Finishing basement, built-in entertainment center construction and audio ?s


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Old 02-02-13, 11:43 AM
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Finishing basement, built-in entertainment center construction and audio ?s

We're having our basement finished and we're going to do a built-in entertainment center.

Construction questions: I've never liked the drywall shelves on entertainment centers. They're not flexible, and they wear poorly. I like the idea of incorporating wood shelves that can be adjusted up or down into the drywall entertainment center. Is that okay?

Kind of like this: http://media-cache-ec4.pinterest.com...74a77ca068.jpg

Cable questions: What is going to be the best way to run the cabling to the components? I would love to run it behind the wall of course, but is there some sort of conduit that will make it easy to change out or add cables in the future? Is there some type of wall plate at the end of the conduit?

Power questions: How do I run power from the TV and all the components? Do I have the crew install a ton of outlets? Or do I get something like the link below which runs power to a surge protector and plug everything into a surge protector?

ELM806 | In-Wall Power and Cable Management | SANUS

Speaker questions: I'm not a huge sound guy. I have young kids and it's fun to have surround sound and bass when watching movies. I really don't like the thought of having cables everywhere and could easily run speaker wire through the walls and ceiling before drywall is installed. Then I could do in-wall speakers. That sounds really ideal, but browsing the forum seemed to indicate people hate in-walls. Are in-wall speakers that bad?
 
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Old 02-02-13, 12:02 PM
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http://www.storiesofahouse.com/wp-co...s-Owner-TV.jpg

There is an example of a drywall entertainment center that I'm trying to avoid.
 
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Old 02-03-13, 04:55 AM
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I built my surround sound components into the wall. Never again. I built it before the switch to wide screen and there's no way to build in a bigger screen. Now I have to carve the wall and re-frame it. Next time I'm going to build a modular-style wood insert like the one in your link.

Have a look at flexible nonmetallic tubing a.k.a. smurf tube. It's easier to install than rigid and will "future proof" your low voltage installation.

A surge protector is a must, whether it's in the panel protecting the entire house, individual receptacles, or a high-end power strip near the equipment. Furman makes great power conditioning gear.

In-wall speakers are an excellent choice if you don't mind hearing the sound in adjacent rooms (or upstairs if you put them in the ceiling). That's the biggest complaint, and with proper insulation and isolation you can minimize that issue. I used drywall furring channel on the drywall and have no issues whatsoever.
 
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Old 02-03-13, 05:22 AM
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What Rick said. Building the unit of wood is far superior to that you pictured in the second post. I can't imagine anyone signing off on such an installation, except an interior designer The SANUS wall systems are good in that they allow the plugs from the TV, etc to not poke out and hit the back of a flush mount unit. HOWEVER, I don't know what the bottom picture unit is, but you don't want it in your house. I can't imagine a "suicide" wall plate being UL approved. Unless someone can enlighten me on what it is.
 
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Old 02-03-13, 02:31 PM
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Chandler, I will (try) to explain what that is. I still am looking for a power solution. I have so many things that need power. The TV, my blu-ray player, my DVD player (which I need apart from the blu-ray), my AppleTV, and my VHS player. And probably a receiver for my speakers right? That's 6 things. Do I have the crew install 6 outlets all over the place? That doesn't seem reasonable to me.

The Sanus thing I linked to here, seems like it may solve the problem, but I don't know anything about this. Just found it on a Google search. You plug your power into the outlet, but it's not really an outlet. It has a cable that runs through the wall to the bottom picture, which has a cord that plugs into the wall outlet or surge protector. Does that make sense? Is that a good solution? Is that safe?

If you go to the link and click "View more images" you will see it in action.
 
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Old 02-03-13, 03:00 PM
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OK, they are plugging in a strip. You would be better off having a surge suppressor in you panel, and a couple of quad box receptacles (for a total of 8) strategically placed in the cabinet, using the single Sanus behind the TV. As Rick said Smurf tube installed between point A&B will allow for future additions or repairs/upgrades. Use a large enough tube to accommodate HDMI cable ends, etc.
 
 

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