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Old 10-18-2013, 01:23 PM
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prepress prepress is offline
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Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Brooklyn, by way of Nashville
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CGabriel View Post
Well, without being there and sitting down with you I don't see a way to make specific suggestions by using your existing cables. So, let me make some general suggestions.

You have a complex system with many components including audio and video. In such a system, there are many cables to interconnect and power everything. Then you end up with the tangled mess that you have in the back of the system. This is also one of my personal pet pieves about entertainment systems. The ultimate and best solution is to build a false wall or custom cabinetry that allows access to the rear so that all of the cabling is hidden.

The racks you have are a very open type that allows you to see through. If you acquired a different entertainment cabinet with a baseboard, you could achieve much of the same effect that you would get with a false wall setup.

Most power cords are about 6-8 feet long whiich is usually too long when you have a central power distributor. This means that there is a lot of excess wire that drops to the floor and can potentially interfer with the signal cables. Try to first organize your equipment so as to minimize the lengths of interconnects to each component. Then if possible arrange the components that are vertically stacked by the location of the power inlet. This means to pay attention to which side the power inlet in located. Arrange the componenets with the inlet on the left together vertically and vice-versa right sides. This allows you to run the power cabling vertically up the rack on a single side of the rack. Then these cords can be bundled together with velcro straps. (You should never bundle power cord AND signal cables together but it is allowable with power cords. BTW, never wrap power cords around a rack column or support if made of metal. This will induce harmful currents in the rack.)

With the components arranged, then you could have custom power power cords built to specific lengths so that the cords do not hang down to the floor. Usually it is best to use power cords that are not too thick, stiff or oddly shaped (flat) because this makes it difficult to route the cables where you want them to go. This creates a more orderly appearance and can improve performance by minimizing potential interference issues. This is what we do in PRO installations where the number of components and cabling is very complex.

Very sorry I couln't help you with more specific advice.

Let's see if the guys here have any good suggestions.

cg
Actually, that's good information, even if general. Some I'd thought of, but some I hadn't, and that was the point of putting the whole scenario out there. My audiophile genes don't run as deeply as many here, and it made sense to me that someone else may have an idea I wouldn't think of (for example, not wrapping power cords around metal; I hadn't thought of doing that and now won't, for sure). Shorter speaker cable runs will get them away from the outside racks, as I have them running inside the racks to minimize the slack; they're those blue/black cables in the foreground of each rear photo. I will velcro the interconnects, as I had them before, but will velcro the power cords separately if necessary. Looking at the back of the racks, I could get away with 1.5m cords and even 1m in some places if I arrange things right. Some of the source components are set based on their power inlet, but mostly are set based on nearness to source material (i.e., the laserdisc player is positioned near the laserdiscs) and according to rack spaces (the same player doesn't fit in the center rack).

This could mean replacing more than the 2 or 3 cords I first thought, if I want to do it right; even most of them, perhaps. This project isn't going to be complete quickly, for sure. The more I think about it, the bigger it's getting.

Thanks for your very helpful input and suggestions, Mr. Gabriel.
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Last edited by prepress; 10-19-2013 at 06:05 AM.
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