Home Automation - new home wiring questions

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new home wiring questions

vluke

2006-02-15, 12:21 am

Hello everyone!

We are having a 5 bedroom home built (basement + 2 floors, rectangular
28' X 48') and I have certain audio/computer plans and had some
questions. You guys seem to be very knowledgeable about so many
things. My wife has some very definite requirements and constraints
(that may seem odd) - I aim to please her

Hey it's Valentine's
Day!

As far as computer networking - I think I have it understood okay
except for a few points. I got a great deal (someone I have dealt with
needed to reduce his inventory quickly...long sory) on some shielded
cat6 cable (1000 ft spool). I believe it to be pretty high quality
cable. I plan on wiring about 12 wall jacks in various places
throughout the house. For Video I plan on streaming video over cat6
to/from media pcs. We only have (and ever plan to have!) 2 tvs so this
seems pretty manageable. One server in our media/computer rack and a
pc next to each of the tvs we will stream to. The server will have 2
(maybe 3) capture cards. I haven't decided to go media center 2005 or
mythTV yet (leaning towards wmc2005). Are there any special cat6 (vice
cat5) concerns? I have run a fair amount of cat5 before but never
cat6. I haven't unwound the cable yet but I expect it to be a lot more
stiff than the cable I am used to since this is solid shielded 23awg
cat6 cable. Should I run this cable before or after insulation is put
in the walls? Any suggestions on securing the cable? Anyone use some
safe staple-like brackets that you like? Things to avoid? I plan on
trying to stay at least 6 inches away from the power line wherever I
can. Is this enough? If I need them to go through the same whole in a
floor joist somewhere how bad is that? Anyone know of good cat6
modular jacks? Should I definitely look for gold plated - I hear that
the jacks need to be pretty high quality or you lose much of the
advantage for cat6.

okay for the requirement whole house audio. My wife only wants 1 zone.
I have asked her a lot on this and she doesn't want more zones. I am
planning on having 8 sets of 2 speakers for the house and will be
putting them in mostly sometime down the road. I don't have a decent
amplifier at all right now so this will be for the future. (Any
amplifier suggestions for driving 8 sets of speakers would be
appreciated). I mostly just want the infrastructure in place. My
wife's point about 1 zone is that if anyone for example in their own
room wants something different then they can play it on their personal
sound system. I am thinking of a spool of 250' of 14/4 speaker wire to
run to the various impdedance volume controls for each of the pairs of
speakers and 14/2 speaker wire to the actual speakers (from the volume
controls). How does this sound? I believe almost all of the speakers
will be either wall or ceiling speakers - I still need to price and
look at these. Any suggestions? What wattage rating speakers should I
be considering for such a system? I know it depends on cost a lot. I
hope to spend <$500 on an amplifier. Two of the pairs of speakers will
be outside (1 in front and 1 in back). Again most of the work will be
many months after the house is done (probably parts will be over a year
away.) I am just trying to get done what makes the most sense to get
done that will be very hard to change after the house is built. Does
anyone have good suggestions for volume controls?

I plan on having a media/computer rack in a storage room on the first
floor to be a control point for all my audio and ethernet needs. Do I
need special power run to this rack or just a few power strips plugged
into the wall outlet? Are there any concerns I need to be worried
about when I run my speaker wire? Should I run it before or after the
insulation is put in place? How much separation do I need to try and
keep from any power lines? How about separation from the cat6 cable I
am putting in place? Is there any places I should think to use
conduit?

Okay, this may be a mistake but right now I am not running coax
anywhere except from the outside box to the media/computer rack. I
don't see the need since I really really like the streaming video idea.
(I used to use mythTV server and client and really liked the results) .
If no coax seems grossly a mistake let me know.

Any and all suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated.

Thanks a lot!
Luke

Robert L Bass

2006-02-15, 5:21 am

On 14 Feb 2006 20:04:38 -0800, "vluke" <virtualluke@gmail.com>
wrote:

> Hello everyone!
>
> We are having a 5 bedroom home built (basement + 2 floors, rectangular
> 28' X 48') and I have certain audio/computer plans and had some
> questions. You guys seem to be very knowledgeable about so many
> things. My wife has some very definite requirements and constraints
> (that may seem odd) - I aim to please her

Hey it's Valentine's
> Day!

As WAF approaches unity, yin and yan become balanced and the
universe sings. Well anyway, at least your coffee will be made
the way you like it. :^)

> As far as computer networking - I think I have it understood okay
> except for a few points. I got a great deal (someone I have dealt with
> needed to reduce his inventory quickly...long story) on some shielded
> cat6 cable (1000 ft spool). I believe it to be pretty high quality
> cable. I plan on wiring about 12 wall jacks in various places
> throughout the house...

Since the house is open, I'd install PC outlets in every bedroom,
the office, media center, kitchen work station (once you've
discovered www.epicurious.com you'll never want a kitchen without
space for a laptop), the exercise room and work room.

The most common approach is to install at each PC location (2)
CAT5 or better plus (2) RG6/Quad Shield cables. Reality is you
can get by with just one CAT5 or better. The RG6 comes in handy
for cable modems, TV and CCTV signal distribution. Though you
can get by without it, IMO it's better to have it and not need it
than to need it and not have it.

> For Video I plan on streaming video over cat6 to/from
> media pcs. We only have (and ever plan to have!) 2
> tvs so this seems pretty manageable...

You can do that but for over the air, satellite or CATV, you'll
find it easier if you include the coax. Give yourself the
flexibility to change your approach in the future by wiring for
conventional distribution as well as WMS.

> Are there any special cat6 (vice cat5) concerns?

The only issue is that to accomplish CAT5 level performance
requires little skill, basic knowledge and simple tools. CAT6
performance requires better tools, better skills using them and
greater knowledge. However, if you use the CAT6 shielded and you
don't do a perfect job you won't be any worse off than if you did
the same using CAT5 UTP. IOW, since you have the cable at a
bargain price, go for it.

> I have run a fair amount of cat5 before but never
> cat6. I haven't unwound the cable yet but I expect
> it to be a lot more stiff than the cable I am used to
> since this is solid shielded 23awg cat6 cable.

It's a bit stiffer but not particularly difficult to run. Mind
your bend radius and be careful not to crimp it. Also, don't
exert too much pulling strength on it. Doing so tends to undo
the twists a bit, causing reduced throughput.

> Should I run this cable before or after insulation is put
> in the walls?

You should run *all* types of cable before the insulation is
installed. While you're at it, consider taking advantage of the
opportunity to wire for intercom, security, CCTV, etc. Wire is
cheap and your own labor is free.

> Any suggestions on securing the cable?

I've used a rather unconventional technique that's inexpensive,
easy to use and easy to service later. I hammer in a couple of
5/8" or larger drive rings (nails with metal open loops attached)
a couple of feet from the outside wall at each end of the
basement ceiling and attic rafters. Snap a chalk line between
them and bang in additional drive rings on every third joist /
rafter.

Then you can slip your cables into the loops to hold them in
place. When you're finished, attach a long wire tie to the
bundle at one end, gently pull the cables straight from the other
end and attach another wire tie. If you wrap the wire tie around
the bundle five or six times it will hold the cables straight
without being pulled tightly. If you ever have to add or move a
cable, snip the wire ties, slip the new cable into the loops and
resecure it. We did this with security system wiring for years.

> Anyone use some safe staple-like brackets that you like?

I've tried several of them. They generally took too long and the
wiring began to look like rails in a freight yard. I prefer a
few arrow-straight bundles.

> Things to avoid? I plan on trying to stay at least 6
> inches away from the power line wherever I can.
> Is this enough?

With STP that's probably far enough, though I like to keep all
low voltage cables 12" from parallel 110VAC and 24" from 220VAC
lines.

> If I need them to go through the same whole in a
> floor joist somewhere how bad is that?

Very bad. It's a code violation and it's extremely dangerous.
When pulling a new cable through the same hole as another cable
it is very easy for the friction to wear right through the outer
jacket and inner insulation, exposing your low voltage circuitry
to direct contact with 110 or 220 Volts. That can not only fry
your hardware. It can kill you.

> Anyone know of good cat6 modular jacks? Should I definitely
> look for gold plated - I hear that the jacks need to be pretty
> high quality or you lose much of the advantage for cat6.

Copper works fine.

> okay for the requirement whole house audio. My wife
> only wants 1 zone. I have asked her a lot on this and
> she doesn't want more zones...

Give her one zone. Wire for separate zones in every room.

> I am planning on having 8 sets of 2 speakers for the
> house and will be putting them in mostly sometime
> down the road. I don't have a decent amplifier at all
> right now so this will be for the future. (Any amplifier
> suggestions for driving 8 sets of speakers would be
> appreciated).

Any decent receiver will have A and B speaker outputs. Connect
the B set to a speaker selector. I like Russound (which I sell
online) but Niles (which I don't carry) is also very good. In
each room install an impendence matching volume control.

> I mostly just want the infrastructure in place. My
> wife's point about 1 zone is that if anyone for example
> in their own room wants something different then
> they can play it on their personal sound system...

She has a valid point, though I like the ability to use one set
of source components and one media collection anywhere and
everywhere I want. That's the difference with a multi-zone
system. Since she only wants one zone, just home run the wire
for speakers and volume controls in each room. Also pull a CAT5
cable from each volume control location back to the media room.
That way if she changes her mind later all you'll need to do is
swap out the volume controls for system keypads, install the main
unit in the media room and you're done.

> I am thinking of a spool of 250' of 14/4 speaker wire to run
> to the various impdedance volume controls for each of the
> pairs of speakers and 14/2 speaker wire to the actual speakers
> (from the volume controls). How does this sound?

Buy 500 feet of 14/4 at a minimum. Eight runs will use up 250'
in no time. Depending on the room sizes, you might get away with
500 feet of 14/2 for the v/c to speaker runs.

> I believe almost all of the speakers will be either wall or
> ceiling speakers - I still need to price and look at these.
> Any suggestions?

There are a plethora of architectural speakers on the market.
I've tried numerous brands. In my home I use Proficient Audio
(they're actually Speaker Craft). They make excellent in-ceiling
and in-wall speakers and their prices are pretty decent.

Russound also make some good ones but stay away from their
"contractor grade" series -- sound like elevator speakers.

> What wattage rating speakers should I be considering
> for such a system? I know it depends on cost a lot. I
> hope to spend <$500 on an amplifier. Two of the pairs
> of speakers will be outside (1 in front and 1 in back).

Outside speakers need more power than inside ones. I use 8-inch
Proficient C800 speakers on my lanai (Florida-speak for covered
patio). The screened in area is roughly 85' by 60' and I get
good sound everywhere with about 40-Watts. During major parties
I sometimes turn up the outside sound to about 100-Watts per
channel. It stays clean and clear.

Inside I use a combination of C800, C870 and C660 models. Our
living / dining room is one space about 40' by 25' with a 12'
ceiling. I've never needed more than about 25-30 Watts per
channel there. All other rooms except the family room are fine
with no more than about 20-30 Watts.

As for amplifiers, or rather receivers, until recently I was
using a Yamaha RXV-3000. That was more than enough to power all
rooms.

Our new (to us) home is currently serviced by a single zone but I
plan to install either a Russound CAA66L or depending on how good
sales are this quarter) a Xantech MRC88. Only the lanai and the
family room will have separate amps. All other rooms will be
serviced with 25-35 Watts per channel from the distribution
system.

I've installed a fair number of multi-room systems over the
years. Most homeowners grossly overestimate the amplifier power
they'll need. I've found that 15 Watts per room is plenty of
power because you almost never drive all rooms at once.

> Again most of the work will be many months after the house
> is done (probably parts will be over a year away.) I am just
> trying to get done what makes the most sense to get done
> that will be very hard to change after the house is built. Does
> anyone have good suggestions for volume controls?

Yep. Russound ALTX2 impendence matching volume controls work
very well and they'll last as long the house unless you hit them
with lightning or a baseball bat. :^)

> I plan on having a media/computer rack in a storage room
> on the first floor to be a control point for all my audio and
> ethernet needs. Do I need special power run to this rack
> or just a few power strips plugged into the wall outlet?

As long as everything is connected to the same phase (same side
of the split phase for purists out there) and everything is
properly grounded to a single ground or a bonded ground system,
you'll be fine. Don't waste a dime on "power conditioners" --
they're about as useful as "high end" audio cable.

> Are there any concerns I need to be worried about when
> I run my speaker wire? Should I run it before or after the
> insulation is put in place?

Before. As noted above, you should also consider running CAT5
along with the 14/4 to each volume control location. That will
leave your options open if you ever decide to upgrade.

> How much separation do I need to try and keep from any
> power lines? How about separation from the cat6 cable I
> am putting in place?

Stay 1 foot from 110VAC and 2 feet from 220VAC.

> Is there any places I should think to use conduit?

Some folks believe you should run conduit or flex tubing to every
conceivable location. I'd place conduit where it will be very
difficult to drop a new cable later. Also, run at least three
separate 2" conduits from the basement to the attic and 1 tube
from each to the media room rack. Don't forget to leave a pull
string inside the conduit.

When running conduit, make as few bends as possible. At every
180º of bends install a pulling elbow or a junction box.

> Okay, this may be a mistake but right now I am not
> running coax anywhere except from the outside box
> to the media/computer rack...

I think it's a mistake. See above.

> I don't see the need since I really really like the streaming
> video idea...

What about all those other PC's controlling local media?

> (I used to use mythTV server and client and really liked the
> results). If no coax seems grossly a mistake let me know.

It's very cheap and really easy to run the coax now. If you
decide on satellite service later (as CATV becomes worse and
worse) you'll be glad you did. Furthermore, if you ever want to
run CCTV, conventional cams are cheaper than TCP/IP cams.

--

Regards,
Robert L Bass

Bass Burglar Alarms
The Online DIY Store
http://www.BassBurglarAlarms.com

--

Never underestimate the power of very stupid people in large
groups.

Bill Kearney

2006-02-16, 1:21 am

> okay for the requirement whole house audio. My wife only wants 1 zone.
> I have asked her a lot on this and she doesn't want more zones.

Wire it up as if there were more zones. Add a zone controller later. We've
got a Russound CAV6.6 and find we make use of 4 zones on a daily basis.
There's a Tivo on a zone and it's handy to use that to listen to the TV one
room away from a screen. There's an FM tuner than sees regular use in the
bathroom for morning shower time and the kitchen during dinner prep. Two
MP3 streams see use, mine down in the office and work area and hers up in
the living/dining rooms during dinner. We don't actually use the DVD or CD
changer zones all that often. The DVD, never actually as the theatre room
has it's own speaker setup and the bedroom TV has it's own player built-in.
Movies get watched off the Tivo otherwise.

It really does work well to be able to toggle through multiple sources. I
can listen to what I want, at levels that work for me, without interferring
with any other listening. Oh, and we can kick it into whole house mode for
parties. Works great.

Just pull a CAT5 line to the wall control panel location. Also pull a 14ga
4-conductor line to that same box. Inside the box you then split it out to
two 2-conductor wires for the left/right speakers. This way you're "future
proof" for ANY sort of system.

As for wattage, you need a lot less than you think. Some systems have amps
built into the keypad. They're only 20-35 watts. You'd think that wouldn't
be enough but in an average sized room it works really well. Since you can
crank the WHOLE HOUSE there's not a lot of need to have any single room be
all THAT LOUD. And for the bigger rooms most systems have ways to use
supplemental amps. I've got one doing that for the outside deck rock and
flower pot speakers.

> I plan on having a media/computer rack in a storage room on the first
> floor to be a control point for all my audio and ethernet needs. Do I
> need special power run to this rack or just a few power strips plugged
> into the wall outlet?

Run a circuit just for it. Use real rack mouting and don't use power
strips. You want stuff to stay plugged in and not be a rats nest.

> Okay, this may be a mistake but right now I am not running coax

Yes, that's a mistake. Coax will remain a very viable way to move signals
around for quite a while to come. I'd put at least one into any place
you're expecting a TV to ever be situated. Two if you ever want to use
satellite TV services.

> anywhere except from the outside box to the media/computer rack. I
> don't see the need since I really really like the streaming video idea.

Streaming video often looks like crap and needlessly complicates the setup.
Use a video-out card from a PC and just pump it out as regular video. That
way any plain old TV can handle the signal without anything fancy being
attached to it. The media extenders still seem a ways off in terms of
price/performance/value.

> (I used to use mythTV server and client and really liked the results).

Eh, I don't like the maintenance aspects of using a PC as a stream client.
There's just too many things to maintain (fans, drives, etc). I've found
central output and RF remotes controlling it works quite well instead.

> If no coax seems grossly a mistake let me know.

The walls are open and the wire's cheap. Yes, it's a mistake to not install
it.

-Bill Kearney

vluke

2006-02-17, 12:21 am

some great advice guys. I have been convinced of the error of my ways
with regard to coax. I also now plan on running cat5e to the various
volume control boxes (not that I am going to initially do anything with
them). Seems prudent for the future.

I am a little worried after looking at my electrician's run of power.
I see lots of places near receptactles where I was hoping to have a
cat6 jack. I don't see any easy way to stay far away from the power
lines -- I will try my best. Would using pieces of metal conduit to
hold segments of a cat6 run help if I need to run near power (as in,
will this protect against interference)?

What do I need to worry about as far as separation from other cables
with my 14/2 or 14/4 speaker wire. What distance separation should the
speaker wire have with both the cat6 and power?

I really appreciate all the suggestions!

Thanks,
Luke

none

2006-02-17, 8:21 am

Ethernet and speaker level signals are generally not affected by A/C
interference. Ethernet runs at too high of a frequency and is balanced
(common mode rejection if you want to look it up on Google). The A/C
induction for speaker level signals will be impossible to hear, there just
isn't enough signal leakage to drive the speaker. (But, this is not true for
line level or mic level audio signals where you might get interference. Or
you might get interference in your audio components or from ground loops.
You should try to run lighting on a separate power phase.).

Also, if you run other signals on your Cat6 (particularly unbalanced
signals) you may have some interference in which case you should try to keep
the cable 12 inches away from A/C and if the cables have to cross they
should do so perpendicular to each other. If you use conduit, you should put
the A/C in the conduit.

"vluke" <virtualluke@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1140146542.047852.211570@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
> some great advice guys. I have been convinced of the error of my ways
> with regard to coax. I also now plan on running cat5e to the various
> volume control boxes (not that I am going to initially do anything with
> them). Seems prudent for the future.
>
> I am a little worried after looking at my electrician's run of power.
> I see lots of places near receptactles where I was hoping to have a
> cat6 jack. I don't see any easy way to stay far away from the power
> lines -- I will try my best. Would using pieces of metal conduit to
> hold segments of a cat6 run help if I need to run near power (as in,
> will this protect against interference)?
>
> What do I need to worry about as far as separation from other cables
> with my 14/2 or 14/4 speaker wire. What distance separation should the
> speaker wire have with both the cat6 and power?
>
> I really appreciate all the suggestions!
>
> Thanks,
> Luke
>

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Rod Dorman

2006-02-17, 7:21 pm

In article <1140146542.047852.211570@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com>,
vluke <virtualluke@gmail.com> wrote:
> ...
>I am a little worried after looking at my electrician's run of power.
>I see lots of places near receptactles where I was hoping to have a
>cat6 jack. I don't see any easy way to stay far away from the power
>lines -- I will try my best. Would using pieces of metal conduit to
>hold segments of a cat6 run help if I need to run near power (as in,
>will this protect against interference)?

Didn't you originally say

>I got a great deal (someone I have dealt with needed to reduce his
>inventory quickly...long sory) on some shielded cat6 cable (1000 ft
>spool).

If it really is shielded and you ground it appropriatly that should
greatly reduce the possibility of interference.

--
-- Rod --
rodd(at)polylogics(dot)com

vluke

2006-02-17, 9:21 pm

It is shielded. I just wasn't sure how much that mitigates AC
interference.

I guess I hadn't thought about grounding it (pleading ignorance). What
is the best way to do that?

Ignorantly,
Luke

Robert L Bass

2006-02-18, 10:21 am

On Fri, 17 Feb 2006 23:08:20 +0000 (UTC), rodd@panix.com (Rod
Dorman) wrote:

> In article <1140146542.047852.211570@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com>,
> vluke <virtualluke@gmail.com> wrote:

There's no need to worry, friend. Keep the wires separate as
much as possible. It won't hurt anything if they are close for a
few feet of parallel run up / down to outlet height. It's the
long, parallel runs across the basement ceiling or up from
basement to second floor that are of concern.

Where possible, bring your cable into the wall in a separate stud
bay from the electrical stuff. Then make a hole through a stud
top bring your cable over to the desired location.
[color=darkred]
> If it really is shielded and you ground it appropriately that should
> greatly reduce the possibility of interference.

Agreed. Just use normal care in running your cables. Keep them
apart as much as possible, but don't worry about a inches / feet
of close runs.

--

Regards,
Robert L Bass

Bass Burglar Alarms
The Online DIY Store
http://www.BassBurglarAlarms.com

--

Never underestimate the power of very stupid people in large
groups.

vluke

2006-02-20, 9:21 am

Thanks for the calming effects of your words. :-)

Always something else that comes to mind getting into the details....

(1) It looks like I will need a speaker selector box -- the ones I have
found are already impedance matching. If I go with one of these then
do I need impedance matching volume controls too? Or do I not need a
impdedance matching speaker selector? Is there a sound quality
difference on whether to use an impedance matching volume control?

(2) For the downstairs dinining room/living room my wife has decided
she just wants 1 volume control. Should I daisy chain the speakers (L
to L,R to R) or run all 4 speakers to one volume control? Do most of
the volume controls handles 4 speakers? If they say they handle up to
12 gauge in the volume control unit can I fit 2 14 gauge wires??

(3) Do most in wall or ceiling speakers need special hardware brackets
to install. For the c800 for one example? Also some speakers like the
c800 you mention also have an optional box for sound absorption -- when
is this worthwhile/when is it not? It seems like if I don't want the
audio to bleed into different zones it would be more useful. Is this
the main reason?

Thanks,
Luke

Thanks for the help!

-Luke

Robert L Bass

2006-02-20, 2:21 pm

On 20 Feb 2006 04:53:43 -0800, "vluke" <virtualluke@gmail.com>
wrote:

> Thanks for the calming effects of your words. :-)
>
> Always something else that comes to mind getting into the details....
>
> (1) It looks like I will need a speaker selector box -- the ones I have
> found are already impedance matching. If I go with one of these then
> do I need impedance matching volume controls too? Or do I not need a
> impdedance matching speaker selector? Is there a sound quality
> difference on whether to use an impedance matching volume control?

I've done this sort of thing hundreds of times. I've used
impedance matching selector boxes with conventional volume
controls and non-matching boxes with impedance matching V/C's. I
prefer the latter as it gives me greater flexibility in assigning
different amounts of power to different size rooms. Either way
will work though.

> (2) For the downstairs dinining room/living room my wife has decided
> she just wants 1 volume control. Should I daisy chain the speakers (L
> to L,R to R) or run all 4 speakers to one volume control? Do most of
> the volume controls handles 4 speakers? If they say they handle up to
> 12 gauge in the volume control unit can I fit 2 14 gauge wires??

Run the two left speakers in parallel and the two right in
parallel to the left and right sides of a single V/C unit. Be
sure to choose a volume control that is rated for a higher load
since it will be drawing twice the current.

> (3) Do most in wall or ceiling speakers need special hardware brackets
> to install. For the c800 for one example? Also some speakers like the
> c800 you mention also have an optional box for sound absorption -- when
> is this worthwhile/when is it not?

Some require brackets and some don't. The C800 series don't
though you can install them if you choose. I personally prefer
not to use them -- one less piece of sheet metal to possibly
develop a rattle some day.

Back boxes do attenuate some noise but not all. If they're for
ancillary rooms, most of the time these speakers will be playing
at low volume levels. If you have the option, stuff some speaker
insulation or, failing that, ordinary insulation material into
the cavity before the boxes go in.

I used to jam paper backed insulation into the ceiling space
before hanging the speakers. It helps dampen reverberations
within the cavity -- cleaner sound.

> It seems like if I don't want the audio to bleed into different
> zones it would be more useful. Is this the main reason?

That's one reason. The other is the purported improvement in
sound. However, the speakers were designed for in-wall,
non-boxed installations. I've listened to them both ways and
there was no improvement with the boxes. They sounded great
either way.

> Thanks for the help!

Sure thing.

--

Regards,
Robert L Bass

Bass Burglar Alarms
The Online DIY Store
http://www.BassBurglarAlarms.com

--

Never underestimate the power of very stupid people in large
groups.

vluke

2006-03-01, 1:21 am

I've been busy running wire. I have enjoyed the work actually. It is
good to know a little about what is behind your walls.

I have a few 2 places that I have consolidated "zones" (one in the
family room/living room corridor and 2 zones in the basement). So I am
in a similar situation like above where I talked about wanting 1 volume
control controlling 4 speakers. I understand the idea of runnning the
speakers in parallel from the volume control to the 4 speakers. My
question now is that I actually have run 2 14/4 speaker wire from my
media control center right along a single volume control (I planned on
continuing to the next volume control with 1 of the cables.) Does it
make any sense (or would it be bad?) to have multiple "inputs" to the
volume control? (in addition to the multiple "outputs" I will already
be doing to run the speakers in parallel). Am I making any sense? (I
am kinda sleepy). I could remove 1 of the cables but it would be a
pain right now. If it doesn't give me anything positive then I guess I
will have extra cable not connected to anything.

Thanks,
Luke

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