#1913676 - 03/21/08 10:31 AM
In-Wall Power or Surface-mount power?
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tunehead
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Registered: 03/08/08
Posts: 3
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Hi,
I'm under construction & haven't put up my drywall yet. I'm wondering if I'll get better results using in-wall power outlets, light switches, or surface-mount power outlets, switches, etc.
It seems like in-wall would offer less room-to-room isolation, as I'm cutting 3"x4" holes in my walls for the junction boxes. But the in-room acoustics may be better as the walls would remain relatively flat where these are.
Surface mount boxes, on the other hand, would require less 'through-wall' penetration - only enough for the cable and/or conduit (1" diameter hole, instead of 3"x4"). This would seem to offer better room-to-room isolation. However, now I have a 3"x4" box on my wall that could possibly reflect sound in strange directions.
Has anyone experimented with this & gotten better results one way or the other? It seems like a trade off. I suppose I could somehow surround a surface-mount wallbox with sound foam to help alleviate any 'bounce' it would create.
I appreciate any thoughts/suggestions on the subject. Thanks!
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#1913695 - 03/21/08 11:22 AM
Re: In-Wall Power or Surface-mount power?
[Re: tunehead]
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Rod Gervais
Senior Member
Registered: 10/08/03
Posts: 498
Loc: Central Village, CT
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Tune
First off - you could never get enough acoustic anomolities from wall mounted boxes to make that worth worrying about.
So no - there is NO trade off from that perspective........
The question is the degree of isolation lost - period.
If you son't mind the look - use wire mold and surface mount the electric.
For me - even the best wiremold always looks like some hack did the work - so I would never go that route -
I wouldtake the time to do it right - with through wall penetrations - and (if done right) there is no loss in wall performance.
But this means using putty packs - installing them properly -
Making sure that the cutouts in the wall are clean and uniform - and don't exceed 1/8"...........
never installing outlets back top back (or even within less than 24" from one another on opposite sides of walls.
So just make up your mind what you want to either settle for - or what you want to invest...........
That is the only trade off - more money behind that wall (in the long run) or a less expensive job - but it looks cheaper too.
Choose
Rod
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