Speaker wire and LED light advice

[bellbound]

I'm going to have my ceiling opened up and I'm going to pay an electrician to add lights. While doing this I also want to run speaker wire and ethernet.

1. How far apart should the speaker wire and electrical be?

2. What gauge speaker wire should I look for when sending it over a long distance?

3. I need to buy lots of LED lights (maybe about 120-150) to replace 50w incandescent and MR16(I think that is the right one). Can someone recommend a good brand and a place to but them in bulk?

Thanks!

 

[hornetd]

You will want to use Shielded Audio Cable for the Speaker runs. If you use parallel wire cable you are going to have somewhat noisy audio no matter how far apart you place the two types of cable within your home. In all cases keep the two types of wire at least 1 foot apart when run in parallel using shielded or twisted pair or both cable.

If you can buy the Shielded Cable in 14 American Wire Gauge AWG or larger; up to 10 AWG; then do so. Otherwise by the largest you can actually obtain.

Your third question depends entirely too much on were you are located for me to give you a cogent answer.

--
Tom Horne

 

[vinny186]

I've purchased rolls of led lights from several different sellers on eBay Ana Amazon and have never had any problems.

 

[bellbound]

You will want to use Shielded Audio Cable for the Speaker runs. If you use parallel wire cable you are going to have somewhat noisy audio no matter how far apart you place the two types of cable within your home. In all cases keep the two types of wire at least 1 foot apart when run in parallel using shielded or twisted pair or both cable.

If you can buy the Shielded Cable in 14 American Wire Gauge AWG or larger; up to 10 AWG; then do so. Otherwise by the largest you can actually obtain.

Your third question depends entirely too much on were you are located for me to give you a cogent answer.

--
Tom Horne

1. Please pardon my ignorance, do I have a choice whether the speaker wire is parallel wire or twisted cable?
2. If the shielded wire protects against interference, is there any reason to not use shielded wire?
3. Does the larger gauge speaker wire minimize interference or just help with the volume or other?
4. I live in S. California, though I was wondering if there are places online that sell for less in bulk? I am concerned with buying from eBay just because I need so many, and the possibility of fakes, low quality ones, etc. I'd rather buy better known brands and pay a bit more if necessary. Any suggested well known quality brands?

Thanks!

 

[hornetd]

1. Please pardon my ignorance, do I have a choice whether the speaker wire is parallel wire or twisted cable?

Yes but the parallel wire is easier to come by and in the larger sizes it is heavily hyped as the cure to all audio ills. Just look for shielded audio cable in the largest gauge you can afford.

2. If the shielded wire protects against interference, is there any reason to not use shielded wire?

It is likely to be markedly more expensive. Other than that none.

3. Does the larger gauge speaker wire minimize interference or just help with the volume or other?

The larger gauge is to allow the audio signal to reach your speakers with a minimum of loss. The shield is what will keep the interference down to a minimum.

4. I live in S. California, though I was wondering if there are places online that sell for less in bulk? I am concerned with buying from eBay just because I need so many, and the possibility of fakes, low quality ones, etc. I'd rather buy better known brands and pay a bit more if necessary. Any suggested well known quality brands?

I cannot help with this one.

Thanks!

--
Tom Horne

 

[vinny186]

I last purchased led's from ledwholesalers.com through Amazon and have had no problems with them in two years of use. Check out the reviews on Amazon.

 

[driz]

It’s not audio but video I just did but one big word of advice BEWARE EBay Amazon stores and sellers when it comes to wire. Make sure they have at least a few hundred of what you want and not just a couple 10-15 happy campers.
Wire used to be wire and almost all of it was ok, not anymore! There’s more garbage out there than good stuff in my experience lately so be careful. Especially with something in long runs like you’re doing where it may really count.
I didn’t even know copper coated steel wire was in use and they aren’t very prone to mentioning it in those descriptions so BE CAREFUL. FWIW I ended up buying off some outfit off Newegg that dealt in cables only for my Cat 5E and I order off the other two happily weekly for years now. Strange world out there these days in electronics.....

 

[pjones]

It’s not audio but video I just did but one big word of advice BEWARE EBay Amazon stores and sellers when it comes to wire. Make sure they have at least a few hundred of what you want and not just a couple 10-15 happy campers.
Wire used to be wire and almost all of it was ok, not anymore! There’s more garbage out there than good stuff in my experience lately so be careful. Especially with something in long runs like you’re doing where it may really count.
I didn’t even know copper coated steel wire was in use and they aren’t very prone to mentioning it in those descriptions so BE CAREFUL. FWIW I ended up buying off some outfit off Newegg that dealt in cables only for my Cat 5E and I order off the other two happily weekly for years now. Strange world out there these days in electronics.....

If you see "CCA" in the description of the wire or anywhere on the jacket of the cable then it is Copper Clad Aluminum. Stay away from that product, it will work but it's cheeper for a reason. I will only use copper cable for what I do.

I'm sure there are other abbreviations to be cautious of also, that is just the one that i see most often.

 

[JarryPatyson]

I’ve got some lighting on the roof, and I searched long before installing the perfect LEDs. I also wanted to buy them in bulk, so it’s cheaper. However, I was afraid to buy hundreds of cheap Chinese stuff, so I asked my friends about checked ones. My friend said he had been using smart led multicolor light strips for a year; that’s when I knew I should try them

 

[JarryPatyson]

I’ve got some lighting on the roof, and I searched long before installing the perfect LEDs. I also wanted to buy them in bulk, so it’s cheaper. However, I was afraid to buy hundreds of cheap Chinese stuff, so I asked my friends about checked ones. My friend said he had been using smart led multi-color light strips for a year; that’s when I knew I should try them

If you want multicolor, these are the best option. But another tip: install them with silicone mounting clips. It will save you a lot of time, because my friend decided to glue them on first, but they couldn't last long.

 

[user 4883]

Regarding the materials, your best bet is to let the electrical contractor supply everything you need but, be sure to have a conversation on what your concerns are.