Hide speaker wire in new listening room.

grunviz

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I have moved my main listening room from my lounge to my snug (think unused dining room). And, I need some help trying to hide some speaker cable that runs across the hearth. I would ideally like not to buy more.

A bit of history first - I spent ages, and I mean ages, trying to get my speakers in a good position in my lounge. See here for my string based madness


And, after I finished with positioning the speakers I even measured acoustically and had some filters created to help cancel out the room. But, after all that, I have admitted defeat as it still did not sound right, so I have now ditched that room, my lounge, as a listening environment! The lounge will stay as a room to watch TV but not serious listening. In fact, I even considereded a *winces* sound bar!! Anyway, temporary madness aside, I have purchased some Monitor Audio Bronze speakers to operate as my left and right speakers in the lounge, so I will still have a 5.1 setup running off a Denon x3300w. All the rest of my kit, I have moved kit to the snug.

So, in the snug, see picture, I have moved my PMC Twenty5 22's speakers, Musical Fidelity M6si, Topping D90 balanced DAC and Allo USBridge Signature and two acoustic panels. I spent yesterday installing a new wired connection feeding the kit from my Roon core on an Intel NUC with music stored on My Synology DS918+ NAS (with Roon and Qobuz) which are both stored in an upstairs cupboard.

I spent yesterday evening listening and it sounds soooo much better already, you can sit basically opposite the fireplace creating a nice triangle, although I still need to position my speakers properly - you can see the magazines they are on currently. But, I also sat there staring at the speaker wire trailing across the slate hearth from my right speaker to my amp. I have about 3.5m of Chord Shawline X, so I have a load of wire left over for my left speaker and not enough for my right. I can't get it to run around the hearth unfortunately.

So, how can I avoid buying a load more cable? Is there a way to hide the cable running across the hearth that is heat proof? I was wondering about a section of slate which has a grove removed and placing that over the wire?? I don't really want just a piece of plastic to go over it as it won't be heat proof and it will look a bit rubbish, probably.

So, any ideas?
 

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The easiest way without buying extra cable might be to use trunking. You would need to paint or cover the middle section in black.
 
Thanks for the reply.

The easiest way without buying extra cable might be to use trunking. You would need to paint or cover the middle section in black.

I havent found anything that is heat proof yet, as I expect it can be hot in that position below a log burner. I have asked a speciliast slate cutter about the possibility of a bespoke piece, not sure on price though.
 
I think you might be worrying a little too much. It probably is not as hot as you think in front of the wood burner, have you ever measured it?

Even normal PVC cable is is rated at 60 or 80 degrees which almost certainly adequate.

Have you thought of putting the cable behind the wood burner, it would need two holes drilled through the side walls of the fireplace and a peice of trunking behind the wood burner. It could be very unobtrustive. I can not tell from the picture if this would be possible.
 
Do you know it its hotter above the mantle piece....Do you have enough cabling to run the cable above the fire and hide most of it behind the mirror and use trunking?

if its not long enough you might need to raise the amp on a taller piece of furniture..
 
A (black) metal tube may look as though it should be there and allow the cables to be run inside.
 
I think you might be worrying a little too much

That is me in a nutshell!!

It probably is not as hot as you think in front of the wood burner, have you ever measured it?

No, I did wonder that this morning, obviously heat rises, but it would be so close that is must be a reasonable temperature. I am not sure I fancy a fire today with the weather! Plus, I do wonder how hot the speakers might get now!

Have you thought of putting the cable behind the wood burner, it would need two holes drilled through the side walls of the fireplace and a peice of trunking behind the wood burner. It could be very unobtrustive. I can not tell from the picture if this would be possible.

Interesting idea. I might just have enough cable. It would be tricky I think. I will have a look.

Do you know it its hotter above the mantle piece....Do you have enough cabling to run the cable above the fire and hide most of it behind the mirror and use trunking?

Good idea, but not enough cable I am afraid.

A (black) metal tube may look as though it should be there and allow the cables to be run inside.

Another interesting idea. I expect a metal tube may also get pretty hot. It might be possible though, and look like it should be there as you say. I need to investigate!
 
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Clearly the wrapping should be fire retardant.
 
If using a metal tube you would use a heat resistant sleeve or wrap to act as heat insulation around the cable. E.g. 14mm BLACK COATED HIGH TEMPERATURE SLEEVING 500oC SOLD PER METRE HEAT PROOF – CaterSparesUK

Thanks for the link. I think this is my number 2 option now with the first being the slate. I am still awaiting a response from the local company who might be able to help. The other option might be to buy the slate myself and to use an angle grinder to create the 'tunnel' to poke the wire through.
 
Thanks for the link. I think this is my number 2 option now with the first being the slate. I am still awaiting a response from the local company who might be able to help. The other option might be to buy the slate myself and to use an angle grinder to create the 'tunnel' to poke the wire through.

I think your groove in the slate idea should work fine. To make it more effective, try to choose a light coloured and porous slate. Try to make the groove bigger so you can wrap some aluminium foil around that section of the cable. If you want to get professional, look for some automotive wire heat shields.
 
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Is it a solid concrete or a suspended timber floor in that room? If it is suspended and the joists run the right way you can fish it down under the floorboards and up again.
 
Is it a solid concrete or a suspended timber floor in that room? If it is suspended and the joists run the right way you can fish it down under the floorboards and up again.

It is suspended wooden floor although there is a snap, there are solid oak boards running atop the existing boards but running the other way. So pretty difficult to gain access (the boards are all nailed down too) to do this. This was my original thought but not easily possible.
 
I didn't mean having to lift boards. I was thinking drilling 2 pilot holes and try fishing the wire through. You can hire a wire 'fishing' kit, flexible rods with magnets on the end and then pull the cable through. You can have wooden plugs to trim and finish the floor. My wife does accuse me of over complicating things :laugh:
If the hearth is a solid piece of slate it would be a shame to cut it or groove it.
 
Is it possible to remove the top floorboard and cut a groove in the underside of that or the top surface of the board under it. Then lay the cable in that groove?
 
Is it possible to remove the top floorboard and cut a groove in the underside of that or the top surface of the board under it. Then lay the cable in that groove?

No, unfortunately not. The people who laid the floor used a nail gun, so I would need to go about 4 boards over removing all and even then, I don't have eough wire.

I was thinking drilling 2 pilot holes and try fishing the wire through. You can hire a wire 'fishing' kit, flexible rods with magnets on the end and then pull the cable through. You can have wooden plugs to trim and finish the floor. My wife does accuse me of over complicating things :laugh:
If the hearth is a solid piece of slate it would be a shame to cut it or groove it.

Maybe, but it does sound complicated to go under.

I wouldnt grove the actual hearth, but get something, possibly additional slate - with groove, to go over the existing hearth with a space for the wire.
 

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