I need to run speaker wires along 30 feet of my living baseboard and hardwood floors to two tower speakers. Semi-historic 1903 house. The ideal cable housing is a SIMPLE black color with no text describing the wire specifications every 3 feet, looked wrapped in shrink tube or have a fancy pattern. Yes I could by a cable track but that has its own aesthetics. Any suggestions are appreciated.
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Speaker Wire - wife acceptance factor
- Thread starter rcarlbe
- Start date
Haflermichi
Active Member
Usually printed text on cabling is at each 1 foot distance as an easy way to measure without tools.
If you find something locally maybe you could buy a foot, take it home and use alcohol to try to remove the printing.
16 or 14 gage round power cable might work, just use any two of the conductors.
No way to test printing removal in advance but you might investigate Carnare 4S6.
I use Canare 4S11 in grey. It's beautiful, the grey is discrete and the printing is white so not as noticeable.
Both types use a round jacket so they lay flat with no kinking.
If you find something locally maybe you could buy a foot, take it home and use alcohol to try to remove the printing.
16 or 14 gage round power cable might work, just use any two of the conductors.
No way to test printing removal in advance but you might investigate Carnare 4S6.
I use Canare 4S11 in grey. It's beautiful, the grey is discrete and the printing is white so not as noticeable.
Both types use a round jacket so they lay flat with no kinking.
Haflermichi
Active Member
Is there a basement beneath? Do you own the house?
If you own the house and there is a basement any chance of running the cable there?
You could put a junction box in the wall at the amp end, fish down to the basement, run cable
then drill a small hole in the floor at each speaker. The hole could easily be plugged if things change later...
Also with Canare 4S wire it's durably jacketed, it's round and so the hole in the floor could be very precisely sized.
If you own the house and there is a basement any chance of running the cable there?
You could put a junction box in the wall at the amp end, fish down to the basement, run cable
then drill a small hole in the floor at each speaker. The hole could easily be plugged if things change later...
Also with Canare 4S wire it's durably jacketed, it's round and so the hole in the floor could be very precisely sized.
You can't remove the baseboards and find room to tuck it behind somehow? Never needed black speaker wire, and much of what I've seen of bulk wire still has some printing, maybe I've seen some pre-made stuff but long lengths at reasonable prices not so much.....so jacketing it would probably be my backup move....but I don't need to. 
You can get nylon wrappers in probably whatever color and put it on some Canare 4S11, it's what I do. I use black but if the decor demands it, many other colors are available.
Pretty easy and satisfying, you don't even really need tools other than a wire stripper to terminate them. Heat shrink is also pretty easy and recommended if you DIY.
Even if you don't DIY you can customize the look of a given cable with a sleeve.
Pretty easy and satisfying, you don't even really need tools other than a wire stripper to terminate them. Heat shrink is also pretty easy and recommended if you DIY.
Even if you don't DIY you can customize the look of a given cable with a sleeve.
AlfaNovember
Member
I've been pleased with rayon-covered lamp cord, which can be surprisingly resistant to dirt and smudges. I can't speak to the quality of the conductors inside - pure copper vs cca vs unicorn tail-hair, but have a look:
At what distance can the little print on the side of speaker wire be discerned or even noticed?
If the wire is black have you considered using some electrical tape over the random bits of print that may be obvious?
If the wire is black have you considered using some electrical tape over the random bits of print that may be obvious?
MaxwellsEq
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That's neat - I've never thought of doing that!
In-wall is another option. I use the Monoprice 12AWG, although it just lies on the rug.
Monoprice Speaker Wire, CL2 Rated, 2-Conductor, 12AWG, 100ft, White - Monoprice.com
Get the most out of your home audio system with high quality, pure bare copper speaker wire from Monoprice™!Pure Bare Copper is a superior conductor to the copper clad aluminum (CCA) conductors
www.monoprice.com
Killingbeans
Major Contributor
Techflex Flexo F6 Quiet.
Through the basement or crawl space is the usual solution, if at all possible.
Zek
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Maybe some flat speaker wire that can be placed under the carpet.
Something like this...
Something like this...
I run mine through the basement and fish it to wall boxes based on https://www.homedepot.com/p/Carlon-2-Gang-Low-Voltage-Mounting-Bracket-SC200RR/202077405 and https://tripplite.eaton.com/products/patch-panels-keystone-jacks-keystone-jacks~9-43?utm_term=keystone jack. I use BNC keystones, and I put my wired RJ45 in the same box. You can put in HDMI, fiber, and 1/8" TRS to shielded twisted pair. It would also be possible to put in shielded twisted pair Ethernet and get 4 balanced lines. If you are cutting into plaster and lath, one of the high speed vibrating saws does it cleanly.
Surface mount on the baseboard - http://www.wiremoldproducts.com/
If you are handy, you can use a knife to break the paint line then use putty knives to carefully pry off the toe mold, then the baseboard. You can route a groove for the speaker wires and install a box on either end to transition to banana plugs or any low profile connector. At the same time, for energy efficiency on an older home you can caulk along the floor to wall gaps for air leaks found in older homes.
It is not sonically correct, but you could also put monoamps by each speaker and wireless to those. (or balanced wire)
The other approach is to find some attractive fabric and sew it into a tube, then fish the wire through it. It will attract dust, but it could be a collaborative project. One person chooses the wires and the other the fabric!
Surface mount on the baseboard - http://www.wiremoldproducts.com/
If you are handy, you can use a knife to break the paint line then use putty knives to carefully pry off the toe mold, then the baseboard. You can route a groove for the speaker wires and install a box on either end to transition to banana plugs or any low profile connector. At the same time, for energy efficiency on an older home you can caulk along the floor to wall gaps for air leaks found in older homes.
It is not sonically correct, but you could also put monoamps by each speaker and wireless to those. (or balanced wire)
The other approach is to find some attractive fabric and sew it into a tube, then fish the wire through it. It will attract dust, but it could be a collaborative project. One person chooses the wires and the other the fabric!
Last edited:
HarmonicTHD
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Get the cable you want. And tell her you clean the stereo corner Win-win, you see.
Win-win, you see.- Thread Starter
- #17
Thanks everyone. I am leaning Canare. Briefly Googling I may be able to get it in black. After about a 20 foot run along the baseboard I will drill down into hardwood floors behind my corner-round trim along the baseboard to my basement and pop-up at speakers. I might get some tech flex for the segment for when it re-emerges.
Vini darko
Major Contributor
Lots of options if you look for lamp cord. Think brown would be my choice.