The primary advantage of in-wall wiring is to keep the wires out of the way. In-wall installation is much easier to perform before the home’s construction is complete, although the drywall may already be up.

A homeowner may be able to prepare a home for an in-wall installation of a home theater system before the drywall is up, typically for a home that’s still under construction or one that’s undergoing a major renovation. This approach may also include a homeowner running wires in a part of the house that doesn’t have drywall, such an attic, basement or unfinished crawlspace.

The biggest advantage of installing the wiring before hanging the drywall is that it allows the drywall installer to cut custom holes for wiring and speaker brackets in the drywall, and it’s much easier than having to “fish” the wire through finished walls.

It’s also possible to install in-wall wiring after the drywall wall is up but before the interior walls are finished. An experienced DIYer can do most of the real work with a drywall saw and auger, but it’s important to use only tools that are specifically designed to cut through the soft drywall without tearing. Once the holes are cut, it’s a relatively simple matter to mount speakers and route wiring.

The biggest challenge is avoiding the cross braces, which should be halfway between the floor and ceiling. The exact location of the cross braces can vary because they need to be staggered by an inch or two to provide the vertical studs with greater strength.

An in-wall installation of a home theater system often includes a wall plate that provides dedicated connections for each speaker in the system. The wiring inside the wall connects the wall plate to the receiver, eliminating the need to run wire from each speaker directly to the receiver.

The wall plate that’s included with the system is specifically designed for a particular version of surround sound, although universal wall plates are also available for any type of in-wall wiring. A wall plate requires some type of bracket to attach it to the drywall. A bracket made for a finished wall clamps itself to the mounting hole, while a bracket for an unfinished wall can be nailed directly to a stud.

A receiver is frequently connected to speakers with a banana plug. This single-wire connector consists of a metal pin with a length of spring metal attached to each end of the pin. They’re commonly used in many types of electrical equipment, including home theater systems. The dimensions of banana plugs aren’t well standardized, and many countries use their own version of banana plugs. For example, the most common size in the United States is a diameter of four millimeters (mm) and a length of 15 mm.

The specific method of connection is also variable, but it generally relies on the use of spring metal to apply an outward force to a cylindrical jack. This design creates a good electrical connection by simply inserting the banana plug into a jack.

Installing a home theater system requires you to determine what you want now and what you may want in the future. The most common upgrade is increasing the number of speakers in the system, which requires a receiver that can provide the extra channels. However, it’s best not to plan too far ahead when attempting to future-proof your system. It may not be worth spending top-dollar to get all the very latest features, because you may not end up using many of them, and next year there will be yet another new receiver with more new features. Get what you need, and bear in mind that the price of electronics is continually dropping and new models are always being released.