I have read about in-wall wiring on these forums but there is one question I haven't found an answer to. I want to run in-wall speaker wires and when i pull them through they will replace in-wall Romex installed as "future speaker wire" when the house was built in 1990. The speaker wire I use will be rated for in-wall use, but because it will be in proximity to many in-wall AC power wires, should I try to find a wire that is shielded? Most folks say that speaker wire doesn't have to be shielded, but I worry about interference so close to AC. I will have quite an investment in equipment in this room and only want to pull through wire once! Thanks in advance for your replies. By the way, other forums discuss this issue, but I like this forum because of its honesty and value-for-the-dollar attitude.

Audioholics has this article about in wall ratings and NEC restrictions, which may help a little. If the "future speaker wire" is bundled with live electric wire (at any point in the run), then both from a performance and code perspective it shouldn't be used.

In wall wiring is typically CL2 or CL3, which more than anything denotes a safety threshold; "shielding" from interference isn't usually addressed in manufacture, and the NEC requires minimum distnaces between the wires anyway.

I have all of my in wall spkr wiring separated from electrical by at least 1 wall stud (16"), and intersects in the attic at 90 degree angles, as recommended by an installer.

Thanks. I am going to try to see into the wall where I have outlet holes and see if they are bundled. They shouldn't be, but lots of things are behind walls that the owner doesn't know about. If it is separated from the AC, then I will use a good 14/2 CL2 or CL3 speaker wire. If it isn't, I will have to figure out another way to run the wire. Thanks again.

You should be able to get a 12 gauge CL1 or CL2 wire. Jim