[thunderbrick]

Ok, bear with me here.  I have slowly been redoing my 2-channel/eventual HT/Photo studio combination room, and doing everything possible to put wires in the floor or walls.  The room serves many purposes so there are some compromises in order, but that's another story.......

For now I will be putting vintage DQ-1W subs in a corner, possibly stacked, 22' from the amps.  I have torn open the walls and run 2CH BJC Belden New Gen speaker wires in the wall to the sub location, and I also want to plan for possible newer sub(s) that have their own amps so I want ICs in the wall, too.  My options are:

A 25' pair of Audioquest Topaz ICs, which I have on hand,

A 25' pair of beefy, but generic ICs,
 
Or Belden RG6 coax.  I stumbled on 500' feet of the stuff today for $10, and figured I might use some for ICs and give away the rest to my buddies.

I hate to hide the Topaz, because if other stuff works well I could sell it or use it for a cooler project in the future.

I have done completely redundant wiring for both a 2-channel system and a smaller 7.1 HT system.  I am not all that worried about HT because I don't like bombastic movies all that much.  I do have an SACD player, and if I buy more discs I might use the (2CH) large speakers with the 7.1.

I am open to ideas, but any more choices just might delay the drywall work some more, and someone in this house already is getting irritated with the slow progress........

Complicated enough?   

Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, all,

Bob

[ctviggen]

I'd use the RG6.  I used that on a sub for a while and really noticed no difference between it and a "sub" cable.  However, I only used the sub for movies, not music.  When I redo my room, I'm going to use RG6, because it's in wall rated, easy, and relatively inexpensive. 

[Bob in St. Louis]

Hey Bob,
Couldn't you just run empty conduit, then finish the drywall?
That way you can easily run whatever cable, whenever you want.  aa

For subs, I've used Romex and the 'famous' "White Lightning Moonshine" cable. Both work great. But not sure how they'd be for IC use as mine was line level duty.


Bob

[thunderbrick]

That's a good idea, Bob, but it is in a very tight space and I'd have little way to insert the conduit.  It was all I could do to bend? a 12" long spade bit around a tight space without drilling through the exterior siding.  There are 3 or 4 studs nailed together to support the corner of a big window, with less than 16" on either side, and the wall is only about 20" high there.  I might just put a "pull" line in there that goes back to an access panel.

Thanks to both of you for the help.  All AC members are free to weigh in on the issue.

Now, back to sanding drywall.
 


Bob

[Bob in St. Louis]

Home depot sells a very flexible blue corrugated conduit that's ~about~ 1" O/D and 3/4" I/D and ten feet long.

They also sell bendable drill bits (for lack of a better word). I've got one that's four or five feet long. The main shaft is about an eighth inch think with a 9/16" bit. I've drilled a hundred holes in my house with it, a truly fantastic invention. If memory serves, it was like $20 or so.

With the mile of conduit you entombed in the concrete floor, I'm surprised to hear you have an issue now.
Watsupwidat?

Now, back to sanding baffles for me aa

Bob

[thunderbrick]

With the mile of conduit you entombed in the concrete floor, I'm surprised to hear you have an issue now.
Watsupwidat?

That stuff I sunk in the floor was for the 2-channel mains (bi-amped, even), and the AQ wire that I stumbled on was so dammed thick that it took two strong men two nights and lots of pulling grease to get them through the damned conduit.

The subs in the corner are a contingency, because I have wall outlets for them in other places.  I had to open up most of that section of the wall to simplify a 110v line and do larger drywall extensions for the newly-lowered floor, so I figured, what the heck?   I simply want to cram every contingency in the wall, as I expect to keep a small HT system and a large 2-channel rig, PLUS I have built in some massive conduit on the reverse wall should I flip the room 180 degrees.  I never will, but my wife is so convinced the shung fooey requires the speakers go on the opposite all, that I installed 2" conduit to humor her.  'course she also wants the Maggies to go right up against the wall.......

Just like some folks like building speakers, I like building rooms.  Stupid, ain't it?

Bob