Wiring panel for living area

Hi Dennis,

I've done a fair number of sound systems over the years. Here's how I like to do it. YMMV.

In or adjacent to the HT room install a thru-wall rack (Middle Atlantic builds some of the best on the market). I like to make the rack at least 50 units (75") high. A nearby closet is the best location since you can open the door to access the rear of the rack when you need to work on something.

All speaker cables terminate inside the rack closet. Amplifiers are normally installed on shelves inside the closet with only those devices (DVD player, receiver, etc.) requiring front panel access in the rack itself.

If your room or your wife won't permit a rack, then route your cables to one or more triple-gang mud rings behind the armoire where your gear will reside. Install face plates (OnQ, Leviton, and Russound are several good makes which I sell; Niles is another good brand which I don't sell) with binding posts for each speaker cable. Connect the amps to the posts using short runs of cable with banana plugs (same brand array) on each end.

If you were going to install a multi-zone system such as Russound CAV66 or Xantech MRC88 you would connect the speakers and remote keypads directly to the controller. If you only need speakers and volume controls, say for a 1-zone system, you can splice multiple speakers together behind the wall and pigtail them to a single left and right jack. If you do that, be sure the pigtail cable and connectors are of sufficient gauge to handle the combined load. Impendence matching volume controls will allow you to connect multiple speakers to a single amp.

For the surround system, wire each speaker to a single jack behind the armoire or, if you have a rack, directly to the appropriate output of the receiver. If you're using a powered subwoofer, don't forget to run a line level ("RCA") cable from the receiver to the wall behind the sub.

A friend used to build custom speaker cabinets for my installations. One of our favorite ways to trick out a job was to install a subwoofer between the floor joists in the basement beneath a first floor listening room. If there was a wooden floor we'd cut an opening for the sound and fit it with a stained oak air vent designed for floor use. Below the insert we'd stretch black speaker cloth. This was usually installed near the front of the room, off to one side of the TV screen. I'd power the subwoofer from a pro stage amp in the stack. If there wasn't a dedicated subwoofer output on the receiver (they weren't quite universal back then) I'd also install an active crossover between the pre-amp and the main. The effect was terrific -- rich, powerful bass with nothing to see in the room.

There are a plethora of structured wiring panels on the market, most of which include optional connections for whole house sound systems. The problem is they don't really do anything for your sound system. It's usually better to connect source equipment, speakers, etc., directly to the receiver or multi-room amplifier. If you want to control the system from various locations throughout the home, consider one of the multi-zone systems I mentioned above. I sell those brands so I'm kind of biased in their favor but they are very good quality and (I think) fairly priced.

If you only want a single-zone system, you really won't benefit from utilizing any of the wiring cabinets.

You could run the wires to the utility room but it really won't make things any better for you. In audio design there's a saying that the best system is a "straight wire with gain". The point is that the less you do to the system (less connection points, less "treatment" of the sound, etc.) the better the final result will be. It's the same reason I disagree with those who insist on using baluns and CAT5 to bring A/V signals from one place to another unless there's a great distance between them.

If you'd like to discuss your plans at length, feel free to contact me. I'm usually around during the day and most weekend mornings.

Have you looked at Elan's panel and liberty wire from panel crafters can fabricate one for you take a look at there web site

Hi Robert,

Thanks for the ideas, they are what I was looking for. I am considering both the multi-channel amplifier approach, although I don't see a need for the multiple inputs on them, fed from an AV 5.1/7.1 receiver, or an A-bus system with the same AV receiver. Do you know of any A-BUS zone controls that have more then the 6 watts/channel that I am finding?

It's also not clear from what I have read if I could find an AV receiver with the A-BUS interface built in, including the IR control of the source switching without the need to use the stick on IR emitters. It seems like a natural configuration, but so far I haven't seen one.

Thanks Dennis

Robert L Bass wrote:

Russound gives 7.5 Watts / channel. You'll be surprised though. That's really plenty for ancillary listening areas like the bedrooms, kitchen, etc.

In how many rooms do you plan to install audio? There are more powerful systems available (at somewhat greater cost) but they don't all cost a fortune. I handle Russound, Xantech, Channel Vision, ChannelPlus and several others.

I'm not aware of an A-Bus enabled receiver. Major A/V builders try to target the largest possible audience. If they add A-Bus to a receiver the end user cost increases (engineering, hardware and licensing) and the target audience diminishes. If a significant portion of the population becomes interested in A-Bus we'll see Sony, Yamaha and the rest jumping on the bandwagon.

It's natural to guys like you and me because we're interested in installing whole-house audio. Most people are not. Unfortunately, HA and multi-room audio are still a niche market and likely will remain so for the foreseeable future.

Never underestimate why you might want zones. We have three that see regular use, two mp3 streams and an FM tuner. We also have a Tivo, DVD player and CD carousel. The last two don't see that much use. But if it were only one zone I could definitely see problems. At comfortable listening levels it's nice to be able to listen to different sources in different rooms. For example, I can listen/watch TV in the kitchen while cooking while music is playing in the living room. Or listen to morning FM radio in the bathroom while podcasts are streamed to the home office. Or just my listening to one genre of music while my wife listens to another.

Which ones have you seen? Aren't the Russound units higher wattage than that? I've got one of their A-Bus keypads driving a medium-sized bedroom and it cranks up pretty well. No good for teen head-banging levels but certainly loud enough for most normal use (definitely WELL above just 'background' level)

I believe Harmon Kardon makes some that have an A-Bus output of some sort. I've never used one so I can't comment on it's suitability.

Hi Gotaloha,

Thanks for the idea, I will.

Dennis Gotaloha wrote:

Hi Robert,

I'll take a look at the Russound options. I didn't realize they offered a remote amplifier in the zone volume control. I thought their design used the multiple channel central amplifier approach.

Thanks Dennis

Robert L Bass wrote:

Hi Bill,

True enough, I've never had a zone selectable system. I've found many times that once you have a capability it's hard to imagine being without it again. That's why I'm kicking around ideas now before I commit to one.

Thanks Dennis

Bill Kearney wrote:

They have the A-Bus and several centrally amplified systems. The selection depends on how many zones you want and what kinds of source media you want to use.

BTW, if you try to call me for the next few days you'll have trouble getting through. One of our stations locked up and it's set as the primary station for incoming calls. I'll call the vendor on Monday and have them overnight a new unit. Meanwhile, we can make but can't receive calls. :(