How to Pre-Wire for Home Theatre System

Pre-wiring a home theater system assures a clean professional look.

A home theater system can deliver hours of entertainment for the entire family. It will provide a wide arrangement of activities from movies and television to video games and music. A professionally installed system involves a lot of planning to assure a clean look. This requires running the wires in the walls and proper locations for the speakers. The best time to accomplish this is during the building process of your home.

Things You'll Need

• Speaker wire
• Audio cable
• Video cable
• Electrical boxes
• Wall plates
• Drill
• Wire fasteners

Instructions

1. Select the location of the various components. First locate the TV, then place the AV equipment relatively close to this location. Video cables can degrade the image quality the longer they are, thus locating the AV equipment close to the TV will minimize cable sprawl. Next place the front, center and rear speakers in their ideal locations. Lastly, place the sub woofer anywhere in the room where it is most inconspicuous.

2. Determine the correct audio and video cables you need according to your equipment. Purchase the wires at least 30-50% longer than you think you need. Running wires through the walls will not be the most direct route, and will require extra length.

3. Drill the necessary sized holes through the wall framing from the AV equipment location to the desired location. Make sure to drill them between the wood studs to avoid the wires being penetrated by a nail while hanging a picture later. Route the wires at least 12 inches from home electrical wires. These wires can disturb the quality of the sound and video.

4. Fasten the electrical boxes at the AV equipment, TV and speaker locations to the wall framing.

5. Run the wires from the AV equipment location to their final destination. Leave the wires slightly loose, and run them through the electrical boxes. Attach the wires to the framing with wire fasteners where necessary.

6. Cover the wire ends with bags and tape to prevent the dry wall installers from dirtying the wire connections. Once the room is finished, wire and install the wall plates.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't get caught up in buying the most expensive wires. A set of well insulated mid-priced wires will do fine.

References

• Audioholics: Home Theater Prewire Basics