Stereo power wire
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,019
Likes: 18
From: St. Louis MO
Stereo power wire
If I put a 4 channel amp in my car do I have to just run a set of RCA plugs from the head unit, and a set back to the head unit? Or do I have to run the speaker wires from the amp to all the speakers?
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 14,345
Likes: 4
From: Hartselle AL
St. Jude Donor '09
RCA from head unit to amp. Speaker wire (heavy gauge) from amp to speakers. Don't forget to run the blue (amp on/off) wire from the head unit to the amp also otherwise there will be no sound.
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 24,125
Likes: 15
From: Columbia Missouri
You're right except for the gauge. Speakers, unless we're talking subs, won't need anything heavier than 16 gauge. I usually run 12 gauge to good subs and 10 gauge to VERY good subs, but I have never needed heavier than 16 gauge for speakers and mine are rated to handle 150 watts RMS per channel.
Tim, mount that amp in the back near the battery so you can run the power and ground in short lengths. Also, with the ground cable, the shorter the better.
Racer
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 289
Likes: 0
From: Spokane WA
Durango Boy is right about gauge for the most part. For larger speakers or higher power levels you do want to increase the size of your cable, but size is not the most important component in choosing the right wire. Sound signals travel on the outside of each strand of wire within the cable, so it's as important, if not more important to purchase good quality cable with a high strand count. It's also key to keep the cable from oxidizing and having Oxygen-free cable to begin with will keep your system sounding good for much longer.
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 14,345
Likes: 4
From: Hartselle AL
St. Jude Donor '09
I stand corrected on the size of the speaker wire and appreciate the excellent info from DB and tyancey00. The info on the signals traveling on the outside of each strand is very interesting and informative. Am in the middle of doing and install and have used Oxygen-free wire through out.
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 24,125
Likes: 15
From: Columbia Missouri
I stand corrected on the size of the speaker wire and appreciate the excellent info from DB and tyancey00. The info on the signals traveling on the outside of each strand is very interesting and informative. Am in the middle of doing and install and have used Oxygen-free wire through out.
Post some pics of your install.
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 14,345
Likes: 4
From: Hartselle AL
St. Jude Donor '09
Here's the first posting from yesterday that shows the project.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1970651
Then today's update and question regarding gauge lights not working - which am still looking for some info - and the "backwards/reversing clock".
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1971707
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1970651
Then today's update and question regarding gauge lights not working - which am still looking for some info - and the "backwards/reversing clock".
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1971707
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 7,106
Likes: 38
From: Newark DE
You're right except for the gauge. Speakers, unless we're talking subs, won't need anything heavier than 16 gauge. I usually run 12 gauge to good subs and 10 gauge to VERY good subs, but I have never needed heavier than 16 gauge for speakers and mine are rated to handle 150 watts RMS per channel.
Tim, mount that amp in the back near the battery so you can run the power and ground in short lengths. Also, with the ground cable, the shorter the better.
Tim, mount that amp in the back near the battery so you can run the power and ground in short lengths. Also, with the ground cable, the shorter the better.
When I was in the car audio business I used 12ga speaker wire for all my good installs. Only used the cheap 16ga on the most basic installs.
Regular front and rear speakers used 12ga wire and subs got AT LEAST 12ga and many, many times they got 8ga wires to them.
Than again, most of the systems I was doing were competition systems competing on the national level, including a few national winning cars.
Part of the reason though was longer speaker wire runs that most people don't need to worry about as I would route the speaker leads away from any other wiring as to not pick up radiated noise and use twisted wire cables as an added precaution on many installs. The wire routing away from other wired made the wire runs longer than it normally would be. Did the same on the power and RCA leads. Typically ran all power and ground down one side of the car, RCA leads down the middle, and speaker leads all on the other side of the car.
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 7,106
Likes: 38
From: Newark DE
Durango Boy is right about gauge for the most part. For larger speakers or higher power levels you do want to increase the size of your cable, but size is not the most important component in choosing the right wire. Sound signals travel on the outside of each strand of wire within the cable, so it's as important, if not more important to purchase good quality cable with a high strand count. It's also key to keep the cable from oxidizing and having Oxygen-free cable to begin with will keep your system sounding good for much longer.
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 24,125
Likes: 15
From: Columbia Missouri
Wow, 12 gauge wire will handle about 350 watts RMS, and 10 gauge handles 560 watts RMS. Oh, and 8 gauge handles 900 watts. What the heck kind of speakers were you using in these competitions. You did say that all your competition front and rear speakers got 12 gauge and sometimes 8 gauge?
Oh and I fully agree that signal and power wires need separation.