Best Way to Hang/Hide Speaker Wire

[getalot681]

Just came across my first real home theater speakers, a Klipsch 5.1 set. I was planning on wall-mounting the front/rear speakers. My only option involves running wire up to the ceiling, around the room, and then down to each speaker. I have two questions though:

1. What's the best thing to hang the wire with? Really the only thing I can think of is thumb-tacks maybe? Do any stores sell anything that's not super expensive and easy to work with?

2. I was thinking of getting some white speaker wire to not make it stand out so bad, but I have some high quality 14 gauge speaker wire with clear insul already and was thinking if anyone knew of some cheap ways to hide speaker wire? The only things I could think of is those 'channel' type things they sell at like home depot/lowes or maybe trying to find some white masking tape to put over the wire. I feel like the masking tape is a bad idea though as in my experience masking tape tends to pull off the paint unless it's that painters tape, and this is a place that I'm renting.

Thanks in advance for your tips, tricks, and input.

[MichaelJHuman]

You should state whether you rent or own.

I believe they make flat cable. That probably blends the best with walls when painted.

The cleanest way is probably to run the cable through the walls down your moulding, and run it along the moulding.

[agent_smith]

You could maybe use cable raceways similar to Ethernet wireups in existing building and run your wire in those. They are color matchable to your walls and could probably be sanded and sprayed if you wanted to really hide them.

[Greg_R]

Do NOT use thumbtacks or anything else that punctures the wire's jacket. Any hardware store will sell staples that are meant for electrical wiring (you hammer them in and they are insulated around the area that touches the cable to prevent it from cutting into the jacket). Another option is adhesive backed patches that hold zip ties (also found at hardware stores). Run your cable around and zip tie it to each patch. I use this method to run my RGBHV cable to my projector (i.e. it supports a heavy cable easily).

[Greg_R]

Edit: OK, Home Depot sucks and you can't directly link to an item. The item numbers are 100084509 and 100061554 (search for those numbers in HD's search window).

[getalot681]

Originally Posted by Greg_R

Edit: OK, Home Depot sucks and you can't directly link to an item. The item numbers are 100084509 and 100061554 (search for those numbers in HD's search window).

Thanks. I guess I'll go the route of those plastic staples. Also, I did state in my OP that I am renting, although it was at the end of the post.

Also, I saw some white 16g speaker wire at radio shack. Quality seemed somewhat crappy though, and specified for use 'in-wall'. What's special about it that makes it for use in-wall? Something to do with the wire's jacket?

[Ratman]

Originally Posted by MichaelJHuman

You should state whether you rent or own..

He did... next to last sentence.

[Ratman]

Originally Posted by getalot681

Also, I saw some white 16g speaker wire at radio shack. Quality seemed somewhat crappy though, and specified for use 'in-wall'. What's special about it that makes it for use in-wall? Something to do with the wire's jacket?

Unless your running over ~100' 16AWG will be fine for your application. In-wall rated is fire code (melting/smouldering,toxic fumes, fire retardant). Yes... it's the outer jacket (CL rating). It will work fine in or out of walls.