How do you hook up an amp to car speakers

You can connect speakers to an amp by wiring the amp's output wires to the you install a new stereo, all the wires from the stereo would connect to the car.
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A few others use the same color wiring but put a raised strip on the negative side of the wire. Most car amps have 4-ohm output impedance. Make sure your speakers are the same impedance.

The impedance is usually listed on the back of the speaker and on the output terminals of your car stereo. If you replaced the factory-installed speakers, the installation manual should tell you the impedance. Turn the balance control on your car stereo from one side to the other to check the sound for balance after your installation is complete. If your left and right balance is reversed, switch the RCA-type audio output plugs, either on the back of the amp or on the back of your car stereo, whichever is easier to access. Joe Murray began writing professionally in As a technical writer, he authored white papers and articles for Hewlett Packard and Intel.

Since retiring, Murray has written several home-exchange travel articles for KnowYourTrade. He holds a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Santa Clara University. Tip If your speaker wire is too short to reach the amp or you choose to mount the amp in an out-of-the-way spot like the trunk, take the speakers out of their door mounts, remove the old wire from the terminals on the far side and attach them to a string with duct tape. Pull the string to the trunk-mounted amp.

Attach new pairs of speaker wire to the string and pull back to the door mount openings, strip the new wire ends and connect to the speaker terminals on each side. Put a rubber grommet in the hole to keep the wire from chaffing.

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Run the power wire to the battery. Start from the interior of the car, and make sure the wire won't get pinched or caught on anything.

How to install aftermarket speakers on ANY car!

Run the wire under the carpet by removing the rocker panel and kick panel covers. Install an inline fuse holder for the power line 18 inches 46 cm or fewer from the battery terminal connection. It is best to install it as close as possible to the connection.

Consult the owner's manual or the manufacturer of your amplifier to determine the size fuse you should use. Run your RCA cables and remote turn-on lead remote turn on lead is the blue wire with white line from the back of the head unit to the amp. Snake them through the car in the same way you did the power wire, but do it on the opposite side of the vehicle. This will prevent noise in the system.

Connect the speaker wires from the amplifier to the speakers. Situate these wires away from the power wires. Connect the amp's negative terminal to the car's chassis ground. Use a short negative power wire that is the same diameter as the positive wire that leads to the battery. Insert the main power wire fuse once all the connections for the other wires are in place. Set all of the input level gain controls to their lowest setting. Set equalizers to their center, or neutral, position if you have them. Put in a CD with music that you are familiar with. Choose something strong and clean sounding.

Turn up the deck's volume until you hear distortion, and set it just below that level. If you don't hear distortion even at the loudest setting, the head unit is in good shape. Repeat this process for the input gain, and then with all the other components. While your key and radio is on, disconnect and connect the remote wire to the amp. Not Helpful 2 Helpful 9. The balance on your radio may have gotten moved from center to right or left, or your speaker wire may have come disconnected. Check your balance first on your radio's settings.


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If that's not it, trace your wires to make sure they are connected. If they are, then hook up an external speaker to the radio's output for that side to see if it is the radio at fault.


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If the radio is good, it could be a bad speaker. Not Helpful 3 Helpful 8. You probably have it connected to a full time 12 volt power source, you need to connect it to a source that is only powered when the key is in the on or accessory position. Not Helpful 0 Helpful 2.

How to Wire Door Speakers to an Amp

This is called "line input. Connect the wires just like you would to your speakers. Not Helpful 4 Helpful 6. If you have a factory deck and install an amp, there's really no wire to connect the amp to on the factory deck. What you could do instead is locate your fuse box and find a fuse that turns on when you turn the key in your car. Take that fuse out, wrap the remote wire around it, and connect it back where it was.

How to Wire Door Speakers to an Amp | It Still Works

Once you've reconnected it, turn the vehicle on and check to see if your amp turned on. If it does, then turn your car off and make sure the amp turns off as well so it doesn't drain your battery. Not Helpful 2 Helpful 1. The speakers attached to the amp are making a thumping sound like "pop pop," like it's picking up current draining.