I am curious about what others do about hiding cables and wires on your systems. Do you care or do you just let it be, it is what it is. I’ve often thought about how make them disappear, but I’m lazy so for me it is what it is. If you have techniques I’m interested.
I fall in the “it is what it is” side. It seems like hiding them would be a losing battle considering the size and rigidity of the cables we use.
Additionally I figured I might as well show them off considering that cables can easily add up to the price of a component. I personally like the look of the cables I chose sitting on cable elevators. The only cable management in my system is the separation of power and signal cables (at least as much as possible).
All of my cables are hidden behind the equipment in a custom rack with the exception of the cables running to the speakers. This was a request from my wife who found them unsightly in prior setups. I have to admit it makes for a nice appearance. The speaker cables are routed under the cabinets and out the toe kick area. Interconnect and power cables are challenging and require some thought when putting things in the rack, starting at the bottom and working my way to the top. The countertop part of the cabinet that the turntable and CD player sit on hinge up in the back for access and there are cable holes in the back of the countertop for the turntable and CD player cables. She is happy and I have to agree that it looks nice. Also, she usually doesn’t complain when I ask for an upgrade.I
I think when you have worked on stages and in recording and walk on cables all the time, it can tend to make you less precious about them. Not that I step on my stereos’ cables. I step over those.
In order to address the “wife factor”, I do attempt to hide cables. That being said most of those are Blue Jean interconnects to the mono blocks, light weight cables to the two Rel subs and 12 volt trigger cables.
In jobs I always made tidy and neat cable looms etc. whether above or under the floor (audio usually above, network often under).
At home, er, rather less so. It is on the to-do list though