[Cheetohz]


About to pre-wire a new system. Having never doen this, I have made a few threads and got the basics and have found out that basic wiring does not matter much to an extent. With that, I will probably go with 12 or 14 AWG wiring. When routing cables behind walls, should I terminate with banana style plugs, or pass through wall plates? even if that, should I use terminating ends such as banana plugs, or just screw down connection? I am skilled with a solder iron, and can have soldered down to 40 AWG reliably. I should I try and find some solder style banana plugs, or screw down ends? Everything I see is usually 90 degree ends. I am simply lost at where I should do my shopping and what I should be shopping for. I have a small budget, but I don't want my budget to get in the way, so I am not opposed to saving some more for quality connections. Currently I have some decent discounts at Amazon for various resons, along with free shipping for being a prime member, so this may be my preferred shopping route as it is generally much cheaper for me after discounts have been applied. Can someone direct me and tell me what is gimmicky, and what is truly worth while such as screw in plugs, solder in, 24k gold plated, copper plated, zinc plated, etc? Links would be preferred.

 

[lovinthehd]

If you're not going to change equipment out much bare wire is less work and cost and a direct connection. If you want decent banana plugs via Amazon I like these http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005BT2KJE/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and you'll need a fairly small straight blade screwdriver to use these. I've not considered or seen 90 degree banana plugs, though, but might look nicer or allow a cleaner route in some cases I suppose . I haven't done the in-wall thing, but for underfloor I've just used the basic speaker wire. Hope that helps....

 

[Cheetohz]


right angle banana plugs

http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Connector-Banana-Plugs-Black/dp/B0090CVJZ4/ref=sr_1_6?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1392255385&sr=1-6&keywords=banana+plugs

 

[lovinthehd]

How are those 90 degrees? 90 degrees would be something that bends at 90 degrees, those would be 180 degrees if anything.....these would be 90 degrees:

 

[Cheetohz]


You're right. from the images I saw, looked like the wire screwed into the side rather than the end, so the wire would be coming out at a 90 degree angle rather than straight out the end.

 

 

[lovinthehd]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Cheetohz  /t/1517505/termination-connection-etc#post_24351334


You're right. from the images I saw, looked like the wire screwed into the side rather than the end, so the wire would be coming out at a 90 degree angle rather than straight out the end.

Thats what they call an open screw type, so I suppose if you stick the wire in like that it would be a 90 degree banana plug (but normally you insert the wire from the end like here http://sewelldirect.com/articles/how-to-use-banana-plugs-with-speaker-wire.aspx )....I've used this type but changed over to the Sewell with the dual set screws, like the security and setup better....you just need a small screwdriver.

 

[arnyk]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Cheetohz  /t/1517505/termination-connection-etc#post_24348640


About to pre-wire a new system. Having never doen this, I have made a few threads and got the basics and have found out that basic wiring does not matter much to an extent. With that, I will probably go with 12 or 14 AWG wiring.

Good call!


The reasons why wiring can be non-obvious relate to appearance and usuability.

Quote:
When routing cables behind walls, should I terminate with banana style plugs, or pass through wall plates?

Your call. The simplest way to pass cables through a wall is to put plates like this on each side of the wall with some kind of a passageway between them:




These plates generally have enough clearance that pre-terminated cables can be simply passed right through. This is especially good for optical and HDMI cables that are generally not terminated in the field.


BTW this picture comes from this article: http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/home-theater-design-construction/6038-how-wall-wiring-your-home-theater.html

Quote:
even if that, should I use terminating ends such as banana plugs, or just screw down connection?

Really that depends on the image you wish to project and more practically speaking how often you are going to connect and disconnect equipment. BTW Bananna jacks while popular are pretty old school and have many practical shortcomings. Wherever possible I use Speakon connectors which are the professional solution:

Quote:
I am skilled with a solder iron, and can have soldered down to 40 AWG reliably. I should I try and find some solder style banana plugs, or screw down ends?

It is possible and perhaps even desirable to effectively wire up a complex HT system without soldering even just one joint. Solder can be your enemy - if you tin wires that are terminated with screw terminals, the solder will cold flow and loosen up as time passes.

Quote:
Everything I see is usually 90 degree ends. I am simply lost at where I should do my shopping and what I should be shopping for. I have a small budget, but I don't want my budget to get in the way, so I am not opposed to saving some more for quality connections. Currently I have some decent discounts at Amazon for various reasons, along with free shipping for being a prime member, so this may be my preferred shopping route as it is generally much cheaper for me after discounts have been applied. Can someone direct me and tell me what is gimmicky, and what is truly worth while such as screw in plugs, solder in, 24k gold plated, copper plated, zinc plated, etc? Links would be preferred.

Gold plating is mostly about cosmetics. While it is good for plugs and jacks to have contacts made out of materials that don't form electrically damaging corrosion, harder metals such as Nickle and Chrome will last far longer. The best gold plating often has nickle below the gold and after a certain amount of use, guess what your audio signals are riding on? ;-) I've had commercial grade banana plugs that were so heavily used that all of the plating got scraped off and all that was left was the phosphor bronze base metal which corroded ASAP and caused audible and measurable distortion. Time for total replacement!


As much as I love Speakons, reality is that you need a more diverse collection of connectors to set up anything but a trivial AV system. There are high quality, low cost suppliers such as :

http://sewelldirect.com/Sewell-Deadbolt-Banana-Plugs-12-Pair.asp

www.ebay.com - outstanding values direct shipped from the pacific rim, just takes a few weeks to show up.


In the realm of professional suppliers (example):

http://www.mcmelectronics.com/browse/Banana/0000000656

http://www.markertek.com/Connectors-Adapters/Audio-Connectors/Banana-Connectors.xhtml

 

[Cheetohz]


Basically what I am hearing, the less termination points the better. I may do away with termination all together for my speakers.

 

So, now my question is this, how critical is separation in audio wires and power wires? Obviously, don't bundle them together, but what about here where they are a few inches apart?

 



 

 

I read PVC pipe is good for routing pass through plates behind walls. That way I can just drop a weight and string down the pipe and easily find it at the other end if needed.

 

Should I get a double gang pass through for my video needs, such as DVI and HDMI?

 

 

[arnyk]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Cheetohz  /t/1517505/termination-connection-etc#post_24354289


Basically what I am hearing, the less termination points the better. I may do away with termination all together for my speakers.


So, now my question is this, how critical is separation in audio wires and power wires?

The US Electrical Code (probably most other countries) says don't run audio cables and AC power cables in the same conduit.


Speaker wires are relatively non-critical of their proximity to power cables.


Line level shielded audio cables, perhaps a little less so.

Quote:
Obviously, don't bundle them together, but what about here where they are a few inches apart?

Usually not a problem out in the open. Think about it, how much separates power wires, speaker wires and audio cables in a stereo cabinet?

Quote:
I read PVC pipe is good for routing pass through plates behind walls. That way I can just drop a weight and string down the pipe and easily find it at the other end if needed.

Yes, PVC pipe is widely used for audio cables in commercial audio intstallations. There is a distinction between PVC pipe for electrical purposes and that for plumbing. Both are available in building supply stores. I'd use the electrical-rated product for audio cables.

Quote:
Should I get a double gang pass through for my video needs, such as DVI and HDMI?

Video, network and audio cables can coexist in the same conduit. They are all classified as low voltage wiring and carry signals that generally don't interfere with each other. Most audio signals are digital these days, whether audio or video so to a large degree it is all the same. Digital audio cabling does not usually interfere with analog audio wiring.


I would however give special treatment to audio cables related to LP playback and phono cartridges. Usually those cables are relatively short and don't end up in walls.


The biggest safety concern related to audio cabling relates to whether or not it would support a fire caused by other sources. CL2 and CL3 ratings apply to low voltage cables whose jacketing will not support a fire.


More information here: http://www.avsforum.com/t/685327/cl2-vs-cl3-whats-the-difference#post_7782516


Network cable that has a fire-resistant jacket is called "Plenum rated".