Installation Fundamentals
Speaker
Location
Volume
Control 
Location
Stereo
Location
Figure 8
of solid masonry, and have no hollow space for speakers or wires.
Start by examining all the possible routes you might take to run the speaker wire from the speaker to the volume control and back to the stereo. Use a stud sensor or other device to locate the internal struc- ture of the wall. You want to avoid all studs or joists. A typical route would be: from the speaker location in the ceiling, across the attic, then down through a top
plate (the horizontal 2x4 or 2x6 laid across the vertical studs) to the volume control location, back up to the attic, across the attic, and finally down another wall plate to a
Figure 8).
Identify where all of your
electrical, phone, and TV
wiring is likely to be and plan
to route around it all. You can accidentally induce 60Hz hum on your speakers if you run your speaker wire right beside electrical wire for
more than a few feet. Try to
keep speaker wire running parallel to power cables at least three feet away. To find exactly where an electrical
cable is routed, try inspecting the inside of the wall by turning off the breaker for a particular power outlet or switch, remov- ing the cover plate and switch or recepta- cle, and shining a penlight into the wall. If you have access to an attic or basement space you can quickly see which part of the wall space is free of obstructions (See Figure 9).
Unobstructed space for speaker wiring
Figure 9
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