HELP! With speaker wires and cables (1 Viewer)

[Joe Reed]

Hi Guys, I am currently digging out my basement for my HT the room will be 22'l by 13'w by 8"h, so I should have it all concreted, and framed out within 4 to 6 weeks. Now my question is speaker wires. Just let you know I have always been into the video side of things and have always just used HTIB(shudder ), but now here is what my setup will be.

Sony Kv-36xbr800(will be replaced with the new tosh Lcos, when it comes out in sept.)

I am purchasing theese speakers
Monitor 11's for the front's
center:cc-370
surround: adp-370
rears: adp-370
sub: pw-2200

my reciever will be the Hk avr-525

My question is what kind of speaker wire should I use, do I need banana clips, or another kind of connector for this recveier.

I would need about 18 ft. for each surround speaker, and at least 30-35 feet for the rears. and probably 10-15 for the fronts. I saw a link on here for 50ft of Monster cable for around$25, but how do I put on the connectors.

 

[Chu Gai]

bananas would work fine. you can get them in so many places like Radio Shack for one. Ask for the type where you put the wire in and screw down to hold it in. As far as wire, any wire that goes inside a wall will need to be CL2/3 rated in order to meet building code. That can be obtained at Home Depot. Same with the other wires. Just make them all 12 gauge and sleep well.

 

[Kevin C Brown]

Chu- Any rules of thumb for length, i.e., should I just use 12 gauge across the board, or if my longest run is say 20 ft, can I get away with 14 gauge?

 

[Chu Gai]

sure you could but it's just so much easier to buy a large spool instead of shorter lengths. might even get a discount or buy something like a 250' one and share the cost with a friend.

 

[Bob McElfresh]

Speakers sites recommend THICKER wire for the long runs to reduce the rolloff effects.

My advice would be:

- Run 4 sets of wires to the rear. Dolby suggests 2 rear-center speakers for DolbyEX.

- Run a set to the left, and a set to the right for side speakers

- When you run the wires, zig-zag them between the studs. Use insulated staples driven in half-way. Years from now you may need some slack so tug the wire to pop the first staple. Tug again for more.

- Run the wires through electrical outlet box's. Pull enough wire to have a unbroken path from speaker to receiver. Buy blank wallcovers and drill holes to thread the wires through. Later, you can buy wallplates with binding posts and cut the wires off. But for the start, keep an un-broken path.

We have an entire section dedicated to HT Construction & Interiors. Go through old posts and you should find lots of discussions/questions for your dedicated room.

Good Luck.