speaker cable

[kjacko]

Hi all,
just about to lay the subfloor in my new extension and am thinking "speaker cable buriage!".
The 42" plasma will go on the wall. As yet i don't have a 5.1 speaker setup as the mrs has put her foot down.
However, in the future i might be able to get away with it, so was thinking of trailing speaker cable under the floor.
Questions
1. What type of cable, doesn't need to be uber quality. Rears will be about 8m from the tv.
2. What universal connector can i use in a wallplates that will work with most speaker sets.
3. Anything else to consider?

Thanks for any help.

btw....sub floor goes down this week...eeeek!
So make quick with the replies wise guys!

 

[Donkmeister]

Cable
I'd get it from Richer Sounds or Maplin. Richer Sounds do some very decent stuff from £1-£2 a metre, and if you have a shop near you you can go and see just how thick it is and decide.

Connectors
Banana plugs are the standard speaker connector. These are the 4mm-wide cylindrical connectors you'll see on the back of hifi amps and speakers.

Terminating the cables
Hopefully this doesn't count as advertising, but these guys seem to be about the only place that caters to AV wallplates.

http://www.nexxia.co.uk/wall_plate_connectors.htm

That way you can have standard 4mm banana plug speaker terminals in the wall at either end of the speaker cables.

http://www.nexxia.co.uk/Wall_plate_Connectors/speaker_connector_wall_plates.htm

These are installed next to where the speakers go, and they do steel ones as well.

Anything else?
1) consider where you will have the speakers (floorstanders, bookshelves, high up on the walls?)
2) wire for 7.1 as you will probably want that by the time you persuade SWMBO!
3) Consider where your subwoofer will live, and if necessary run a cable to drive that too (standard 75 ohm coax)

 

[slup]

For speaker cable, I'd recommend VDC Blue Series.

It's a lot easier to work with than the stuff you would get from Maplins at £1-£2 per metre as it is round.

One place to buy it from is here.

Steve

 

[kjacko]

Thanks for the advice guys. Oddly enoguh AVforums was my first port of call because of the so called "experts" there.............and not had a single reply since posting the thread on 3/6/9
Experts are only proven so when they are friendly enough to help out and share their knowledge, imho.
They're all too busy arguing with each other over there to offer constructive advice half of the time.

Anyway, Donkeister, great info mate thanks. I did actually contact Richer Sounds yesterday before any replies and they recommended their cheapest cable, the Symphony 200 at 99p/metre for my probable requirements.
I have plenty of CT100 (for subwoofer? )as i have tv signals in every room via a loftbox and some networking. I've also installed cat6 gigabit network everywhere in the house, so i'm no stranger to cabling out places.

What i understood from RS is that banana plugs as you also suggest are the norm connector for speakers. What i didn't ask is; do i use the same type of cable and plugs for ALL speakers?
I'm thinking of using my htpc with the LG42Q6000, it has blu-ray drive, hdmi, dvi, optical port (in or out?) and 7.1 sound card. So it would be nice to utilise this with a 7.1 sound system......somehow.

Again all advice muchos appreciatos!

 

[slup]

AVForums is an incredible resource absolutely packed with knowledgeable and helpful people. Really surprised you didn't get a response...

Anyway, it's my belief that the speaker cable you suggest is not really suitable for permanent installation. It's only single insulated and it will twist up and snag if you are trying to thread it through floors and joists. Your call - but the VDC stuff is much more suitable. You don't have to buy it from where I suggested - there are plenty of other places.

You shouldn't use CT100 for the subwoofer - it's shielding is not designed to be effective at audio frequencies - it's RF cable. You run a high risk of picking up mains hum which is particularly unpleasant on a subwoofer.

You need a decent single screened audio cable really.

 

[kjacko]

Slurp; thanks for that.
the speaker cable would lay flat on the concrete DPC proofed sub-floor, with 25mm polystyrene boards on top of it, then 18mm chipboard, then 4mm ply, then karndean flooring. So there are no fiddly joists or anything in the way really. I was thinking of just duck taping it to the concrete so it at least lies in the same position for its lifetime. It 'may' cross at right angle with some 15mm radiator copper pipes, but that's easily avoidable.

The stuff you suggest is no doubt better but i'm on a really tight budget, the mrs will moan, and if she still digs her heels in in the near future, then i've not wasted a fortune on cable i can't use. Add to that, i'm not sure when i'll be able to afford the speakers etc, so it may lie there for some time, but at least it will be there for when/if i do get a setup insalled.
I'm not an audophile, so don't need top notch kit.
My last 5.1 set was a Goodmans, and i thought it was outstanding. But then, this is a 24sqm room where the speakers simply cannot be positioned for optimum acoustic goodness according to the furniture layout.
I keep telling the mrs that when sitting up to 18ft away from the tv you'd have to have the volume right up, but with surround sound, it can be minimal and ambient...... think it will wash?!

Understood on the coax cable mate, i'm sure i can scrounge some from the guys i work with. They install fire/security/cctv/satellite stuff.

The good thing about not buying quite yet, is that i can do my research with the help of your kind selves and be happy that i'm buying the right kit for my, as yet unkown budget, and room setup.

 

[FourFootMedia]

If you don't own a subwoofer yet, I'd advise you run sub cables to all corners of your room so when you do get a sub you can position it best to avoid "boom".

 

[kjacko]

Ok, just walked into the office, and the guys i work with (fire/security/cctv etc) were in. I asked them about speakers cable and they have loads they can give me.
They said twin .75mm is ample for my requirements and anything larger is upsell. (obviously opinions vary). But the main dude has the same cable running his Mission floorstanding wooden speakers. He tongue-in-cheek said that the only things that really need 2.5mm are disco's.
I think his point was that even though i don't know what speaker/sub/amp system i may get, I really don't need more than .75mm for my room setup as it will never be expensive (even though i have no idea of budget).

Without a flame war starting, what's your repsonses to this.
Remember, i'm not an audiophile, i don't need/require acoustic perfection.

Thanks again fellas.

 

[LaminatePro]

Unless you are running a top grade hifi system you are unlikely to hear much difference from different cables get better cables for your main stereo pair and reasonable cables for the rears.

I have been into hifi for a long time and am now using chord signature cables at a cost of around £750 for a 2 1/2 meter set the difference they made to the system was amazing. do yourself a favour and go to a good hifi dealer who will let you dem cables at home so you can see or rather hear for yourself the difference they can make.

 

[JohnD]

magic cables will certainly make a noticable difference to your wallet

Oxygen-free indeed

 

[LaminatePro]

Cables make a big difference to the overall sound of a system go talk to a good hifi dealer and I am sure you will be surprised at the difference they can make.

 

[JohnD]

Cables make a big difference to the overall sound of a system go talk to someone who makes a fortune selling magic to mugs I am sure you will be surprised at the difference he claims they can make.

 

[kjacko]

I appreciate the input LaminatePro, but i have to agree with JohnD (thanks JohnD) here. Although i'm here asking advice on speaker cables, i'm not the eejit that some salesperson will think i am. I know there is plenty of upselling going on, especially in the hi-fi business.

I understand at the top level certain %'s of oxygen etc in cables may 'possibly' make a difference. But i'm after basic common or garden advice on non-million pound setups.

I'd even question the audiophiles who reckon they can tell a difference at extreme levels.....but that's another debate!

 

[tsaudiovisual]

as an installer i get asked this q several times a day and if its budget cable your looking for then try 4mm singles in plastic conduit at least if you want to upgrade later you can pull through any cable upto the Diameter of the pipe and when covered in concrete or plaster it will last as long as you.but trust me when i tell you good cables only make a difference if YOU can hear it ,in most cases cables at minimum should be 10% of your total audio /visual budget

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

as an installer i get asked this q several times a day and if its budget cable your looking for then try 4mm singles in plastic conduit at least if you want to upgrade later you can pull through any cable upto the Diameter of the pipe and when covered in concrete or plaster it will last as long as you.but trust me when i tell you good cables only make a difference if YOU can hear it ,in most cases cables at minimum should be 10% of your total audio /visual budget

tsaudiovisual, sadly you're wasting you're time, the average poster on here can barly hear a dog barking let alone knows what a decent system sounds like!