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Identify where all of your electrical,
phone, and TV wiring is likely to be and
plan to route around it all. You can acci-
dentally induce 60 Hz hum on your
speakers if you run your speaker wire right
beside electrical wire for more than a few
feet. Try to keep speaker wire running par-
allel to power cables at least 3 feet away.
To find exactly where an electrical cable is
routed, try inspecting the inside of the wall
by turning off the breaker for a particular
power outlet or switch, removing the
cover plate and switch or receptacle, and
shining a penlight into the wall. If you have
access to an attic or basement space you
can quickly see which part of the wall
space the wire is free of obstructions (See
Figure 4).
When you don’t have access above or
below the wall, try to estimate the existing
wire and pipe locations from the positions
of electrical outlets and plumbed fixtures
on both sides of the wall. Take a look at
the outside of your house too, sometimes
10
Installation Fundamentals
Figure 3
Speaker
Location
Volume
Control
Location
Stereo
Location
Figure 4
Unobstructed space
for speaker wiring