Cable questions-guidance needed

[Kippyy]

I'm re-arranging the location of my gear presently in a cabinet,to make room on the living room floor for improved speaker placement and another sub.
I have 2 options:
a)Move the gear to a location closer(2-10 feet) to the speakers, in which cables could run indoors and be hidden by valences and carpet. This location is near a piano but is farther away from my listening position(approx 15 feet) or
b) Move gear into a corner of the room that is closer to my listening position,but likely require drilling holes in the walls to route cable from the gear outside the house, and then back inside near the speaker/subs to connect.

Questions:
1) Besides the grief/cost factors, can good quality cables be routed outside and back inside without sonic decline? Must they be covered if so? Has anyone here done this with success?
2) How difficult would it be to change cables in the latter option?
3) As a general rule, is it more advantageous to have the amps on a floor stand close to the speakers, rather than further away?

[MyPal]

Originally Posted by Kippyy

I'm re-arranging the location of my gear presently in a cabinet,to make room on the living room floor for improved speaker placement and another sub.
I have 2 options:
a)Move the gear to a location closer(2-10 feet) to the speakers, in which cables could run indoors and be hidden by valences and carpet. This location is near a piano but is farther away from my listening position(approx 15 feet) or
b) Move gear into a corner of the room that is closer to my listening position,but likely require drilling holes in the walls to route cable from the gear outside the house, and then back inside near the speaker/subs to connect.

Questions:
1) Besides the grief/cost factors, can good quality cables be routed outside and back inside without sonic decline? Must they be covered if so? Has anyone here done this with success?
2) How difficult would it be to change cables in the latter option?
3) As a general rule, is it more advantageous to have the amps on a floor stand close to the speakers, rather than further away?

Rule of thumbs is to go for the shortest loudspeaker cable runs as possible. It is better to go for longer XLR runs from pre to power amp as Balanced interconnects are designed for this.

If you are running in wall, be sure to be at least 150mm (6inches) from any electrical runs. Ideally, your runs should be perpendicular to any electrical runs to minimize EMI, RMF contamination. If you are concerned about the possibility of having electromagnetic compatibility issues, then you may wish to shield your runs with conduit and/or TechFlex Flexo Conductive braided shielding. This product is widely used in the Pro AV industry to eliminate EMI & RMF.

[Kippyy]

So then its best to have the amps closer to the speakers if possible. Thanks.
What does "in-wall" cabling mean? Does that term describe running cables thru a wall to the outside,then back inside at an alternate location?

[jdandy]

Kippyy.......I would not run any audio cable from inside to outside your home if the cables will be exposed. First and foremost, the insulation on audio interconnects is not designed to withstand the elements. You will have a rapid deterioration of the insulation and cable failure.

If you must route cables outside and then back inside run PVC conduit through the wall to the outside, set a weatherproof 8" x 8" x 4" PVC junction box at the locations where your PVC conduit leaves and re-enters your home, and run PVC conduit between these two junction boxes. Glue all conduit joints and box fittings, and properly support the conduit between the junction boxes. Use a minimum of 1-1/4" PVC conduit. This will allow enough internal diameter for multiple cables. 1-1/2" or 2" conduit would be even better.

[Kippyy]

Thanks Dan. Much appreciated.