Sanus Elements ELM803 In-Wall Low Voltage Box Preview

Flush-mounting a flat panel is becoming more and more of a challenge. Panels are getting thinner, mounts are getting tighter. Heck, you can mount a display as close as 1" from a wall and that includes the mount! Well, unfortunately not every display manufacturer spends much time worrying about how close your TV will be to a wall. Instead they worry about the easiest place to place their inputs. Too often that ends up with the cables coming straight out the back of the display. While that may use gravity to create friction to keep the HDMI cables in place (rather than those that connect up from the bottom which have been known to fall out without much help), it means that you are really limited in how close to a wall you can place a flat panel. Even with some of the new Sanus ELM4 Series swivel-end HDMI cables, you may have need for component video, Ethernet, or other cabling types. 

What you need is space and the new Sanus Elements ELM803 In-Wall Low Voltage Box provides just that. According to Sanus, 56" cubic inches of space. Of course, the box provides a triangular cubby in your wall that is a total of 2.5" deep, so don't be confused by the cubic measurement - not all of that will be usable. At the apex of the triangle are two loops to be used to secure cables. The two main sides of the triangle have large knockouts for cable pass-throughs. In addition, on each of the main sides there are holes so that you can mount a single gang plate of your choice. This gives you a lot of finish options (we're obviously thinking power on one side, low-voltage on the other). The ELM803 can be used standalone or in conjunction with Sanus' ClickFit system. 

Installation is easy. Just locate a space between studs - preferably directly behind the location of your inputs/output on the display. Cut your hole and mount using the traditional drywall clamps you'd see in old work electrical boxes. This is really a very simple installation process that even the most green of DIYers can handle.

That being said, there is one big thing missing from the Sanus Elements ELM803 In-Wall Low Voltage Box - power. Of course, as the name implies, this is a low voltage solution only and the price reflects that. At under $25, even the cheapest of power solutions costs much more (especially ones designed specifically for home theater). Consumers should be aware, however, that threading a power cable through the wall using this (or any) low voltage solution is against code and could lead to some very undesirable effects - like your house burning down - or even worse, damage to your flat panel not covered under the warranty! Wire it up correctly, however, and you can use this system to provide power and low voltage to any display. Consult an electrician if you're unsure of proper wiring methods.

Conclusion

While the Sanus Elements ELM803 In-Wall Low Voltage Box isn't a complete solution since it lacks the components to run in-wall power, it does solve a very specific problem - lack of space behind a flat panel display. It may be that running power isn't the issue but that space is it. You may not want to just cut a hole and leave it open, or you may lack the tools or skills to create your own enclosure. At under $25, it just might be worth the money and time-savings to let the Sanus Elements ELM803 provide you with an affordable wiring solution.

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.