How to hide Sonos Arc Soundbar Wires in the Wall [Up to Code]

Hiding Sonos Arc Cables in wall

Power outlet is required behind Sonos Arc and another outlet for Wall mounted TV
Power outlet is required behind Sonos Arc and another outlet for Wall mounted TV

You can hide all Sonos Arc cables by installing Recessed Power Outlet for Sonos Arc soundbar and Extendable Sonos Arc wall mount bracket.

Parts you need

You’ll need following products to hide Sonos Arc cables:

Using the parts above allows Sonos Arc soundbar to be extended from the wall. Therefore, soundbar can be placed at any distance from the TV – close or far and it will not block the upward firing Dolby Atmos speakers.

Preparation for Sonos Arc Installation

Measure & mark the location for the sound bar to be mounted. For best aesthetics, we recommend installing Sonos Arc soundbar approximately 4 to 6 inches from the bottom of the TV to the top of the sound bar.

Sanus WSIWPSB1 Power Kit Installation for Sonos Arc & TV

Cut open drywall for the “Upper Module” (recessed power outlet for wall mounted TV). 

Cut open drywall for “Sound Bar Module” (recessed power outlet for Sonos Arc) behind where you want the Sonos Arc to be wall mounted.

Cut open drywall for the “Lower Module” (Power inlet) behind your component stand / credenza where you’ll place your AV components such as cable box, game console & etc… 

*Important: All cutouts must be within the same stud bay to be able to fish cables.

Cut open drywall to install TV & Sound bar power kit
Cut open drywall to install TV & Sound bar power kit

Fish one HDMI cable for eARC (enhanced Audio Return Channel) from Upper Module to the Soundbar Module.

*This is for HDMI eARC connection between your TV and Sonos Arc soundbar for audio feed back from the TV to the soundbar and CEC (Consumer Electronics Control).

Fish as many HDMI cables as necessary from the Upper Module (behind the TV) to Lower Module (Power Inlet – behind your furniture below the TV & Soundbar). *These HDMI cables will be used to connect TV to other components such as cable box, media streamer, gaming console & etc…

Once all the cables are fished through the wall, install Upper Module, Soundbar Module & Lower Module into the cutouts you’ve already made.

TV & Sound bar power kit installed into the wall and HDMI & Ethernet cables fished through the wall.
TV & Sound bar power kit installed into the wall and HDMI & Ethernet cables fished through the wall.

Sanus WSSAWM1 Sonos Arc Bracket Installation

Position the Sanus WSSAWM1 Sonos Arc Extendable Wall Mount to be mounted centered to the “Sound Bar Module” (recessed power outlet for the soundbar) so wall mount opening for recessed outlet allows for power cord to pass through to be plugged into the recessed outlet behind the sound bar.

*This is the reason why you need Sanus WSIWPSB1 power kit because you need a low-profile recessed power outlet behind the extendable Sonos Arc soundbar bracket.

You need a Recessed Power Outlet installed behind the sound bar
You need a Recessed Power Outlet installed behind the sound bar

Mount the Sonos Arc Soundbar onto the Sanus WSSAWM1 wall mount and extend the bracket out. Then, connect HDMI cable into HDMI ARC port on Sonos Arc sound bar and push any excess HDMI cable back into the wall.

Sonos Arc Sound bar wall mounted with all wires hidden out of sight
Sonos Arc Sound bar wall mounted with all wires hidden out of sight

Plug in Sonos Arc power cord into the recessed outlet behind the sound bar and coil up excess power cord and use a cable tie to secure it behind the soundbar so it’s hidden out of sight.

Soundbar power cord is plugged into the recessed power outlet behind the soundbar
Soundbar power cord is plugged into the recessed power outlet behind the soundbar

Lastly, connect all HDMI cables behind the TV and into your AV components. And then plug in TV power cord into the Upper Module (power outlet) behind the TV.

Sonos Arc sound bar mounted below LG 65 inch G2 Gallery Design TV with all wires completely hidden
Sonos Arc sound bar mounted below LG 65 inch G2 Gallery Design TV with all wires completely hidden

Voila! All cables are hidden between TV and Sonos Arc sound bar. There’s no visible wires or even wire raceway showing anywhere.

Side view of the LG G2 65" Gallery Design TV & Sonos Arc Soundbar installation
Side view of the LG G2 65" Gallery Design TV & Sonos Arc Soundbar installation

Hiding other Soundbar cables

You can apply the same techniques described above to hide cables for other brands of “Active” soundbars as well. Just make sure that your soundbar has a simple power cord, not the one that comes with a “brick” attached to it.

Continue reading below to learn how.

Soundbar wire concealment Requirements

Difference Between Active vs Passive Sound Bars

Active Sound Bar

  • Active Soundbar is self-powered soundbar which does NOT need a separate amplifier/AV receiver to power the speakers in the soundbar. *This is what most people have.
  • Comes with a power cord that needs to be plugged into an electrical outlet.
  • Audio signal is passed through from the TV to Sound Bar via HDMI eARC / ARC or Optical cable for most modern Active Soundbars in the market today.

Passive Sound Bar

  • Passive Soundbar requires a separate external amplifier/AV receiver to power the speakers in the soundbar. Without an amplifier, passive soundbar cannot work (kind of like a home theater speaker).
  • Does NOT come with a power cord and only requires speaker wires to be connected from the sound bar to an Amplifier/AV Receiver.
  • Audio signal is passed through from the TV to amplifier/receiver via HDMI eARC / ARC or Optical cable and the AV Receiver sends power & audio signal to the sound bar via speaker wires.

Hiding Active Soundbar Wires in the wall

For example, Sonos Arc is an Active Soundbar and it’s one of the most popular soundbars sold in the US. So, we’ve included instructions on how to hide Sonos Arc wires in the wall as one of the examples in this article.

Hiding sound bar power cord (up to code) is going to be the biggest challenge because you likely don’t have a power outlet dedicated for your soundbar. *Power cords of any kind (including soundbar power cord) cannot be hidden in-wall. It’s considered fire hazard if power cord is hidden/buried in wall. 

Only low-voltage cables such as FT4/FT6 rated HDMI or other AV wires can be hidden in wall. 

Requirements for hiding all cables out of sight

  • Recessed Power Outlet installed behind your soundbar to plug in the power cord.
  • HDMI or Optical cable fished through the wall from TV to Soundbar.

Conditions for this to work

  • Need a wall with cavity such as Drywall with 2×4 studs. *You cannot hide wires in solid walls such as concrete or brick wall.
  • Sound bar that is tall enough to hide the power outlet behind it.
  • Sound bar that does NOT come with “Brick” type of power adapter.
  • Sound bar that has some indentation in the back where excess power cord can be wrapped up and hidden behind the sound bar.
  • Sound bar bracket that will not block the power outlet behind the sound bar.

Hiding Passive Sound bar cables in wall

Hiding Passive Soundbar cables is fairly easy compared to Active soundbars since there’s no sound bar power cord to worry about. You only need to run FT4/FT6 rated speaker wires. 

Requirements for hiding all cables out of sight

  • Fish FT4/FT6 rated in-wall speaker wires from the amplifier/receiver to the Passive Sound Bar.
  • HDMI or Optical cable fished through the wall from TV to your amplifier/receiver.

Conditions for this to work

  • Need a wall with cavity such as Drywall with 2×4 studs. *You cannot hide wires in solid walls such as concrete or brick wall.
  • You need a separate amplifier/receiver to power the sound bar.
HDMI cables fished through the wall from behind the TV to the lower portion of the wall
HDMI cables fished through the wall from behind the TV to the lower portion of the wall
Sound bar bracket installed below the TV with with wires fished through the wall
Sound bar bracket installed below the TV with with wires fished through the wall
FT4 Speaker wires fished from the sound bar location to AV receiver location
FT4 Speaker wires fished from the sound bar location to AV receiver location
Close-up photo of the FT4 in-wall rated speaker wires coming out of the wall behind soundbar
Close-up photo of the FT4 in-wall rated speaker wires coming out of the wall behind soundbar
55" Samsung Frame TV & Passive sound bar wall mounted with all wires hidden in wall
55" Samsung Frame TV & Passive sound bar wall mounted with all wires hidden in wall

Hiding sound bar cables in Wall with Niche over fireplace

Mounting Sound Bar & Hiding Cables (Up to Code)

If you have a niche or nook in your wall, you can be very creative with what you can do with it. For example, you can use the space in your niche to hide all your AV components & excess cables out of sight.

In order to hide the sound bar wires, you can build a ridge in front of the bottom ledge of the niche for soundbar to be mounted and run wires through it. In this case, sound bar power cord can also run right through the ridge because it’s not going through an actual wall.

Requirements for hiding all cables out of sight

  • Electrical outlet installed inside the niche

Conditions for this to work

  • Ridge (raised surface) for soundbar to be mounted near the bottom ledge of the niche and for all sound bar wires to go through the Ridge
Wall with Niche over fireplace
Wall with Niche over fireplace
Electrical outlet installed inside Niche Wall over fireplace
Electrical outlet installed inside Niche Wall over fireplace
Soundbar cables going through the ridge
Soundbar cables going through the ridge
Soundbar cables coming through the ridge and into the niche
Soundbar cables coming through the ridge and into the niche
Soundbar mounted on the ridge
Soundbar mounted on the ridge
All AV components and excess wires hidden inside the niche behind wall mounted TV
All AV components and excess wires hidden inside the niche behind wall mounted TV
Soundbar Mounted with all wires hidden inside niche wall behind the TV
Soundbar Mounted with all wires hidden inside niche wall behind the TV

Build a Custom Cabinet / Wall Unit for the Purpose of TV & Sound bar Installation

You can design a custom cabinet with a secret compartment / storage space for excess wires and components to be hidden inside the cabinet. This allows for all cables including power cords from TV and Sound bar to be hidden inside the cabinet.

Just make sure to build a cabinet like this over an existing outlet so you can plug in power cords for all your AV devices inside the cabinet and they will be completely hidden out of sight.

You can conceal TV and soundbar wires inside a cabinet
You can conceal TV and soundbar wires inside a cabinet

You’ll want easy access to your secret compartment such as a side door to reach inside if popping off a front panel of the cabinet isn’t as easy or convenient. 

Build a Side Door for Quick Access to secret compartment for storage
Build a Side Door for Quick Access to secret compartment for storage

Obviously, TV & Soundbar need to be plugged into a power outlet for them to work, so make sure to build the cabinet around an existing outlet. If you don’t already have an outlet where cabinet will be built, you’ll need to install a new outlet before building a cabinet in front of it. 

*Note: By code, electrical outlet needs to be easily accessible for servicing. You’ll need to keep that in mind when building a custom cabinet. For example, you can build one of the sections of the front panels of the cabinet to easily pop off in order to access electrical outlet inside the cabinet.

You need a power outlet inside your secret compartment to plug in power cords for your AV devices
You need a power outlet inside your secret compartment to plug in power cords for your AV devices

TV & Soundbar cables as well as other AV components can be completely hidden out of sight inside the cabinet.

You can hide TV & Soundbar cables as well as AV components inside this hidden storage area
You can hide TV & Soundbar cables as well as AV components inside this hidden storage area

Drill a hole behind the TV for TV wires and another hole behind the sound bar for sound bar wires to go through the cabinet. Hole for the sound bar must be drilled precisely so soundbar will cover the hole completely.

*You’ll need to make sure that the custom cabinet you build is hollow on the inside, so that wires can freely run inside the cabinet. 

Drill Holes into the Cabinet for TV and Soundbar Wires
Drill Holes into the Cabinet for TV and Soundbar Wires
TV and Sound bar installed on Custom Cabinet with All Wires concealed inside the cabinet
TV and Sound bar installed on Custom Cabinet with All Wires concealed inside the cabinet

Build a Recess in the wall for sound bar

This custom wall was built with provision for TV and Sound bar installation. TV is super thin Samsung 65″ QLED and client did not want the sound bar to stick out of the wall in order to keep the sleek look with the TV. Therefore, recess was created underneath the TV for Bose 300 sound bar to be inserted and sit flush to the surface of the wall. As a result, we’ve achieved super clean & streamlined look client was going for.

Note: This design isn’t suitable for Sound bars with Upward-Firing or Side-Firing speakers (such as Dolby Atmos) as the recessed pocket will block the sound. The recess will be suitable for Front-Firing sound bars only.

Build a Recess in the Wall for Soundbar placement
Build a Recess in the Wall for Soundbar placement

Requirements for hiding all cables out of sight

  • Recessed electrical outlet installed behind the TV
  • Electrical outlet installed inside the recess to power the sound bar

Conditions for this to work

  • Rough-in conduit from behind the TV to either side of the cabinet
  • Rough-in conduit from the recess to behind the TV  
  • Rough-in conduit from recess to either side of the cabinet (for future proofing)

Other ways of installing sound bar

There are various ways that you can install your sound bar. From just simply mounting a sound bar directly against the wall or mounting it to your TV using universal sound bar brackets or mounting soundbar using specific soundbar brackets in conjunction with a full motion TV wall mount.

Sound is directional. So if you’re mounting your TV with a Full Motion TV wall mount, it is highly suggested to mount the soundbar to the TV using special soundbar brackets.

Soundbar installation methods

Sonos Beam Soundbar Installation

Below is an example of a Sonos Beam Soundbar installation using Sanus WSSBM1 soundbar bracket. Sonos Beam is mounted to a full motion TV wall mount so TV & Soundbar both swivel together.

Sonos Beam Soundbar Mounted with Sanus Soundbar Bracket Model WSSBM1 to a Full Motion TV Wall Mount
Sonos Beam Soundbar Mounted with Sanus Soundbar Bracket Model WSSBM1 to a Full Motion TV Wall Mount
Sonos Beam soundbar installation with Sanus WSSBM1 soundbar brackets
Sonos Beam soundbar installation with Sanus WSSBM1 soundbar brackets
Sonos Beam soundbar Swiveling with Full Motion TV Wall Mount
Sonos Beam soundbar Swiveling with Full Motion TV Wall Mount
TV & Sonos Beam soundbar pushed back against the wall
TV & Sonos Beam soundbar pushed back against the wall

Sonos PlayBar Installation

Below is an example of Sonos PlayBar. Similar to the photos above, this Sonos PlayBar is also mounted to the back of the TV using Universal Soundbar bracket in conjunction with Full motion TV wall mount.

Sonos PlayBar mounted below the TV using universal soundbar brackets in conjunction with Full Motion TV Wall Mount
Sonos PlayBar mounted below the TV using universal soundbar brackets in conjunction with Full Motion TV Wall Mount

Depth Adjustable Universal Soundbar Brackets

These depth adjustable universal soundbar brackets are must have’s for sound bars that are shaped long from front to back. Ideal in situations where your TV is much thinner than the depth of your soundbar like the examples below. 

Depth Adjustable Universal Soundbar Brackets
Depth Adjustable Universal Soundbar Brackets
Soundbar mounted flush to the front of the TV with Depth adjustable soundbar mount
Soundbar mounted flush to the front of the TV with Depth adjustable soundbar mount
Adjust the depth of the soundbar according to the thickness of the TV
Adjust the depth of the soundbar according to the thickness of the TV
Compatible with Any Full motion TV wall mounts
Compatible with Any Full motion TV wall mounts
TV & Soundbar rotating together with Full motion wall mount
TV & Soundbar rotating together with Full motion wall mount
TV & Soundbar pushed back towards the wall
TV & Soundbar pushed back towards the wall

Example below shows a 55″ Sony LED TV mounted on a custom built-wall with fireplace underneath. Denon DHT-S514 sound bar mounted flush against the TV using these sound bar brackets. This is an old house that’s been gutted out completely and renovated. The owner of the residence took the opportunity during renovation to have pre-wiring done for his AV setup like HDMI cables running from above the fireplace to the closet (not shown in this picture) on adjacent wall where the components are hidden away out of sight. Logitech Harmony Ultimate Home Remote was added to this AV setup to control the components that are hidden away in the closet.

JBL soundbar mounted with universal soundbar brackets between TV and component shelves
JBL soundbar mounted with universal soundbar brackets between TV and component shelves
Soundbar mounted between the TV and component wall shelf
Soundbar mounted between the TV and component wall shelf
Samsung soundbar mounted below the TV using universal soundbar brackets
Samsung soundbar mounted below the TV using universal soundbar brackets
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