It looks like putting in surround speakers is going to be a nightmare

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by seed_drill, May 22, 2015.

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  1. seed_drill

    seed_drill Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Tryon, NC, USA
    I have already consulted a buddy who is a pro, but am waitlisted for at least a month, and the problems I'm forseeing may be insurmountable.

    I used to have speakers mounted in the ceiling, but when I changed the orientation of the room I took them down and gave them to my brother, who'd already bought the matched front, center and sub.

    The matched Polk LSi f/x speakers I just bought are too huge to ceiling mount, so the plan was to mount them on the rear wall on either side of the giant sliding glass doors. But, upon getting into the attic, there is a giant steel I-beam blocking access to the outer wall joist. For some reason, there is even sheet rock or wall board blocking access from the side. I'm guessing the den is an addition and the sheetrock may be part of the old outer soffit.

    Any thoughts about how to get those wires to that wall? I've been without surround for a couple years now, and am missing it.
     
  2. Apesbrain

    Apesbrain Forum Resident

    Location:
    East Coast, USA
    Is wireless a possibility? Or run wires along the edge of the carpet or behind the baseboards?
     
  3. redmetalmoose

    redmetalmoose Forum Resident

    Location:
    New England
    Can you post a few pix?Is there a basement underneath that slider wall?Can you run the wires through your basement and drill up into those stud bays?Worst case scenario,there are many types of wire mold that can hide the wires and be painted to match what is already there.You would only have to run it in the area that you have no access to.It comes in a lot of sizes,colors and materials now.
     
    Mister Charlie likes this.
  4. Erik Tracy

    Erik Tracy Meet me at the Green Dragon for an ale

    Location:
    San Diego, CA, USA
    Does your listening area have crown molding?

    You could add that as a nice room accent and also use it to channel wires to the wall where the speakers will be mounted.
     
    BayouTiger and black sheriff like this.
  5. seed_drill

    seed_drill Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Tryon, NC, USA
    No. The room has a vinyl floor which I eventually hope to replace with hard wood, but it's going to be a long time before I can afford to do that. Even if I could pull the baseboards there is a chimney and door on one wall and a causeway and door on the other.

    I've got two large exposed beams in the ceiling, so I don't think crown molding will work, either.
     
  6. gd0

    gd0 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies

    Location:
    Golden Gate
    Screw it.

    Huge floorstanders all around. Garden-hose cables, duct-taped to the floor.

    You only live once.
     
  7. Rockos

    Rockos Forum Resident

    Need pictures of the room. How about running cables behind the floor to wall molding?
     
  8. seed_drill

    seed_drill Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Tryon, NC, USA
  9. Ntotrar

    Ntotrar Forum Resident

    Location:
    Tri-Cities TN
    Additional "moulding" to match the existing beams. Drill through the beams as needed for wire relief.
     
  10. Rockos

    Rockos Forum Resident

    That is not an easy room to work with.
     
  11. gd0

    gd0 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies

    Location:
    Golden Gate
    Agree 100%.

    I respectfully withdraw my snarky post above.
     
    seed_drill likes this.
  12. fuse999

    fuse999 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Texas
    Run your wire through the ceiling to the other side of the first beam in front of the window, then come through the ceiling and remove the ceiling mold and run them along the top of the wall next to the ceiling to the back wall corner. Replace the ceiling mold with a slightly larger piece, you may have to trim the back of it, and put it up to hide the cable. Hope you are using a normal size cable and not some half inch audiophile stuff!
     
  13. Doug Sclar

    Doug Sclar Forum Legend

    Location:
    The OC
    Why not drill through the steel beam? I know it's not legal for us to do this in construction, but we've done it many times after the building has passed inspection. A small hole will not likely ruin it's integrity. We have had the same issue with lam beams, but they're much easier to drill through than a steel beam.
     
    black sheriff and Rockos like this.
  14. seed_drill

    seed_drill Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Tryon, NC, USA
    You currently cannot access the other side of the beam in the attic. I was discussing my situation with someone, and I think I may be able to cut through the old sheet rock in the attic to get around it. It was probably part of a vapor barrier if the original garage sat where the den currently is.

    Hell, we had to remove four windows from the front of that room just to have a wall to put the TV against! And there used to be a built in bookcase where the love seat is currently. That room was really not designed for AV!
     
  15. Jeffczar

    Jeffczar Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
    That is a tough room, it can be quite a chore in some rooms for sure. Have to figure out a way to get wiring through the ceiling.
     
  16. Colin M

    Colin M Forum Resident

    If you're working with 5.1 then if you can get the surround speakers to the sides of the main sofa (the furthest exposed beam from the screen) you should be fine... would look quite tidy mounted on the wall directly beneath.
     
  17. Captain Wiggette

    Captain Wiggette Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle
    If you have attic above this room, if I'm reading correctly, you should be able to come down out of the ceiling, correct? Have you considered just coming out of the ceiling near rear-wall mounted speakers? You could easily tuck that into some moulding or just mask it with paint or the like. It doesn't look like you're really working with an ultra-clean modernist room or anything, it's just a den, hardly going to notice it. No reason making it impossible over 3 inches of exposed wire that nobody will hardly notice. You can also consider just doing some in-ceiling speakers, too.
     
  18. Captain Wiggette

    Captain Wiggette Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle
    Oh god, please do not do this unless you know what you are doing.

    I am aware of at least one home that had to be red-taped/condemned because of an idiot speaker install that cut into a gluelam that supported the roof of the house. Gluelams especially lose an *enormous* amount of their integrity and strength if you don't go through the middle or punch holes that are too large, which is why they are painted bright colors in the DON'T F**KING DRILL THROUGH ME YOU IDIOT THIS IS A LIFE-SAFETY ISSUE style. Just don't.
     
    seed_drill likes this.
  19. mds

    mds Forum Resident

    Location:
    PA
    On the opposite wall of the fire place it seems there is a crown board on top of the paneling right below the ceiling. You could run your wires right below this. By attaching a nailer below the wires you could then cover all this up with another painted 1x that would span from the ceiling over the wires and tHen across the bottom edge nailed into this nailer that was set below the wire run. It seems this would run above all your door and windows openings. The bottom edge of the nailer would be painted to match the board that is covering all this up. It would give the same appearance that you have, the crown board would now be a little deeper and project out a little further than it does now, once covered up with the new crown board. Hopefully I have described this clearly.
     
  20. bluemooze

    bluemooze Senior Member

    Location:
    Frenchtown NJ USA
    Wireless is the way to go. :)
     
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