What kind of wire is this

[astroboy604]

Hello all,

First off, I apologise if this is the wrong forum to post this.

I just purchased a new home that is pre-wired with 5.1 surround sound. Yesterday, I tried to set up my home theater and got confused with what I found behind the wall plates. When I unscrewed the wall plates and pealed back the jacket from the cables, I noticed they consisted of one black insulated wire, one white insulated wire, and a bundle of un-insulated silver wires. All of this was wrapped in a thin silver foil, and over that a grey rubber jacket. There was also these fine non metallic silk like threads amongst the other wires which I am assuming is only part of the insulation.

I am only familiar with two stranded speaker wire so can someone please tell me what kind of wire I am dealing with and how I am supposed to hook them up. I have a cheap LG home theater system that uses spring clips for all the speakers, subwoofer, and receiver.

Thanks in advance!

 

[highfigh]

Hello all,

First off, I apologise if this is the wrong forum to post this.

I just purchased a new home that is pre-wired with 5.1 surround sound. Yesterday, I tried to set up my home theater and got confused with what I found behind the wall plates. When I unscrewed the wall plates and pealed back the jacket from the cables, I noticed they consisted of one black insulated wire, one white insulated wire, and a bundle of un-insulated silver wires. All of this was wrapped in a thin silver foil, and over that a grey rubber jacket. There was also these fine non metallic silk like threads amongst the other wires which I am assuming is only part of the insulation.

I am only familiar with two stranded speaker wire so can someone please tell me what kind of wire I am dealing with and how I am supposed to hook them up. I have a cheap LG home theater system that uses spring clips for all the speakers, subwoofer, and receiver.

Thanks in advance!

Is it flexible or kind of stiff?

Look at the bottom of the threads for a post padding thread and then post a clear photo of the cable. Usually, that kind of wire is used for microphones but there are other uses.

 

[astroboy604]

They are very flexible.

Sorry I am at work at the moment so I will have to take a picture when I get home. I should have thought of that first. I was hoping maybe someone had run into these types of cables before. Maybe they are for in wall speakers? I have no idea.

 

[astroboy604]

I did some more digging online and it appears I most likely have shielded or balanced wire running throughout. It consists of 2 signal wires (+ve and -ve) and a ground. I am unsure how I am supposed to use this since I don't know where to connect the ground.

 

[highfigh]

I did some more digging online and it appears I most likely have shielded or balanced wire running throughout. It consists of 2 signal wires (+ve and -ve) and a ground. I am unsure how I am supposed to use this since I don't know where to connect the ground.

Who installed this wire? If it's very flexible, it's mic cable and is meant to carry low level signal, not high power from amp to speaker, although short runs of 18ga would work. If the runs are much longer, 16ga is about the minimum recommended and definitely when higher power is used.

I won't assume that it would be possible or practical to run different/additional cable but if you do use this as speaker wire, strip the jacket, peel the braided shield back and either use heat shrink tubing or tape to cover it after snipping it off. It's not needed and if it touches the other wires and/or shorts one wire to ground, it could be curtains for the amplifier.

Tour question referring to the +ve and -ve being separate from the ground is exactly the way that cable is used for balanced audio and XLR plugs.

Ideally, you should run heavier wire but practically, just get the shield out of the way and use what you have.

 

[BMXTRIX]

Sounds to me like 22 gauge audio cabling.

Not sure who wired anything up with that as it is nearly completley useless unless you are putting active speakers in every location and using the pre-outs on your A/V receiver instead of amplifiers at the main location.

I've used balanced audio cabling when I've had to send a signal across my house, but it is not at all how you wire for speaker installations.

If your home is wired for 5.1 surround sound and it is new, then I would contact the builder IMMEDIATELY! I would contact a local A/V company and have them come take a look at the wiring in place and quote you how much it would be to correct for this disaster of an install by completely clueless builders who are using inept and inexperienced technicians to mess up the homes they are selling to unsuspecting consumers.

You are NOT wired for 5.1 if everything there is designed for line level balanced audio and any professional company in the world would back you up on that.

 

[Audioholics]

22 gauge is all but certain to roll off the highs at even ~50 feet. Reminds me of the cabling that comes with cheaper HTIB systems.

 

[Rickster71]

Something tells me you should first, check the outer jacket and let us know what's printed or embossed on it.
Why assume anything, when the answer is on the outer insulation?
The type of wire being discussed wouldn't pass an electrical inspection, unless it was installed later and not inspected.

 

[BMXTRIX]

Something tells me you should first, check the outer jacket and let us know what's printed or embossed on it.
Why assume anything, when the answer is on the outer insulation?
The type of wire being discussed wouldn't pass an electrical inspection, unless it was installed later and not inspected.

If it is CL2 rated wiring, that is all an inspector would care about. Sounds like it is jacketed, 2-pair w/drain, foiled shielded wiring, which is perfectly legal with the CL2 rating and wouldn't tip off anyone who isn't paying attention.

But, it would be line level audio, not speaker level audio, and everyone in A/V knows this. Everyone.

If an A/V company did this in my home, then wouldn't correct their (huge) mistake voluntarily, I would get a quote for the fix and take them to small claims court on the issue.

You paid a premium (at some level) on your home for proper 5.1 audio wiring, which is not at all what you received if that is, in fact, line-level audio wiring.

 

[highfigh]

Sounds to me like 22 gauge audio cabling.

Not sure who wired anything up with that as it is nearly completley useless unless you are putting active speakers in every location and using the pre-outs on your A/V receiver instead of amplifiers at the main location.

I've used balanced audio cabling when I've had to send a signal across my house, but it is not at all how you wire for speaker installations.

If your home is wired for 5.1 surround sound and it is new, then I would contact the builder IMMEDIATELY! I would contact a local A/V company and have them come take a look at the wiring in place and quote you how much it would be to correct for this disaster of an install by completely clueless builders who are using inept and inexperienced technicians to mess up the homes they are selling to unsuspecting consumers.

You are NOT wired for 5.1 if everything there is designed for line level balanced audio and any professional company in the world would back you up on that.

Sounds like something an alarm installer would use.

"disaster of an install by completely clueless builders who are using inept and inexperienced technicians to mess up the homes they are selling to unsuspecting consumers."

Or, cheap and they want to be able to say it's wired but don't remove the wall plates. That's also part of the problem with electrical contractors getting into low voltage- they don't usually know what kinds of cabling is needed and what's worse is that they don't really care. They don't know much, if anything about communications signal or how it's affected by high voltage, resistance on the neutral or how to get rid of the problems.

Ever seen new construction where the electrician ran their Romex in the same stud bay as the lightning suppression cables and then wire tied everything together?

 

[Rickster71]

All of this was wrapped in a thin silver foil, and over that a gray rubber jacket.

If it is CL2 rated wiring, that is all an inspector would care about.

I agree.
The part of the OP that got me wondering was his description of a 'rubber' jacket.
That sets the stage for us to 'assume' what the OP knows, and if he understands the differences in wire and it's insulation.(CL2)

 

[highfigh]

Something tells me you should first, check the outer jacket and let us know what's printed or embossed on it.
Why assume anything, when the answer is on the outer insulation?
The type of wire being discussed wouldn't pass an electrical inspection, unless it was installed later and not inspected.

Your inspections include low voltage? Other than not being in the same box as high voltage devices, not attaching to conduit or being installed such that things can be hung from/on the cabling, what are the local regs for low voltage, where you are? Do they require metallic conduit and boxes?

 

[Rickster71]

Romex in the same stud bay as the lightning suppression cables and then wire tied everything together?

Lightening suppression downconductors that were run inside the structure?

 

[Rickster71]

Your inspections include low voltage? Other than not being in the same box as high voltage devices, not attaching to conduit or being installed such that things can be hung from/on the cabling, what are the local regs for low voltage, where you are? Do they require metallic conduit and boxes?

I only do residential work for side jobs, the rest is 99% commercial / industrial.

The code is supposed to be national (with exceptions)

Inspections run the gamut from the inspector that knows your work and is handing you a sticker outside in the parking lot.-
To a commercial owner that isn't politically connected, and every 'i' must be dotted, etc.
At times they really take advantage of the clause in the code that reads, "The local authority has jurisdiction"

One example, where CAT-5 drops into the wall, they want it in PVC or EMT and it has to have a connector with a bushing on the one end and a box on the other. Commercial is all metal boxes, and it's more for fire protection...meaning that any penetration is sealed with a box.

 

[highfigh]

Lightening suppression downconductors that were run inside the structure?

Yeah. I thought it was supposed to be outside, too. The code requires at least 16" from lightning suppression cable to any other conductor and even that seem way too close, to me. He bundled his right along with the braided cables. At least the inspector made him re-route everything.