Concealing speaker wire – Niles Audio HDLCR User Manual

Page 13

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NILES AUDIO CORPORATION – 1-800-BUY-HIFI

• When drilling holes in ceiling joists, drill in the center of the joists and try to locate

the hole near the end of the joist.

IMPORTANT: DO NOT DRILL THROUGH A GLU-LAM OR LOAD-BEARING BEAM WITHOUT THE

DIRECTION OF YOUR CONTRACTOR.

• Try to line the holes up perfectly, because it makes pulling the wire much easier. A

good technique is to snap a chalk line across the face of the studs or against the
bottom of the ceiling joists. Then work backward so that you can always see the
holes you have already drilled. Paying careful attention to this will save you time
later on.

PULLING THE CABLE

Pull the cable in sections (from the stereo to the volume control, from the volume control to the
speaker). Start with the longest sections and use leftover wire to complete the short sections. Also
consider the following wiring tips:

• If you plan to pull many rooms at the same time through a central route, walk off the

Distance to each destination, add a generous “fudge factor” for turns and other
Obstacles, and then cut off each section, so you can pull a bundle of wires at once.

• When running the wire further than 4-1/2 feet from a hole in a stud or joist (e.g., open

attic space, going up walls, etc.), be sure to fasten the wire to the joists or studs using
cable clamps or appropriately-sized wire staples. The wire should not have large sags
in it, nor should it be too tight.

• Try to protect the wire from being stepped on in attics or other unfinished crawl

spaces. Use guard strips, raceways, or conduits to protect the cable. Consult the local
building code for special requirements in your area.

CONCEALING SPEAKER WIRE

ABOUT INTERIOR WALLS

Interior walls in almost all North American residences are hollow, so they are easy installation sites
for flush mounting speakers and routing new speaker cable in the house. Looking at a painted
wallboard, plaster, or paneling, you only see the skin of the wall. Behind it is the home’s skeleton;
2-by-4 inch wood or metal “studs” running vertically from the floor to the ceiling in walls and
2-by-6 inch or larger “joists” running horizontally in the ceilings and floors. The space between the
studs and joists is used for the home’s wiring and plumbing.

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