How to find hidden speaker wires in walls?

Question

Just moved into home. Got the media room pre wired for surround and rear speakers. Need to dig out the wires from behind the wall. What is the easiest way without having to do much damage to walls?

Answer 1

Assuming you have access to at least one end of the speaker wire:

Go to Lowes or Home Depot and buy a Cable Tracker & Toner Set.  

The Wire toner is a two piece device, one piece generates an audible tone, you clip this onto the exposed wire end.  The other piece has a very sensitive tone reciever that you hold over the wall until you hear the tone.

You follow the tone to the end of the wire and then cut a small hole and try to fish out the wires.

Whoever ran the wires should have installed junction boxes at the wire ends, then the dry wallers would have left the box openings exposed for you.

Answer 2

You might need to get into your attic to find the wires. if not there are wire detectors out there. just connect 1 end to a battery and  it will cause the wire to go live.... and the detector will pick it up

Answer 3

Wire detectors are available at any hardware store.  It's not hard to pull out the wire from the wall.  Just get yourself a drywall hand saw, trace out an outlet plate, cut, pull out the wire and cover using an outlet plate for speaker wires.... not hard at all.