Advice for new build

kevh1987

Hi all, I will be shortly starting the first fix electrics for my home and am in need of advice on the audio side of things.

Basically I would like to put two systems into the house the first is a surround system in the main living room and the second is a speaker system around the house in certain areas such as kitchen/bathrooms which the radio will be played through.

So id love to get some recommendations on systems to use/cables to run/best way to set these up

I am an electrician by trade and have a vast of experience but very little unfortunatly when it comes to audio set-ups.

Thanks in advance

akaSol

~Deep breath~
Taking into consideration you are going to have a com's room;

The AV side:
Depending on the speakers you want to place in the room wire (minimum 42 strand and not electric cable...) for 5/7/11 channel audio.
In ceiling : only the back speakers should be wired "in". The front three (centre, left & right) need to be facing you around the TV
Satellite speakers : put the cable up the wall
Floorstanders/Bookshelf : put the cable down behind the skirting board.

2 HDMI behind the TV to go into the AV Amp. A cat 6/7 cable for each possible network device or one using a potentially messy network switch. RF cable for the sub-woofer.


Home Radio/Stereo:
In ceiling speakers are ideal for this type of thing - just big enough to make a good noise but not obtrusive.
On the amplification side you have two options:
One amp many speakers : One amp with one source to control how many pairs of speakers you need.
Limitation : It's one source ( unless its a multi zone amp ) so the same song in all the rooms but the volume can be controlled at the end point/room

Many amps, many speakers : Having multiple amps for each individual room will give you both independant volume control and different music playback.
Limitation : While not exactly a true limitation its the more expensive way to wire a multi room and requires connection to the router.

General advice:
CONDUIT
Conduit everywhere!!! I cannot emphasize this enough! There is nothing worse than breaking a cable but have the broken cable plastered into the wall.
Remember where you park: when you put cable behind a wall/ceiling mark it with a little hole or tape etc so you don't end up with a coathanger trying to fish it out.
Don't put anything under carpet / floorboards unless absolutely certain you have easy access
Wire to rooms you're not going to put music into - there may be a point when you decide they are missing some tunes.
Don't bother wiring long HDMI cables into the house - you can send HD signals with adaptors via CAT cable and NO SCART cables - they are redundant.

Anything more specific I would need the plans.

~Sol

kevh1987

Hi Sol

Thanks a mill for your reply. will take it all on board and do a bit more research. I have a room set aside for all my boards, tv, alarm, network and audio etc so will have all in one location.

Would you recommend a certain type of surround sound system?? and also ceiling speakers?? I dont mind spending a few pound on getting the right one set up as it will only be done once. Hopefully.

Will def be wiring to rooms that wont be used as you can only run in these cables once, def wont be chasing walls again.

akaSol

On the coms/TV side : It's easier swapping a disc so unless you are running a network player/server try having a local player under the TV like a games console. (Cat to HDMI is the golden child here)
Yamaha et-al are fairly straightforward : pick how many channels, what type of speakers (bookshelf/floorstanders/ceiling-mix) you're using which will give you the power requirement. Unfortunately it's usually one of two things in choosing: 1. Does it sound good 2. Does it meet the S.O. approval :rolleyes:

On the Radio side : in ceiling speakers work great ! Don't forget if it's mostly ambient music you're playing back they will be fine. If you really want to enjoy the music perhaps a small pair of bookshelfs .

Like I have said when doing the chasing put the cables into conduit - less hastle all round.