Wire Question / Volume Control Knob

[Clider]

Here's what I got (follow-up from my previous dual zone post).

1) What's a good volume control knob and do they make any with wireless control capability

2) Have an electrician at my house today and tomorrow that I can have run wire for me while he's doing everything else. I have an RX-V663 in the living room that I'm going to use the second zone for two sets of speakers upstairs... one set in each bedroom. I'm going to have two volume control knobs in each room but are unsure of the type and/or size of wire I should run from the 1st floor to each volume knob and then from each knob to the speakers.

Im going to run the "trunk line" into a closet via way of the outside of the side of my house... it's hard to explain but with the way the stucco/finish is on the outside, there are already grooves that the wire will fit into perfectly... once the wire is run into my closet, it'll branch off to each corrseponding volume control and then from there to the speakers.

Hope that's a good enough description of what I'm doing, enough to get the necessary material.

 

[MDS]

Im going to run the "trunk line" into a closet via way of the outside of the side of my house... it's hard to explain but with the way the stucco/finish is on the outside, there are already grooves that the wire will fit into perfectly... once the wire is run into my closet, it'll branch off to each corrseponding volume control and then from there to the speakers.

If you have 2 pairs of speakers you need 8 conductors (4 speakers with a + and - for each). If you run one 8 conductor wire (or two 4 conductors as I described in your other post) from the receiver location to a closet, that can function as a 'trunk' because you have 8 individual wires. But you have to get from there to volume controls, so you need 4 wires to go from the trunk to each volume control and 4 wires to go from each volume control to the 2 speakers it controls.

If by 'trunk' you mean a single wire as a backbone with other wires tapped off of it like 10BaseT ethernet, that will not work.

You can find an assortment of volume controls at SmartHome, PartsExpress, MonoPrice, etc.

 

[Clider]

I should have said "pipe" instead of trunk... I was referring to just one single wire with 4 sets of wires in it for the rest of the upstairs.

A volume control knob has how many inputs on it, two? Is it two inputs in (L/R) and then two out to the two speakers?

*edit*

Having something to look at makes it a lot easier to understand... I see that a volume control knob has two in's and two outs... I'm looking online and have found 8-conductor wire, but I'm unsure if it's the right kind of not. I need about 100 feet, give or take - any suggestions where a good place to look is?

This wire is going to have to run outside the house for about 50 feet, if the wire is' buried in the crevace like I explain and I then cover it with caulk and paint over it (if it even needs that)... will that cause any issues in sound? I keep reading people talking about EMF interference... is that something I'd have to worry about with me setup?

 

[MDS]

Given the long distance, I think a lower gauge would be better - probably 14/4 (or 14/8 if you could find it) or even 12/4 (12/8).

One VC controls one pair of speakers and that is why it has 4 inputs and 4 outputs. In new home construction they typically run 16/4 to the VC location simply because it is convenient to have the 4 conductors you need in one sheath. From the VC to the speaker they typically use two 16/2 wires (you'd just use a lower gauge).

To put this in perspective, my house has a VC location in the master bath and at the outside wall to the patio. The two sets of 16/4 run from the living room wall where the receiver is located to the master bath and the patio wall and from each VC up into the ceiling to the speakers (although I am not using the pair in the master bath yet).

You have the same type of situation. From your description I assume you intend to one one 8 conductor (or two 4 conductor) wires from the receiver location through an outside wall and around the house coming back into the house at a central wiring closet. Then from the central location to each VC and from each VC to the speakers. That will work fine but would be easier if you could go straight from the receiver location up through the ceiling and over to each room where the VC is located (if possible).

 

[Clider]

The unit I bought was built by a company that believed in solid block construction filled with concrete and vaulted ceilings with minimal space between the ceiling and bottom of the 2nd floor "floor"... It's good for me because I can crank my music or TV up as loud as I want and it won't ressonate thru the floor - but makes it impossible for snaking wires... add that to the fact that it's hard wood flooring and I'm limited to pulling off baseboards and the such.

Surprisingly enough, the route outside and then back in is shorter then if I were to run them up the wall... my receiver is by the wall that the VC knobs are going on, so it's basically just out the wall and up the outside and back in. The closet is in between the master and guest bedroom and shares that same common wall. I'm mounting the speakers on that same wall, which also is the wall that the VC is going on... but I completely see what you're saying.

Let me ask you one more question.

Lets say I want to pre-wire for potentially two more zones upstairs... one in my bathroom and one for my balcony that sits off the master suite. In this isntance, I'd have to have a zone/speaker selector coming off my receiver correct... then run individualized outputs from there to each zone... or is there any easier way to do it?

I'm trying to figure out the best way to make sure I don't have to have anyone come back out and wire a second set of wires. I can run everything into a "hub" in that closet, so I'm not worried about the wires not having anywhere to go, but in the same breath, now is the time to do all this since I have the carpet up and the walls being painted (blue walls and black carpet from the previous owner who wondered why he couldn't sell the unit). LOL

Thanks again for the all the help (this post and my other one)... it's all starting to make sense.

 

[MDS]

Lets say I want to pre-wire for potentially two more zones upstairs... one in my bathroom and one for my balcony that sits off the master suite. In this isntance, I'd have to have a zone/speaker selector coming off my receiver correct... then run individualized outputs from there to each zone... or is there any easier way to do it?

A speaker selector is just a switch although many of them also include impedance matching so you can safely run multiple pairs at the same time. Using the zone 2 output on a receiver to a speaker selector will still only get you one source to however many pairs of speakers are connected to the selector.

So unless you can find a speaker selector (Niles makes many different kinds) that can be controlled remotely to choose which speaker pairs are on or off there is no difference between using a speaker selector and simply tying all the wires together at the receiver end. You absolutely must use impedance matching volume controls if you parallel all the speakers together and connect to the receiver.