The CTA GrandScale System does come with speaker wire clips for securing the wires to the support posts.  However, we thought some of our DIY readers would appreciate a more "finished" look, so we took out the Dremel and did a quick little modification to a few pieces.  In the end, we were able to hide most of the wires in the stands down to the base.

In order to hide the wires, we drilled four holes: one in the black plastic base of the speaker unit, one in the steel support tube, one in the bottom fitting of the tube, and the last on in the edge of the weighted floor plate. 

The first hole was drilled in the black plastic base of the speaker unit.  We used the Dremel Stylus to make the initial hole, but used a drill and a steel bit to make it the proper size.

The hole was made 3/16" in diameter.  The plastic was easy to drill through.  We fitted the steel support tube in the speaker to determine where to drill the second hole.  

We decided that that the drill spot should be about an inch (red arrow) below the base of the speaker unit.  If we drilled the hole closer than that, we thought it might be difficult to manipulate the wire.

The wire was threaded from the top into the base, then into the support tube, out the end, and into the weighted pedestal.

Working the wire down the steel support tube took a little time as the hole was JUST big enough to fit, but not big enough to easily slip the wire through.  Once the entire length was pulled through, the slack at the top was adjusted to relieve any tension on the terminals.

The next hole was drilled next to the bolt on the bottom fitting of the steel support tube. The wire coming out of the support tube was threaded through the hole in the fitting.  Care must be taken in drilling this hole as there is not much room for error.

The wire was threaded into the fitting and pulled through the other end.  When most of the length of the wire had been pulled through, the mount can then be attached to the weighted base plate.

The weighted base plate looked it was designed for the wire to exit out the side.  We drilled the final hole in alignment with the channel for the wire. 

Note that the washer will press on the wire when the nut is tightened.  In order to prevent pinching the wire, we cut a notch in the material where the wire exits the hole.  We did it the quick and dirty way...we just rested the spinning drill bit on the area and let it grind away at the material until the wire was able to lay flush.

This modification was not a lot of work, but you do need to have a drill and correctly sized bits.  We used a bench clamp to hold the steel tubing while drilling.  In all, this modification took about 15 minutes, and we think it was worth the time.  It made for a much cleaner-looking setup.

The CTA GrandScale Speaker System is one of the largest accessories you can get for your iPod :-)

This system was designed not just to create room-filling sound from a dockable iPod, but to enhance the decor as well.  The GrandScale is simple to set up, easy to move around, and fits pretty much anywhere. 

For the FirstLook review, we'll check out the speakers and all of its various parts.  For the FirstUse review, we'll give you our impressions of these iPod speakers.

Reviews:

1. Assembly

2. Wiring Mod

3. FirstLook

4. FirstUse

Review Summary:

Initial Impression - great looking

Usability - all dockable iPods

Durability - TBD

Price - $250