In-wall subwoofer wire?

[Keith from Canada]

Hello all!

It's been quite a while since I've been around but I used to be a bit of a regular.

Question -- I'm in the process of wiring my basement (framing is complete) and I've just finished running the electrical and speaker wires through the studs. For the speakers, I went to Home Depot and got the twisted and heavily sheilded 12 guage wire (which was surprisingly cheaper than a regular roll of normal 12 guage wire!) and now, I'm looking to do the same thing for the sub wire. My question is, what type of wire am I looking for for a subwoofer run? I figure I'll run two wires to the front of the room to the wall plate and one to the back of the room. This will let me play with various placement options when I set my theater up.

Also -- I can't upload the floorplan that I've created in Word onto the site since it's a 45k file and the system only allows 19k file sizes. Is there another way that I can upload this thing so I can share my 'blueprints' with you guys? I also have some framing pictures...

[Woochifer]

Keith welcome back to the board! Your contributions on the video side especially have been sorely missed here. (Still haven't gotten around to my HDTV upgrade, but I might need some input soon)

For the subwoofer, you're simply going with interconnect cabling with RCA plugs, right? I assume that you're using an active sub.

I've seen a couple of dealers in my area use junction plates along the wall with RCA plugs. One of them uses Transparent Cable as their in-wall system (but it's expensive). I would guess that running interconnect cabling through the walls and terminating to a wall plate with a RCA plug would be feasible. I just have no idea who makes the parts for this type of installation. Might want to contact a local installer and see if they can sell you the parts, if you're looking to do the installation yourself.

[phillyguy]

Keith,

I suspect you will have to check with the local codes for the type of wire that is permissible for an in wall installation. I have used the 12 ga. Home Depot wire (the in-wall stuff w/ the gray cover) and was great for my surrounds and Zone 2 speakers, but I have not used it for a subwoofer cable. I do not think Monster cable (or similar) is rated for an in-wall installation. Sounds like just using the same Home Depot wire may be the way to go. Radio Shack (or even Circuit City) may have jacks that can be mounted in electricaI box. Watch when running your speaker wires in the wall. Avoid getting close to your wiring for your outlets and switches. You might pick up interference from the house wiring. i hope this helps!

[Keith from Canada]

Keith welcome back to the board! Your contributions on the video side especially have been sorely missed here. (Still haven't gotten around to my HDTV upgrade, but I might need some input soon)

For the subwoofer, you're simply going with interconnect cabling with RCA plugs, right? I assume that you're using an active sub.

I've seen a couple of dealers in my area use junction plates along the wall with RCA plugs. One of them uses Transparent Cable as their in-wall system (but it's expensive). I would guess that running interconnect cabling through the walls and terminating to a wall plate with a RCA plug would be feasible. I just have no idea who makes the parts for this type of installation. Might want to contact a local installer and see if they can sell you the parts, if you're looking to do the installation yourself.

Hey Wooch!

Long time no chat! Glad to hear that I was missed...now all I have to do is get back up on the learning curve so I can actually contribute. My current passion is front projectors (and both DIY and manufacturer screens) and I plan on picking one up in the fall when the prices on the current 'new breeds' goes down a little. My basement should be done (cross my fingers) in the spring which is important because I have a fence and deck to build at that point! New house = a ton of work!!!

If all goes well, my HT will consist of the following by September/October of this year:

Panasonic PT-AE900 HDTV LCD projector or Sanyo Z4 (unless the 720p DLP projectors lower their prices to compete);
PSB 800 mains, 200C center and Alpha rears (the mains and center will be my next upgrade...after getting the screen);
Denon AVR-3300 (5.1 is good enough for me for the next several years...I think!);
Adire audio 12" sub (currently sealed but I'll be porting it before it goes into the HT room...sealed is great for music but lacks the big bang I'm looking for from my HT);
Panny RP-56 DVD player (currently being used primarily to watch Dora the Explorer and the Wiggles!!!!);
Scientific Atlanta 3150HD cable box.

[zepman1]

I am in the process of doing something very similar myself. I am using RG-6 coaxial cable for the long subwoofer runs. I would use RG-6 instead of RG-59 and make sure it is solid copper conductor (not copper coated steel as many of the cheap ones are) and has good shielding (at least double shielded if not quad shielded). Bluejeans cable sells some nicely terminated Belden coax for this purpose. Otherwise you can get good coax for even cheaper elsewhere. As far as I know most coaxial cable is rated for in wall use.

Then you will likely need a couple adapters to connect the F-type connections on the coax to RCA. You can get these and the wall plates at any number of locations (Rat Shack, Parts Express, Accessories for less).

Of course you could just get a subwoofer cable from bluejeans for whatever length you need and not need to mess with the adapters. Not sure this is "in-wall" rated though. And, it will be more expensive this way since it is a "subwoofer" cable and not just a coax cable even though its the same thing.

[jocko_nc]

I have the same thing... Go to Parts Express for the RG-6 and the adapters. I ended up with quad shield, more of a good thing is better, right? The F-type to RCA adapters are bulkhead fitttings, that is, they have a thread and jam nut so that you can make a custom wall plate. It works really well.

They also sell high quality "in-wall" architectural speaker cable. It has an additional sheathing on it.

jocko