Prewiring for UHD Video & Audio: AH SmartHome

In this video, we show how the Audioholics SmartHome is prewired. With over 3 miles of cabling supplied by Bluejeans Cable, we've got everything covered from multi-room surround sound, distributed HD audio and video. We show you the best methods for routing cabling and getting HD quality source material to EVERY display in the house without signal degradation.The theater room had a dedicated equipment rack for the gear to support a full fledged 7.4.6 Atmos/DTS:X surround system. We use very low resistance, high strand count 10AWG speaker cable from Bluejeans Cable along with balanced cables for ALL of the subwoofers to ensure best performance. The main equipment is located upstairs in the media closet which hosts the bulk of the HDMI switching, sources and amplifiers to power two surround zones and distributed audio throughout the house.
Thank you to Bluejeans Cable for furnishing ALL of the cable to make this project possible.
Please visit: www.bluejeansc...
Thank you HD2020 for laboring and planning the building of the Audioholics Smarthome.
Please visit: www.hd2020.com
Audioholics Smarthome Teaser: • Building an Audioholic...
Audioholics Architectural Speaker & Cable Planning: • AV Cabling & Architect...
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Audioholics Recommended Cables:
250ft CL2 12AWG Speaker Cable: amzn.to/2vwS9QH
Locking Banana Plugs: amzn.to/2ZQt15x
9ft 4K HDR HDMI Cables: amzn.to/2WiIXeD
Audioholics Recommended Electronics:
Denon AVR-X3700H 9.2CH AV Receiver: amzn.to/31UOD3Q
Yamaha RX-A3080 9.2CH AV Receiver: amzn.to/2VzA03v
Denon AVR-X6700H 11.2CH AV Receiver: amzn.to/38zHjMr
Audioholics Recommended Speakers:
SVS Prime 5.1 Speaker / Sub System: amzn.to/2GWoFCn
Klipsch RP-8000F Tower Speakers: amzn.to/2Vd8QQn
Pioneer SP-FS52 Speakers: amzn.to/2n7SyIJ
Sony SSCS5 Speakers: amzn.to/2ndEn56
SVS SB-3000 13" Subwoofer: amzn.to/2XYxqBr
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[@TheSwartz]

My last house, I spent TONS of money for an integrator, Control4, matrices and switching devices.... and NOBODY in my family cared or used anything but basic functions... with ALL the hassle (and perpetual cost) of the integrator. And.. NO fun for the DIY part of me. My current house, I saved all that money, which allowed me to (1) build one theater with all flagship level equipment for me (2) that actually works flawlessly without calling a technician every time I want to do something and (3) focused on simple setups for the other rooms with a much higher WAF (happy wife = happy life)

[@Methodical2]

Hell, people are ecstatic to be able to stream movies on their phone and think it's high end.

[@L3x4Pr0ne]

You can tell this guy has so much passion for his work - he gets so excited talking about the “non-sexy” elements of integration...definitely the type of group you want to hire. You know you’re gonna get quality work. Can’t wait to see more. Can you do an overview video of the plans in each room? May have missed it.

[@Audioholics]

It's coming....

[@markphilpot4981]

All the installs I assisted on were run with 3Gig rated RG6 and Cat6 or Cat6a wire. To each their own. The wire runs for through house audio were all done with 12 gauge. And like Dunn was saying about the sub wiring with RG6 to the sub inputs with RCA inputs, we used the same RG6 cable. This was back in 2011. Guess even back then, that wasn’t bad. We took particular care to avoid HV lines just like Dunn was talking about back then. I feel we did top work so I am glad to hear him speak my language! You got yourself a top shelf integrator Gene!

[@DigitalDonAV]

Gratitude! I cannot even begin to count the amount of houses I have wired over almost 3 decades and I do not believe that there is any "perfect" amount of pre-wiring, we try and find a balance for most of our projects. If anything in the eary 2000s we overwired homes, this helped for sure in many situations, but there certianly was some over the top...Cat-5's to every wall of every bedroom? LoL!

[@jimf5160]

when we rewired 25 yrs ago, we put in a lot of CAT5e. It is very reliable, no streaming issues. I have used gigabit switches in rooms with audio and video. very simple system.

[@Spacemanwho1]

Gene thanks for taking us on this journey with you. Stay awesome.

[@Finn-McCool]

I've always had a fascination with JL Audio. Back when my area was all about Orion car audio amps and Orion subs I was looking at JL Audio specs and listening to the few systems that had them and their build quality seemed miles ahead. Now to see their home audio stuff it looks incredible. There had better be a grand opening with an all inclusive tour! And throw in some lemonade for patrons 😋. Thanks for the hard work. -✌🏼

[@cousinluigi]

The last bit Don pointed out about running the AV wiring separate from high voltage wiring is obviously important. Where I’m from (Norway), building regulations actually require that be done with concealed wiring. In fact, all concealed high voltage wiring should be ducted in tubing (plastic or metal). We tend to do the same for low voltage wiring too, even though not required, but running that in separate tubing. :)

[@stevemann3078]

Gene thank you for your videos you put out over the years I really enjoy it.

[@helmanfrow]

6:02 Shielded Cat 5/6 cable is excellent for conveying analog audio signals as well. Balanced or unbalanced mic- or line-level signals can run hundreds of feet without degradation. This is becoming increasingly common in pro audio circles. Look up Dave Rat's videos on the topic. To restate: What I'm describing is analog audio, not to be confused with networked audio like AVB/Dante, which also utilizes Cat 6 cable, but in a very different way. Good video!

[@anuedirisooriya]

Great info. Thanks for the video

[@mmmako]

Hate to say it, but HDMI 2.1 is definitely going to be a thing in only a few months with the next generation of game consoles coming out (with 40Gbps 4K120 output). Of course, for literally anything but 4K120 you're fine.

[@DigitalDonAV]

I meant no fiber standard for the systems we install.

[@gatorpigdog]

Are you serving Orlando area too?

[@fmjkevlar]

As you already know, you only need to throw in fibre if the system is over 100 mtrs. Cat 6 can handle enough data anyways. With hd over ethernet thses days possibilities are endless. 👍

[@fmjkevlar]

To be sure id run fibre if the system exceeded 85-90 mtrs to be sure of a lossless system. The costs of an additional cable are always smaller when the house is being built as opposed to already built 😅

[@amazoidal]

Be sure to install enough 20 amp circuits. Youthman only has one for everything.

[@Audioholics]

We have 8 dedicated 20A circuits. Well covered.

[@bloodcarver913]

Youthman is a simp.

[@Methodical2]

Will be interesting to see the end results.

[@we6871]

If I use a Roku in every room to stream TV (Don't want a cable box) and prefer no extra wires, I assume I still need an HDMI from my 7.1 receiver to at least my main TV to watch surround content. My question - is there any compelling reason to also run an HDMI cable from head end to my other TVs if I don;t need surround from them? Just "regular" TV viewing?

[@ranagman]

Thanks Gene and Don for another enthusiastic and informative video. As a person looking to get a new house, how much budget should i set aside for what you've done. Also to reiterate gatorpigdog's question as to your serving the Orlando area.

[@nflisrigged1395]

Gene get some Kef Blades you'd love them.

[@marknash7113]

Hey Gene, Can you do a post on the options for audio/video hardware and SW for Content Creators? What do you use in different scenarios? what are the cost tiers for quality differences? What do you think?

[@404010ful]

Amazing job being done gene good luck. I love how they know how to keeps those cables organized.

[@Filtersloth]

How are you gonna do 4K 120fps 10bit 4:4:4 with CAT6 cables? Maybe you don’t want to play games but still I would have thought you’d put in something capable of 48gbps just for future proofing and being able to hit the HDMI 2.1 standard. I’m surprised you aren’t using CAT8.2. This is a really impressive series of videos btw.

[@johnsmith-qz4bv]

that is awesome ..great work guys...

[@fmjkevlar]

7:57 that why id go with a Crestrom DM or NVX as faulty cards can be swapped out without compromising the entire system.

[@JonathanDFielding]

Ok, that's pretty cool

[@boomerps2]

Now that HDMI 2.1 is available and is capable of 48Gbps vs the old 18Gbps, can CAT6 support 48Gbps? CAT7 and CAT8 is available and do you recommend upgrading if you are in a position that you can upgrade?

[@Gshiznit74]

This is gonna be amazing!

[@rayc9838]

Awesome video, thanks!

[@protectork9831]

My recovery is in closet and I want to connect it to HDMI in ps4 in bedroom . 80ft away . So cat6 can be converted to hdmi

[@davidolchewsky5365]

Great video with lots of good info. One question I have is about network cable surge protection. I've been in my home for 25+ years and had several close lightening strikes, some of which affected 120 VAC stuff. However, recently had a nearby strike which didn't affect any 120 VAC stuff, but somehow 'climbed' aboard my network cabling somewhere and took out my 32 port switch and a comm board within one of two solar inverters (lightening surges travel in the most unknowing path); luckily for me nothing else. So, what is your recommendation for (if there is any) surge protection on CAT cabling?

[@Audioholics]

Most top shelf power conditioners from Furman and APC also have phone and ethernet ports with surge protection. Just make sure their thruput matches your network switch ( ie. 1Gbps.)

[@DigitalDonAV]

David the only way to truly 98% protect yourseld from lighting or surges is to use a multitude of single devices from companies like Eaton or MTL Etc. on all pathways into the home. We are in the Lightning capital of America and this has been the struggle for years. We had a client who spent over 10k with us on surge protection as well as about 15k on lightning rods and whole home surge protection...lightning hit, went through the ground and into the pool control system....this sent a surge through the cat-6 (converted into an RS232 for pool control) and directly into the main system equipment racks. Fried a bunch of gear. We do things like grounding our racks, but my friend these are simply acts of God and it's so powerful that it's nearly impossible to stop a direct hit. WHOLE HOME SURGE PROTECTION SYSTEMS ARE GIMMICKS and DO NOT WORK IN HIGH LIGHTNING AREA'S PERIOD.

[@davidolchewsky5365]

@@DigitalDonAV I currently have Furman AC line conditioners, the Elite 15PF i and 20 PF i, for my equipment and will look for the single devices that you mention. I realize nothing will protect against and direct hit, but am simply trying to avoid the damage (or at least minimize) from the close hits. Thanks!

[@ianorigbo7617]

Nice video 👌

[@gatorpigdog]

What's the ETA on the house? Looks great.

[@Audioholics]

Closing date sometime end of Sept, early Oct. It will be a good 8mo to a year to get everything fully set up and functional, likely.

[@amazoidal]

You mean you are modifying a house that hasn't closed escrow? What a deal?

[@kman7222]

good stuff

[@Legendenwelten]

How hard can it be to set up a camera level? Half of your videos are like that...

[@amazoidal]

Maybe he should use a tripod with a level.

[@Audioholics]

Give it that 60's Star Trek look ;)

[@amazoidal]

Looks like two main breaker panels. Wow.

[@Audioholics]

Yep 300A service

[@amazoidal]

Could be 400 but the number of breakers is what one is after. My single 200 amp box is now double-breakered to the max. My local utility, San Diego Gas and Electric, would frown on having over 200 amps for my square footage. They would think I had a pot farm in my house. Already my bill reaches $400 in the Summer.

[@Methodical2]

Gene do you have a video on eARC?

[@amazoidal]

Any power conditioners? Anything at the breaker box like a surge protector?

[@Audioholics]

Yes APC and Furman

[@amazoidal]

Gene, Power Conditioners are never reviewed in any depth (benched) and are never shown with the covers off. They are mostly voodoo. Maybe you can do one of your evaluations on them. I have a Monster and a Panamax myself. I understand the over and under voltage functions, and the surge protection, but the EMI/RFI is a mystery to myself (But not to Garth Powell I imagine). I also have a Tripp-Lite but some say that the commercial models don't work on "audio frequencies". And supposedly neither do UPS systems. You are probably the only audio guy that can enlighten us. Are your APC and Furman units stand-alone or in the breaker panel?

[@markweber5278]

No audioquest Niagras ?

[@michaelslocumbsr.2286]

Gene, What are the dimensions of the new Theater?

[@Audioholics]

25' x 20'

[@michaelslocumbsr.2286]

@@Audioholics Also, Ceiling Height....

[@Audioholics]

@@michaelslocumbsr.2286 10ft

[@nflisrigged1395]

im going to get you a nice house / theather room gift , Clark .... A set of real fancy Bouncey House Atmos add-ons ... Lol jk

[@Audioholics]

LOL no bouncy in this house ;)

[@CanDoo321]

Morning

[@eggmackan3353]

DVD in 2020 lol