibration with my sub (PB2-ISD) and found the best position and orientation for it (front right corner, 20" off the ground, bottom plate removed and drivers firing toward monitor). However, once I close all the walls in and finish the room, it's not a guarantee that that will still be the best location for the sub. Sooooo, do I run long sub cables to every corner of the room to be prepared for new best locations? Or do I accept that the sub cable may have to be placed inside baseboard or out in the open, etc. What did you guys do?

 

[Dave Milne]

Very good question. You have an advantage in that you've already found a good spot for the sub. If you are not changing room dimensions, you probably won't be far off.

I did a compromise and ran sub cables to opposite corners of the room, front left and rear right. As it turns out, I'm using both: front left for front sub (which actually ended up front right; the cable runs along the baseboard) and rear right for the platform sub.

 

[Tim O...]

Thanks for the quick reply Dave.

I did find the best spot for the sub, but the room is missing a wall and half right now, so the effective space the sub is filling is over 3000 cu. ft., whereas the finished room will be more like 2300 cu. ft. So I'm sure the room response will be a lot diff. I'm on a tight budget for this project so I'd rather buy one cable. Any thoughts?

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

Making the room smaller will increase bass response and maximum SPL, although spikes or dips in response will change.

I think I’d put up the missing wall-and-a-half and re-check the sub location. You could leave the sheetrock off on the room side, should you decide the cable needed to go that direction.
Alternately, if the sub location you’ve picked is well away from the missing walls (like if they’re on the other side of the room from it) you’d be safe to plan on that location if you use a parametric equalizer – which you should anyway. That whole experimenting thing you went through to get it perfectly located and oriented wouldn’t be necessary with an equalizer. You'd be able to put the sub back on the ground and regain the lost extension and SPL.


Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt