speaker wiring w/ CAV 6.6, what's needed?

toymaster458 said:
Option 4:

Same as Option 3 but add another Cat5 and a 18/2

This way you can have a Keypad, Touch Screen or a Rad-I/O along with an Intercom location.

Option 5:

Same as Option 4 or 3 but add a cat5 from the keypad to the TV location so you can extend the IR on the Keypad to the TV. This way you do not have to point a IR Remote at the Keypad when you are using the Video fuctions of the CAV on the TV. You can point at the TV. That is if you use a Russound Advanced Keypad.
How do you do the IR with an extra cat5? I have the uno2 keypads and would like to be able to do the ir also..
 
it's a special order for the 500' spool. Email/call them.

Only issue with that wire is that it's a pull-out box, i've heard of some folks having problems with that. Mine is on a big-a$$ spool.
 
There was someone selling some monster cable I think it was 14 gauge For $99 buy now if i remember correctly
 
ellisr63 said:
toymaster458 said:
Option 4:

Same as Option 3 but add another Cat5 and a 18/2

This way you can have a Keypad, Touch Screen or a Rad-I/O along with an Intercom location.

Option 5:

Same as Option 4 or 3 but add a cat5 from the keypad to the TV location so you can extend the IR on the Keypad to the TV. This way you do not have to point a IR Remote at the Keypad when you are using the Video fuctions of the CAV on the TV. You can point at the TV. That is if you use a Russound Advanced Keypad.
How do you do the IR with an extra cat5? I have the uno2 keypads and would like to be able to do the ir also..
On the back of the UNO2 there is a punchdown for extending the built in IR Receiver with cat5. wire a IR Receiver on the other end and put it near the TV.
 
IVB, I was just making the drawings last night then I noticed something that with 16/4 speaker wire, it's not going to look nice. Assuming the 16/4 has reached the room where we wanted it. Now we need to separate it into left and right. That means, the 4 conductors will be bare. It will still have its shielding but a 1 pair is also separated. The builder might suspect especially the colors black and red. I might be wrong since I haven't really seen the internals a 16/4. I just saw it from the links I gave. I hope you get what I mean. Please see the pic below. What do you think? And also, do you think 500 feet of 16/4 is enough?

16gauge4con_speakerwire.gif
 
That's true. In my case, no speakers are more than 5' apart, as I centered them within the room [1/3 in on each side]. I don't have rooms that are 15' wide, so that's the max. What I did was to run the sleeve to the center, so that the exposed run was only 2.5' wide max.

You used the words "The builder might suspect especially the colors black and red" - what does that mean?

The wires are black, green, white, red. I used the follwoing standard not just for this wiring, but also all the wiring in my house - red & green are positive, black & white are negative. Hence red/black go to one speaker, white/green go to the other.

As I type this, I realize that it would have been even nicer had I standardized on red/black for right, green/white for left.
 
IVB said:
That's true. In my case, no speakers are more than 5' apart, as I centered them within the room [1/3 in on each side]. I don't have rooms that are 15' wide, so that's the max. What I did was to run the sleeve to the center, so that the exposed run was only 2.5' wide max.
Normally you don't run exposed speaker wire within a room. You put a plate behind each speaker. The feed goes to the plate behind the first speaker and another wire feeds from the first plate to the second plate inside the wall. There should not be any exposed wires at all.
 
upstatemike said:
Normally you don't run exposed speaker wire within a room. You put a plate behind each speaker. The feed goes to the plate behind the first speaker and another wire feeds from the first plate to the second plate inside the wall. There should not be any exposed wires at all.
Hi upstatemike,

About the wiring, I understand what you mean. What I really mean is, and IVB got my point, is that when you staple a separated pair 16/4 to the studs, each pair does not have any sleeves anymore. Look at the picture below when it is installed.

IVB, about my earlier question regarding suspicion that builder might think that the black/red exposed wire in the studs is for electrical. That's just my feeling though. I might be wrong.:

speakerwire_and_stud.gif
 
Sorry, I can't bring up your picture but I still don't understand. You don't ever separate the pairs and run them individually. The feed wire goes into the box behind the plate of the first speaker where it is split and the pair feeding that speaker is attached to, or through, the plate. The second run of wire is spliced to the second pair inside the box and then run to the second speaker box with its sleave intact. No exposed pairs except inside the speaker plate boxes.
 
Why is it important to put boxes? That just seems like more connections and more expense. What's wrong with 'exposed' speaker wire? By exposed, I mean it is not bare copper, just the individual insulated leads. I have older zip cord speaker wire all over the attic. Is this strictly a code thing?
 
upstatemike said:
Sorry, I can't bring up your picture but I still don't understand. You don't ever separate the pairs and run them individually. The feed wire goes into the box behind the plate of the first speaker where it is split and the pair feeding that speaker is attached to, or through, the plate. The second run of wire is spliced to the second pair inside the box and then run to the second speaker box with its sleave intact. No exposed pairs except inside the speaker plate boxes.
Here is the direct link to the picture I was talking about,

http://restricted.dyndns.org/target/speakerwire_and_stud.gif

I think the reason why we can't be on the same boat is that you are thinking of a different wire. I'm assuming that you are explaining a 2 conductor speaker wire. If so, then that's the reason why we can't jibe. I'm talking about a 4 conductor wire. If you look at the following products below, you will notice that 4 conductors is housed in a single sleeve. But no pair of conductor is inside a sleeve.

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/pshowdetl.c...tnumber=100-732
http://www.sjgreatdeals.com/av81134.html

I drew another 4 conductor speaker wire which I was expecting previously. I thought it was like this. But looking at the products above, it's different. Have the speaker as shown in my drawing will keep each pair unexposed. I hope you get it now.

here is the link and a picture.
http://restricted.dyndns.org/target/4conspeaker.gif

And do I really need to put a gangbox? It's because I'm using an in wall speaker. Please let know. But of course, for my dedicated home theater room, I will use gang box and a faceplates with banana plugs.

4conspeaker.gif
 
And do I really need to put a gangbox?
In my opinion the gang boxes make it easier for you to find the wires after the drywall and make it a cleaner install. You can always just nail up a mud ring, those are cheap.
 
Steve said:
Why is it important to put boxes? That just seems like more connections and more expense. What's wrong with 'exposed' speaker wire? By exposed, I mean it is not bare copper, just the individual insulated leads. I have older zip cord speaker wire all over the attic. Is this strictly a code thing?
Jacketed wire is not meant to be run any distance without the jacket. The jacket protects the wire from abrasion and other damage while the insulation on the individual conductors inside are just for electrical isolation. If you staple these without the jacket there is a risk the staple will nick the insulation and cause a short.

Zip wire is combination insulator and jacket in one. You can generally staple zip wire safely but it is not approved for concealed use within a wall. If you are putting something inside a wall it usually requires at least a CL2 rated jacket which should not be spliced or otherwise compromised except at a connecting device or accessible junction box.
 
upstatemike said:
Jacketed wire is not meant to be run any distance without the jacket. The jacket protects the wire from abrasion and other damage while the insulation on the individual conductors inside are just for electrical isolation. If you staple these without the jacket there is a risk the staple will nick the insulation and cause a short.
That's what I was talking about. That means, it is still better to run 16/2 rather than 16/4 because on a 16/2, it's jacketed and the 2 conductor appear as one piece of wire. And with a 4 conductor, although you get to install/pull lesser wires in stud but ugly at the target room since conductors will be exposed. Like what you mentioned, there is a risk of destroying the insulation when you staple it. ;)
 
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