Wiring for speaker systems?

[Pyramix]

I am wondering how everybody here wires up their speaker systems. How do you avoid having wires running all over the place for 5.1+ speaker systems?

I live in an apartment, so I'm leaning towards getting rear speaker stands, but I would still have wires. It all makes me want to just get a good set of 2.1 speakers instead.

 

[TemjinGold]

I'd like to know that too. Currently, I just section off that area as the "computer area" and not put anything else there so the wires don't bother me much.

 

[JasonSix78]

Sorry, posted in the wrong thread!

-Jason

 

[jkresh]

If you cant run cables through the walls, then just use really long cables and run them around the room (then just go up the wall to the speakers or to teh stands), you should be able to hide them between the carpet and the wall or just above the carpet/floor and make them mostly invisiible accept for the length running from the floor to the stand or to the wall mounts. You can get wire covers that are close to the color of your walls to mask it even more (will still be visible but only if someone is looking closely).

 

[Modelworks]

yeah sometimes apartment living is a pain.
I have to run speaker wire 40 feet extra when the speakers are only 10 feet from the amp because it would have to go across the floor

 

[Tiamat]

I run 2.1 for that reason. I move every year, so getting the wires nice and concealed is either against apartment policy or too much of a pain in the butt for what its worth. Also, by concentrating on a 2.1 system, you can really put more money into fewer speakers, which helps quite a bit in the budget/entry-level/lower-mid-range speakers (up to 1500$ per pair imho).

The jump from 3 pairs of 200$ speakers to 1 pair of 600$ speakers in terms of audio quality can be quite immense if you audition and buy the right speakers. Granted it is a compromise for multichannel vs. stereo. If you listen to more music, I would suggest the 2.1 route. If you watch movies with friends, you have to do at least a 3.1 probably. If you really really cannot let go of surround effects, then 5.1-7.1 is what you have to do obviously.

Otherwise, people usually try to hide the wires beneath the rugs, or run them along the walls on the floor partially hidden by furnature. Rear speakers are always a pain, but if you have long enough speaker cable (with appropriate gauge) you can run them up, down, left, right, in, out until they are acceptable.

 

[Nohr]

I just run the wires on the floor alongside the baseboard on the left side of the room. The right surround wire also runs underneath the couch.

 

[Raincity]

If you have indoor carpeting. You can usually pull up the carpet and run you speaker cable between the carpet tack strip and moulding or drywall.

 

[MoFoEd]

I have my speaker wire either running along the wall on the floor using nail-in clips to nail down the wire to the walls. Most ppl ask me where all the wires are? Once I get that question then I know I did a good job concealing them or make them not that noticable. I have a 6.1 speaker setup.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

I run along the walls and then under some throw rugs where I need to cross the room somehow.

EDIT: Not exactly stealthy, but here's an example to the right of my seating there
https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/sp...ng/04-22-2007/Seat.JPG

 

[RupTheKid]

A great place to hide wires is with conduit cover right above base trim or crown moulding. Wiremold is the most popular brand of this type of product, and it's readily available at Home Depot, Lowe's, etc.