Running Speaker Wires Through Sub Floor

Speaker wire can be easily run through ceiling joists or it can be suspended in a cable tray which can be purchased from a hardware store.

Running speaker wires through sub floor. Alternatively you can either wire from the amplifier to the subwoofer and then jump off to your main speakers or vice versa. To do this you will need to make holes in the subfloor and the best place to do this is through the bottom plates of walls. Running electrical wires between the subfloor and the surface layer of flooring is not safe but you can run them under the subfloor itself. Speaker wire should be 16 gauge stranded and 2 conductor with one red and one black wire.

Run the wires through your walls. Before you start make sure that everything is disconnected and positioned where you want it. Feed the wire through a hole run. New lighting cable computer networking and sound systems can all require wiring that may need to come through the ceiling.

Want your wires totally hidden. This option is particularly easy to utilize if you have a suspended ceiling or have not installed a drywall ceiling yet. You re running long or very long speaker cables probably through wires and or walls. On a single story home or the the upper floor of a multiple story home this means accessing your attic to run wire.

Do not use your cruddy radio shack copper and aluminum wire this is not meant for in wall use. The correct wire for running through the walls will say cm or cmr on it. If you re using recessed speakers the wire is completely hidden away. In that case you ll want 12awg or 14awg wires depending on the length of the run.

If you need to go through an air duct be sure the the wire is plenum or cmp rated. Useful tools to have on hand are wire strippers tape measure or ruler pliers utility knife. You have low impedance speakers in which case you ll also want thicker speaker wires. You can either run your amplifier connections to the main speakers and then run another set of speaker cables to the subwoofer.

Run in wall speaker cable through your walls or ceiling for a stealthy installation. Now you have a couple of options here. Select proper wire or cable. Always turn off the breakers in your electrical box before you begin to reduce the chance of an electrical shock should you accidently cut or drill into existing wiring.

Plan to have extra spools of speaker wire available go with 16 gauge for connections up to 20 ft 14 gauge for anything longer than that because some methods will require the extra length. Run the speaker wires above your ceiling.