Niles Audio PR6, PR5 manual Location

Installation Fundamentals

SpeakerVolume

LocationControl

Location

Stereo

Figure 4 Location

Identify where all of your electrical, phone, and TV wiring is likely to be and plan to route around it all. You can acci- dentally induce 60 Hz 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 par- allel to power cables at least 3 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, removing the cover plate and switch or receptacle, 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 5).

When you don’t have access above or below the wall, try to estimate the existing wire and pipe locations from the positions of electrical outlets and plumbed fixtures on both sides of the wall. Take a look at the outside of your house too, sometimes conduit, vents or drain pipe will be visible that give useful information. Choose the route with the fewest potential obstacles.

If your house is built on a slab or you are wiring between two finished floors, look for base-

boards which could be removed and replaced with the wire behind them. Doorjambs can be removed and often have enough space for speaker wire all the way around the door (See Figure 6).

Sometimes, an under-the-carpet run is possible (there are special flat speaker wires made for under-the-rug wire runs). As a last resort, heating and air condition- ing vents can be used as wire raceways for plenum rated wire (check your local

Unobstructed space for speaker wiring

Figure 5

11