Can anyone advise how I could run this speaker cable? (pics)

[uptown47]

Hi,

I would like to install 'surround' sound for my computer and would really like some advice on the best way to do it.

I want the surround speakers at the back of the room but there are doors in the way of running the cables back to the computer.

See the following pictures:

Directly behind me is the computer, you can see that the most direct path back to the computer the door is in the way on the left.

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• uptown47
• 30 Jul 2012
• 1

For the next speaker at the other side of the room there's a door to the boiler cupboard in the way of the path back to the computer

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• uptown47
• 30 Jul 2012
• 1

Untitled

• uptown47
• 30 Jul 2012
• 1

So... my questions are these...

What is the best way to run the cable? I would ideally like the cable hidden rather than surface mounted trunking. Could I just cut a 1cm wide channel into the plaster board and run from the furthest speaker back to the speaker at the back left of the room and then back, over the door on the left, and back to the computer?

Or is there a better way?

Also, is it better to run in speaker sockets mounted high level in the corners and connect the speakers to those. Or am I better just have the bare wires hanging out the walls and connecting the speakers to those?

Any advice / comments / suggestions would be really welcome at this point.

A point to note... I can't get above the ceiling (i.e. this room is a converted garage, above it is our bedroom and the guy who had the house has glued the lino type floor down so I'd have to make a big mess of our bedroom to get behind the ceiling of the computer room).

Any thoughts?

Thanks

John

 

[OwainDIYer]

ceiling coving trunking
http://www.interplast.co.uk/pubcontent.asp?subcatID=193

 

[uptown47]

Owain,

That's a great idea.

I can't see how you can purchase from the website? Is that coving available in DIY shops etc? Or is there similar products out there?

Many thanks for your excellent suggestion.

 

[Sam Gangee]

B&Q and other DIY stores sell it.
http://www.diy.com/nav/build/building-materials/coving/polystyrene_coving

 

[uptown47]

Thanks Sam, for the info.

 

[OwainDIYer]

Coving trunking will be available from your local electrical merchant. (May need to be a special order.)

Sam has linked to polystyrene coving which (a) dents as soon as you look at it with a finger - hateful stuff - and (b) isnt intended for carrying cables - although it often has a gap behind it and will 'do' for low voltage stuff.

Most importantly, the electrical trunking can be opened if you want to add/change cables at a later date.

 

[Sam Gangee]

Sorry, he's right. An electrical supplier will have the correct stuff.

 

[uptown47]

Glad you set me straight before I shelled out any cash. Many thanks. Will google a local electrical distributor and give them a phone.

cheers

John

 

[oldcardriver]

MK Electric Cornice Trunking:-

http://www.mkelectric.com/Documents...ons/Cable Management/T39 EGA CORNICE Tech.pdf

I usually go to Edmundson and if they don't have it in stock they will order it in usually within a day or so:-

http://www.edmundson-electrical.co.uk/storelocator.php

WF Electrical are quite good too, you will have to Google them.

However can you not just drill up into the loft or room above and run the cable in the loft or under the floorboards.

 

[uptown47]

Thanks for the links oldcardriver.

Can't get above the room because the floor above has a kind of 'lino' stuff glued to it and don't want to start ripping it up.

Many thanks

John

 

[oldcardriver]

John, I have just checked in my 1993 catalogue and you had to buy 30m of the 40x40 trunking so maybe give MK a ring and get them to send you a catalogue to check. However, Edmundsons may have shorter alternatives, they are usually quite helpful especially if you go in with a list containing the names and part numbers that you require.

 

[mattylad]

I cant help thikning "Yuchh! - plastic trunking" - cant this be done with the real stuff with the wire tacked into the corner?

How is the bit from the ceiling to the speaker going to be hidden?
Or the bit from the PC to the ceiling?

 

[oldcardriver]

I cant help thikning "Yuchh! - plastic trunking" - cant this be done with the real stuff with the wire tacked into the corner?

John could do that.

How is the bit from the ceiling to the speaker going to be hidden?
Or the bit from the PC to the ceiling?

John, you can use the normal rectangular trunking to hide these wires whether you use the plasterboard or the plastic cornice trunking. I have passed plastic trunking up though plasterboard cornice trunking into the loft and it looks OK.

John, if you get the MK catalogue you will see the full range of MK products that are available and there may be a pic that may give you a better idea of how it will look. B&Q sell the rectangular trunking but I doubt that they sell the plastic cornice trunking, but always worth a look, they sell the plasterboard cornice though.

 

[uptown47]

I cant help thikning "Yuchh! - plastic trunking" - cant this be done with the real stuff with the wire tacked into the corner?

How is the bit from the ceiling to the speaker going to be hidden?
Or the bit from the PC to the ceiling?

As oldcardriver said, I was thinking of using the normal rectangular trunking. But, the more I'm thinking about this, the more I'm thinking about just cutting a small channel in the plasterboard and tacking the cables into the channel and then plastering back up.

The speakers I've got have RCA plugs on the end so I was thinking of putting flush mounted back boxes with RCA fronts on at the back of the room, then I could just mount the speakers and plug them into the wallplates.

If in the future I change the speakers I can change the front plate or even just put a blank on if I get rid of the speakers altogether.

What do you think about channeling out the plasterboard and running the cables that way? Is that acceptable??

Cheers

John

 

[oldcardriver]

What do you think about channeling out the plasterboard and running the cables that way? Is that acceptable??

I think that it depends whether you can do a nice job of filling the channel up afterwards to make it flush with the wall. You will probably need to do a lot of rubbing down afterwards to make it flat, if you do that then you are probably best using the sort of rubber rubbing block that they use to rub down cars.

There is some 11 wide x 8 mm thick plastic trunking which I would think is fairly unobtrusive, B&Q probably sell it with self adhesive backing so that fixing is easy. Here's the MK item:-

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/MTSA118.html