Just moved - cabling and speaker mount advice (1 Viewer)

[DarrenH]

Hello all,

I just moved into a new place and starting to work on the HT setup in the living room. Looking for some advice regarding cabling and speaker mounts.

Cabling - of course going to want to run through the walls. The place is a condo, so no basement or crawl space access is possible. Also, going to use 12 ga wire, so the thickness of the wire presents a challenge. Any advice as to who I could hire to do this? I plan on buying all the wire and associated hardware, but should I look for an electrician or a carpenter? I don't want to hire a true HT installer, as I can do everything short of the actual runs myself. Also, any idea what a fair price would be for doing the runs? I know there are a lot of variables, but a ballpark price would be very helpful (room is roughly 17'x12', and would want the four speakers at the corners. Center channel will sit on top of the TV, so no run needed)

Speaker mounts - I'm planning to mount the front speakers (bookshelf form factor) to the ceiling, using a drop bracket something like the below:

Anyone have suggestions of similar products? Also, what's the best way to attach the mount to the speaker? I'm a little hesitant to simply sink screws into the speaker casing (couldn't that affect the quality of the sound?).

ANy advice would be most appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Redpaw 360]

In My Opinon:

Use Class 3 wire for inside wall applications.

Hire an Electrician, they use flexi-bits and will have a better understanding of where the wires or pipes in the walls will most likely be. You'll need an electrician that specializes in re-models. ( so no trace of work was done )

The base of the ceiling speaker(s) mount needs to be mounted to a ceiling joist to lessen vibration.

Do not let anyone convince you to use WireMold to cover the wires, walk far away from those type people. Wiremold is a mistake. Even running the wires under the carpet is better than Wiremold.

You may find that a wireless system is your only route with no ceiling or basement access ( ceiling joists run which way again ?????)

 

[DarrenH]

Thanks for the advice, Dave.

I don't know which way the joists run, was wondering that myself. I can only hope they are parallel to the desired cable path.

I really don't want to go the wireless route, I'd rather run that flat type wire above the molding where the wall meets the floor.

Any tips for mounting the brackets to the speakers themselves?

Again, appreciate the response...