I wanted surround sound in the master bedroom of my 5er. I went and bought a surround sound VCR/DVD player and speakers for about 250$. I installed the DVD (that was easy) but the speakers all had to be wired and the wires run and brackets for the speakers made. I started off by buying some 16 gauge speaker wire (150 feet) and some 24 gauge sheet metal. First I decided where the sub, and the speakers were to go then I made up the brackets. I started by running all the wires down through the cabinet by removing the fireplace and drilling a hole through the cabinet and fishing through 6 sets of wires.(4 surround, 1 sub, 1 center speaker) I labeled all wires from the start and once pulled I put all wires through 1/4 inch black split loom to protect them.
I won't lie and say it was easy. Running the wires and concealing them under the floor or in cabinets, behind mirrors, and inside closets, was very time consuming and stretched the limits of contortion but it's all in, neat, and wrapped in split loom and anchored down with 1/4 inch diameter cable straps. It all became worth it when I watched the new James Bond movie Casino Royale in surround sound. I put the speakers up high on either side of the bed for the rear and the front speakers were mounted on either side of the tv about 12 feet apart for good separation also up near the ceiling. I shaped and bent the sheet metal and drilled or punched holes for mounting the speaker and mounting the bracket to the walls or cabinets, painted them flat black and mounted the speakers with stainless screws. For the center speaker, I had to make a plywood panel, mounted the speaker centered above the flat screen monitor and then beveled the edges and wrapped speaker fabric around that so it looks right and mounted it directly above the TV with 2 screws to the TV cabinet. It turned out great. I ran the sub in the closet but in there it gets little sound out to the rest of the room. What to do? I cut out both sides of the cabinet about 12 inches square down low and made plywood squares 13 inches across with a 12 in center hole, beveled the edges and wrapped them with speaker fabric. Then applied velcro to both the frame and cabinet to hold them firmly in place but always with a way to remove them for service or cleaning in the future.
How nice is it to watch your favorite movies with surround sound, a glass of wine, and a sense of pride from doing the job right. It took maybe 15 hours to do but you can't tell it was not done from the factory. I like it and don't be afraid to do it yourself if you want it done. It's nothing money cant fix if you screw it up.
-Paul R. Haller-

Great job, Paul.

We wanted surround sound when we had our 5-r, but didn't have the patience to tackle the wiring part.

Post some pics of your set up if you get the chance. We'd love to see it.

L-

I plan on doing something like that but want it in the living room so I can use it with the TV/DVD and the computer for games and a hard drive (Neo JukeBox) MP3 player. Of course I need a jack for the head phones for when the neighbors are home. Have a 5.1 speaker system on the computer now that I pipe the TV through, makes a big difference in sound.

Paul