Hi! Just rented a house that has surround sound speakers built in the bedroom and living room ceiling. I have found an outlet for them in my attic room, but since I am a complete dummy I have no clue how my TV is supposed to hook up to all that. Any ideas anyone?
Are pairs of wires marked in any fashion? Examples would be L/R for left rear... or R or L for front right or left. If the speakers are distributed by room, that too, should be properly marked. Do you want to run the entire thing at one time? Room by room? One feed/source to everything or TV in one room and Radio in another?
You mention TV....is that just for living room or for the bedroom, too.
Just a little more info on intended use would help. there are some people that understand multi room setups around here......
Well, I see only one outlet in the attic room. No bedroom/living room marks, I would be happy to get it to work in at least one room. They do have Left/Right marks. And there are two of each - one red and one black in the Left section and the same in thr ight. So may be one of them is bedroom and the other is living room.
Ehhh... There are no wires. Just those red and black button looking things and speakers in the ceiling. I would like to be able to just run the living room TV off of it, but I do not even know where to look for thr darn wires!
The "red and black button looking things" are push type speaker connectors. They are the low end of speaker connectors and used only in budget oriented installs. If I were to give advice, I would first suggest you contact a decent independent audio retailer - no big box like Best Buy - and ask them to survey the install and check for shorted cable runs. Often when installs are done on the cheap they are put in place by a security company which is also doing the alarm and phone lines. This type of install leaves the wiring exposed to the powered staple guns of the drywallers. It is not uncommon for a staple to go through a wire and cause a short once the system is connected.
It's also quite possible the level controls in each room - if there are any - are inadequate for a good, serviceable system. Check the Yellow Pages for a dealer who specializes in whole house audio installations or use a search engine to find a local dealer. Spend a weekday afternoon going through your wishes for the system and how it will operate. Then let the installer do their work searching through the wiring which is in place. Afterwards, discuss just how to get from where you are to where you wish to be.
If you are in a location with access to several installers, I would get several opinions and several cost estimates along with a few referrals - ask if it's possible to see and hear a completed install in a home - before you make a final deal. If you can't locate the wires yourself or recognize push type speaker connectors, it's time to call in the pros.