SolveYourProblem
Home Theater Article Series
I
Want a Fantastic Home Theater Setup
Speaker
Cable Placement: What An Annoyance!
Nothing is quite like perfect home theater
sound. The right speakers and components can create an unparalleled
movie experience. Capturing that perfect sound does not just
require the correct equipment—it also necessitates the perfect
set-up. In order to achieve the sound you want from your home
theater system, you are likely to put speakers in a variety
of locations throughout the home theater area. Although the
result might be awesome sound, it can come with one real annoyance:
speaker cables.
There
is nothing as frustrating as staring at a web of speaker
cables sprawling out across one’s floor. It is an ugly proposition
and brings with it an element of danger—both to components
that might be yanked about if a cord should be tripped over
and to the poor sap who actually does the tripping and ends
up sprawled across the floor. Luckily, there are some good
ways of handling the speaker cable problem.
First, one can “hide” cabling by running
it along the baseboards of walls and/or under the carpet. This is the most commonly
used technique to handle the cable problem. If done well, it
can be almost unnoticeable. In most cases, however, it ends
up being something less than perfect. Using the “tuck along
the baseboard” plan is cheap and easy, but can fall a little
short—especially when doorways are involved.
One can refine the technique by making use of flat
speaker cable. Flat cables can go under carpets and remain undetectable.
They do not produce the telltale bump in the rug traditional
cords can make. They are also often paintable, making it easy
to blend them in with walls or baseboards.
Second, one can use
a wireless system to handle speaker needs. This takes the cables completely out of the picture and can
produce a very clean set-up. This technique is often used for
only part of a system. For instance, distantly placed surround
sound speakers might be a perfect candidate for “wireless cabling,”
even if the rest of the system is more traditionally connected.
Wireless systems are more expensive than regular cabling.
There is also a probably loss of some sound quality, although
it may take a true audiophile to notice the difference. Overall,
however, a wireless method can produce some great results.
Third, some home theater owners have opted to actually build
their speakers into the walls and/or ceilings, making the wiring
and invisible part of the equation. This strategy requires
both a commitment to the speakers purchased and to their location.
It requires a great deal of up-front effort, but can produce
fantastic results. Instead of dealing with visible speakers
and a mass of cabling, the sound system actually melds with
the surroundings seamlessly.
Finally, one can opt to run
wires through the walls while still maintaining speakers
outside of the walls. This requires
a considerable amount of planning and effort, but it can produce
the desired results. One must be certain they have determined
the optimal location for speakers before starting this process.
Generally, it is a strategy best suited for those who know
they will be using the same home theater for some time. The
effort required just makes the process less than sensible for
more temporary systems. Changes in equipment down the road
may lead to changes in speaker placement. These shifts can
make a lot of earlier wiring work seem like a real waste!
No matter what system one embraces, it is important to find
a way to minimize speaker cable hassles. Many home theater
owners have actually knowingly performed installations that
fell far short of optimization simply because of the prospect
of dealing with yards upon yards of cabling. One should not
let a little cable compromise the quality of their home theater
experience. Instead, they need only find the best to handle
the cables discretely and professionally.
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SolveYourProblem.com : 2007
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