Holiday Projects – Take Deux

A few weeks ago I put together a post about some projects I did around the house. Well, with my new found handyman skills and a drywall saw, why stop when the entire house is full of drywall just asking to be cut!

Project #1 – Install In-Wall Center Channel Speaker:

The setup in our bedroom was originally 2.1. However, since our family room is now dominated by Disney and Nick Jr our bedroom setup is now frequently used for TV and movie viewing, which means time to upgrade to a 5.1 setup! As I want to minimize the amount of wires and gadgets hanging around I decided to go with an in-wall center channel speaker for this setup.

Tools Used (what I can think of off the top of my head):

• Drywall Saw
• Level
• Screwdriver
• Cable stripper/cutter
• Stud Finder
• Monoprice 5-1/4 Inches Center Channel Micro-Flanged In-Wall Speaker – 8 Ohm
• Monoprice 2-Gang 5.1 Surround Sound Distribution Wall Plate
• Monoprice 2-Gang Low Voltage Mounting Bracket
• Monoprice 1 PAIR OF High-Quality Copper Speaker Banana Plugs – Closed Screw Type (x10)
• Monoprice 50ft 14AWG CL2 Rated 2-Conductor Loud Speaker Cable (For In-Wall Installation)

Figuring out where to put the Center Channel speaker was not difficult. I knew I wanted it under the TV, so using the stud finder I just looked for space under the TV where the speaker would fit between the studs. If you recall, last time I ran into an issue with the stud finder being a little too accurate when it found Fabio hiding in my walls. With that taken care of I figured I should be in the clear, but once again the stud readings were off  the chart. Sure enough, after digging into the wall I found none other then Lando Calrissian hiding in there (man is this stud finder accurate or what!!!). After grabbing a Colt 45 with him I sent him on his way.

Using the template Monoprice provided and the drywall saw I cut out the space where the speaker was to go (the template can actually be a little tricky as  you need to use the inside area of the template to trace out).

The next step was to cut out a hole towards the bottom of the wall where I wanted the speaker wire from the speaker to come out. I used the 2-Gang Low Voltage Mounting Bracket as a template.

With the holes cut I measured and cut some speaker wire (leaving myself some extra slack.

With the holes cut and the wire run, it is now time to get all the hardware out and ready to install. Below is a picture of the Center Channel speaker.

Here is the speaker with the grill removed (you will need to remove the grill to install/secure to the wall)

This is the backside of the speaker where the speaker cable will connect to.

Installing the speaker into the wall was surprisingly easy. Once the speaker wire was connected to the rear of the speaker you simply place the speaker into the cutout. Then you simply tighten the fasteners until the speaker is secure against the wall. One  thing to be careful with, if you have to remove the speaker only unscrew the fasteners enough to get the speaker out of the wall. If you unscrew too much the fasteners will fall off the speaker and land somewhere in your wall.

Next up is to install the wall plate. You may ask why I chose this wall plate since I am only installing a Center Channel Speaker. Well, the hope is in the future if I decide to install any other in-wall speakers they would all run to this plate.

A picture of the speaker wire connected to the rear of the wall plate.

The wall plate fastened with speaker wires going from the wall plate to my Receiver.

Project #2 – Running the Mounted TV Cables Behind The Wall

If you recall from my first project when I wall mounted my TV the power cord and HDMI cables were hanging down the wall.

Tools Used:

• Level
• Drywall Saw
• Screwdriver
• Cable stripper/cutter
• Stud Finder
• Monoprice Recessed Pro Power Kit w/Straight Blade Inlet White
• Monoprice 12ft 24AWG CL2 High Speed HDMI Cable w/ Net Jacket – Black (x2)
• Monoprice 10FT Cat6 550MHz UTP Ethernet Network Cable – Black
• 14 2 AWG Romex Wire

I decided to go with the Recessed Pro Power Kit because this would allow me to have my TV plugged into my power conditioner, something I would lose by just running a power outlet behind my TV. Since you are not supposed to run power cords in wall this would meet that requirement as well. Plus, I have never worked with electrical wiring, so this kit would allow me to install without having to tap into the current electrical wiring. Also, what is nice about the kit is it also allows you to drop additional cable wires as well.

My youngest guy decided he wanted to help out, so he got his Handy Mandy toolbox all lined up and ready to go.

The top plate goes somewhere behind the TV and the bottom plate goes towards the bottom of the wall. The two plates get connected together with Romex wire which is run in the wall (so you can see why there are no live wires being messed with).

Here is a closer look at the top plate. The TV plugs into the outlet and the cables (2 HDMI and 1 cat6) run down the opening. You may notice that some additional drywall was cut out as well. This is what happens when you cut drywall while being distracted…looks like I will need to add drywall patching to my resume!

This is the bottom plate. An extension cord connects from the plate to my power conditioner (thus effectively connecting my TV to the power conditioner). The two HDMI cables and cat6 cable come out and connect to my receiver/switch. The one annoying thing with the layout of the plate is that the opening for the bottom plate is set such that you have to bend the cables up in the wall to bring them through. I have no idea who thought this was a good idea?

With the Center Channel speaker installed and the TV wires run behind the wall, here is the finished product.

I decided to also move all the speakers wires into banana plugs. This definitely keeps things cleaner and prevent any chance of wires touching and causing a short.

Project #3 – Set Up Rear Speakers

The next project I had in mind, I had some Polk rear channel speakers that I wanted to set up. The issue was how to handle the wiring. After doing some research I decided the best approach for now would be to go with some cable raceways which should blend in with the wall as well as conceal the speaker wires.

Tools Used:

• Level
• Monoprice 50ft 14AWG Enhanced Loud Oxygen-Free Copper Speaker Wire Cable
• Screwdriver
• Cable stripper/cutter
• Cord Channel Kit

Installing the cable raceways was easy as you simply attach to the wall using the provided adhesive tape. Since the walls in my bedroom are still the builder’s white the cable raceways blended in nicely along the molding. The nice thing about the cable raceways is that they can be painted to match the color of the wall.

Here is a picture of one of the rear speakers mounted to the wall with the cable raceway concealing the wires.

At some point I will look into installing in-ceiling speakers to replace these satellite speakers.

Miscellaneous – Diary Of A Blizzard – The Blizzard Strikes Back

I don’t know what it is but my holiday projects seem to coincide with major snowstorms. Once again as I was working on this project we got hit with another 20 inches of snow. Possibly one of the dumbest decisions I have made was trying to drive to work at 3:30Am in the middle of the storm. The local roads were in OK shape so I figured I was in the clear, but once I got to the major highway it was an absolute mess. What is normally a 40 minute drive to work turned into a 2 hour drive, with a good portion of the highway covered in over 6 inches of snow. I finally made it to the exit where my job is at only to get stuck on the exit ramp which had not been plowed yet. After about 30 minutes of shoveling the exit ramp at 5AM I was finally able to break free and get to work. When I got to work much of the parking lot was impassable, but I was able to find  a spot at the far end of the lot. I thought the worst was behind me until it was time to leave work. I hopped in my car and as I drove off it started to shake. Thinking that maybe I just had some snow jammed up underneath the car I hopped out only to see I had a flat tire! Fortunately I had a full size spare, and although I wouldn’t recommend changing a tire in a snow covered parking lot, the spare was put on with little issue. After a white knuckle drive home (even though at that point the roads were mostly cleared I knew a flat tire would leave me stranded), I find that we lost hot water in our house! Just one of those days, but as they say, what doesn’t kill you will only make you stronger!

Below is a picture during my drive in the morning. This is actually before it started snowing heavy!

My poor tire, which was shredded.

Due to snow drifts, we had about 3-4 feet of snow leading to our front door.

Trying to exit out the garage wasn’t going to work either!

So What’s Next?

One thing you may have noticed, I installed a center channel speaker, but where are the front speakers? The media console we purchased for our bedroom allows you to replace the panels in the front doors with speaker cloth (as seen below). So currently my bookshelf speakers are in the cabinet and the sub woofer sits on the floor right next to the Media Console.

What I am trying to decide now is whether it is worth getting rid of the bookshelf speakers, installing in-wall front speakers, and then moving the sub woofer into the media console. This would free up some room as the sub woofer would no longer be sitting on the floor and give everything a little bit more of a clean look (plus I get a chance to use the drywall saw again!!!). My only concern is that the wall where everything is set up backs my son’s bedroom, so would installing two more speakers in the wall result in more sound passing through the wall into his room? I was originally thinking about getting an in-wall sub woofer but after doing some research I decided against this as I read mixed results (and I would also need to purchase a dedicated amp). I guess I will give it some thought over the weekend before making a decision.

Tagged as: In-Wall speakers, Monoprice, News, Projects, Speakers