Best Place To Buy Wiring And Metal A/v Rack

[avab]

Hello,

Forgot to ask one question for you DIYers,

Do you recommend any online retailers that provide good-priced wiring and cabling?

1) What resellers do you trust?
2) What gauge speaker wiring is adequate? I am getting ready to wiring my basement - I'll have 2 fronts, a center, a sub, and 2 rears - is 14 gauge more than sufficient??

3) Where would you recommend buying a metal rack that I plan on putting into a wall cabinet?

Thanks!

[KeithM]

it depends on the run length. I wouldn't use 14 gauge for over 50 ft.

[Glen B]

Hello,

Forgot to ask one question for you DIYers,

Where would you recommend buying a metal rack that I plan on putting into a wall cabinet?

Thanks!

SmartHome:

http://www.smarthome.com/prodindex.asp?catid=264

Parts Express:

http://www.partsexpress.com/webpage.cfm?webpage_id=3&SO=2&&DID=7&CATID=46&ObjectGroup_ID=335&filter=in-wall

[avab]

Standard wiring gauge?

I only need to run the wires about 15 feet - 20 feet tops. Is 16 or 18 gauge better suited for this?

Also - what about specific wiring for the subwoofer?? Any suggestions?? I've looked on Blue Jeans Cable but I'm not sure of the gauge or the quality of the cable necessary.

[David Meek]

No. Go with a 12-gauge run, 10-gauge if possible - at least for the mains and center channel. Our owner offers some good choices for sub-woofer cables at his CATCable site.

[Shane Martin]

I run 12 guage all around. The price difference was miniscule. I bought several long runs unterminated from a bulk seller.

Subwoofer: you can build one or buy one. If you build one you can use a quad shield RG6 with rca ends. This is fairly basic to make. If you don't want to make one, then Lex has a good one I hear.

In wall cabinet: Generally there is only 1 kind people recommend. They are Middle Atlantic. Mine is an open rack from studiotech. It's not designed for in wall though. It has hidable wiring channels and is very sturdy. I paid ~$300 shipped for it thru racksandstands.com. Those guys are awesome to deal with.

[avab]

Thanks for the advice.

I will definitely look into 12 gauge for the mains - do you recommend 12 for the subs as well???

Shane - thanks for the website. I am looking into a rack that will fit nicely into an inwall installation. I will look into Middle Atlantic and the website to see what I can find.

Thank you!

[Shane Martin]

I will definitely look into 12 gauge for the mains - do you recommend 12 for the subs as well???

The guage for a sub wire should not matter. Since it's limited bandwidth it's essentially an RCA cable which can be made of Quad Shield RG6 terminted with RCA ends. As I said it's easy to make but if you don't feel comfortable then Lex can make one at a cost for you.

If these cables run in wall, make sure they are cl3 in wall rated because if they are not in wall rated and there is a fire, they will tell you that your wires were at fault. It's a very easy out for the insurance company.

[avab]

Hi Shane,

Kinda new to this. What does it mean to be CL3 rated if I run the cables in-wall (which I plan on doing)?

Thanks

[Shane Martin]

In wall rated means they were meant to be placed in wall and won't cause a fire. If you don't use in wall rated which is labled cl3 then the insurance company in the event of a fire can blame it on the wiring in your walls.

I am not sure what is the difference between cl3 and non cl3 but I'd think it's related to the jacket that encloses the wire.

[Lex]

fire retardance of jacket is what it's all about, burn rates, and so on...

[Jerm357]

(post deleted by moderator) - welcome to HTGuide, jerm! Being new, you may not realize that this forum is owned and sponsored by a cable company, CAT Cables. Check them out, they're great!

[badboyspack]

<<LINK REMOVED BY ADMIN>>

They have fair prices.