Niles Audio AT8700 Speaker Wire, Incorporating a Remote Control, Acoustical Treatment Options

Installation Considerations

are connected in line with the speaker, so you must connect the wire from the ampli- fier to the volume control and then from the volume control to the speaker.

Speaker Wire

Use 2-conductor speaker wire when con- necting AT speakers to your receiver or amplifier. For most applications, we recom- mend you use a minimum of 16 or 18 gauge wire. For wiring runs longer than 80 feet we recommend a minimum of 14 gauge wire. The gold plated binding post terminals of the AT speakers will accommodate up to 8 gauge wire directly. Banana jack or pin connectors may also be used.

When wire is to be run inside walls, spe- cial jacketing (CL-2 or CL-3) is required to both protect the wire and for fire preven- tion. In some areas conduit is required. For a trouble-free installation, low voltage wire such as speaker wire must be run in accordance with the National Electrical Code and any applicable provisions of the local building code. If you are unsure of the correct installation techniques, wire jacket or type of conduit to use, consult a professional audio/video installer, your building contractor, or the local building and inspection department.

Incorporating a Remote Control

If you are planning to use a stereo system with a hand held IR remote control, con- sider the advantages of installing a Niles IR Repeater System. You are able to control all of the functions of your system from the room with the remote pair of speakers. Niles makes a number of IR sensors which install in the wall, in the ceiling, in cabi- netry, on tabletops, or even behind the grille of your Niles AT speakers.

An IR sensor requires that a 2-conductor shielded wire (West Penn D291 or equiva- lent) be home run from each sensor loca- tion to the main equipment location. This wire is normally run beside the speaker wire at the same time. Typically, the sensor is placed in a location that faces your lis- tening position. Most remote controls will have an effective line of sight range of 18 to 30 feet with any Niles sensor placed in a wall, ceiling, on a cabinet or tabletop. However, when you place a Niles MS-1 MicroSensor behind the perforated alu- minum grille of a speaker, the sensor’s effective range is reduced to 9 to 15 feet.

Acoustical Treatment Options

For the best performance from your AT speakers, acoustically treating the sur- rounding drywall is suggested. In new con- struction installations, the most practical option is to block off the wall cavity both above and below the area where the speaker will be installed. This will create a “backbox” containing a specific volume of air in which the performance of the AT8500 and AT8700 speakers will be opti- mized. When installing the AT speakers in a standard wall (16” stud spacing with 2x4 studs) the suggested air volume would be 2540 cubic inches or 52” of space between the top and bottom walls of the “backbox”. If the speakers are to be installed in a 2x6 wall, a true backbox may be constructed using 1/2” or 5/8” thick Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF). The dimensions of the enclosure may be varied in terms of height, width, and depth, as long as the interior volume of the enclosure remains approximately 2540 cubic inches. Although the AT speakers utilize an infinite baffle design which does not require the use of a backbox, critical listeners may

TECH TIP

Wire size is expressed by its AWG (American Wire Gauge) number. The lower the number, the larger the wire, i.e. twelve AWG is physically larger than fourteen AWG.

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