[VegasAV]

What is the best recommended Ethernet, coax, speaker wire etc type to use in home theater installs? I'm not talking brand names I'm talking like "Cat 5e T568A" & such. I will be purchasing a few spoils as needed. Also for a coax splitter the higher the mhz the better? If not what spliters is recommended. Thank you

 

[SAC]

I am confused as to what you want to know. You mention many cable topologies and what to know which is best, but not which particular model of cable is best.

Much of this depends upon what topology cable and interconnects are supplied on the equipment you buy! And the particular cable topology is in large measure dependent upon the function/purpose the nature of the signal is being distributed.

As asked, the question is a bit like asking: "What tool: saw, hammer, screwdriver, wrench, router or sander is recommended for my shop?", and is a bit too amorphous and needs to be rephrased more clearly.

 

[Anthony]

For ethernet, I would go with Cat5e, unless you are running some sort of mega-LAN with multiple video clients inside your house and need fully gigabit ethernet. Cat5e will support gigabit at shorter lengths, as long as it is not picking up too much digital, video, or power line noise (keep them separated). It's easier to work with and cheaper than Cat6. Plus it is more than adequate for internet streaming video or audio.

For video or audio feeds (signal level), RG59 or RG6 is probably all you need. I use a form of RG59 (Canare LV77) for all my interconnects and have RG6 in the wall for cable or other distribution. Forget the screw on tips and get a good compression crimper. For 59/6 they are not expensive and you can pick one up at the hardware store.

Speaker is way too ambiguous. We'd need to know distance, power, how many channels, in-wall. For the most part, you can't go wrong with 14AWG CL2/3 rated in-wall, but again, if the runs are long, or you have a lot of power going to them, then you may need to step up a gauge (or two).

 

[lcaillo]

Anthony's advice is very good. Without knowing more detail on what is being installed it is hard to comment more. Generally with respect to splitters, wider bandwidth is good, but pay attention on the low end as well. Some splitters do not handle the return signals from cable boxes well, which are typically going to require bandpass to 5 MHz, IIRC. For some applications you may need to have some that are able to pass d.c. if you are powering any devices like amps off of the coax line.