The signal quality should be basically exactly the same (unchanged) for all 4 inputs to the amp. Even a pair like these value-priced ones will be fine in most cases. While it can save money (you won’t need a line-level adapter in this case) I often recommend that people consider buying a line-level converter anyway. If using speaker level inputs on your amp, also connect 4 pairs of wire to the output of the stereo. I’m using a jl fix 86 processor because I did not want to change my head unit so I kept it factory. Often they can fit inside the dashboard. If you’re not using a car battery I assume you’re using an AC-DC power supply, is that right? If your stereo has RCA jacks, then congratulations. You have a very nice write up, very easy to understand. Typically channels 1 & 3 are left and 2 & 4 are right. blocks: KnuConceptz 4 gauge kit It’s very important to be specific when mentioning an amp or other components. You can you temporarily hook up a test speaker to one of the channels to make sure you’ve got sound I’m glad you enjoyed the article. You’ve ruled out the amp, which is good, as I was going to recommend doing that. RCA jacks offer a clean, lower-noise connection than speaker-level adapters do, but honestly, it’s not noticeable to the average person. In the case scenario that I just a 5 channel amp how am I supposed to connect the single subwoofer speaker to the amp out, and also how do I connect the amp input since there are two subwoofer output from the headunit? MUCH faster technique than most guides I’ve read. I’ve replaced the headunit with a Pioneer and the Pac Radio Pro 5 wiring harness, added two 12’s and an amp, and replaced door speakers with some NVX coaxials. Also, be sure to make sure that audio outputs aren’t disabled in the menu settings. Either one can be used for getting a signal to an amp, but RCA jacks offer a better option. Can’t say the same for the audio companies based closer to home. keep it up :). My car is a Toyota Prado land cruiser 90series. However, for people who need more power in the main channels and/or subwoofer output, 2 amps may be better. My head unit has 1red 1white RCA bought 2 Y adapter 2female 4male so base on your reply to previous inquiry 2Whites goes to 1&3 while 2Reds 2&4. Once that’s done, the rest is usually a standard amp installation. All you need is a decent pair (a total of 2) female to male RCA “Y” adapters like these low-cost ones from Amazon. Really, I’d say it might be better to swap back to the Blaupunkt coaxials for now and decide if you’d like to use an amp. Ordinarily the subwoofer amp/etc shouldn’t be able to affect the 4 channel amp. I gave it 4 stars because the wiring instructions are a little confusing there are 2 power leads and 2 ground leads coming out of the amp so I contacted soundstream which I must the customer support was awesome I found out you have to twist the 2 power leads together and wire to your main power wire same with the grounds. A wiring diagram is a simplified traditional photographic depiction of an electrical circuit. If you have access to a cordless drill, that’s fantastic! If using speaker level inputs on the amp, use the connections shown above. Estimate the length of speaker wire you need to reach the amp (or line level converter) for each audio channel. But I would be 100% sure the amp installation is right, as that’s most likely the problem. I think your LOC may be defective – it’s definitely possible. In that case you could use speaker level inputs on an amp or a 4 channel line level converter to connect both front and rear channels to provide a fader. They show a typical single channel wiring scheme. If the front and rear RCA cables are the same, you might want to mark front and rear using some masking tape and a marker or pen. 4 6x9s and a 1500 watt 4 channel amp. Should I be plugged into output or input on the amp end? How To Install A Subwoofer And Subwoofer Amp In Your Car. Four channels in, two channels out You run a dual RCA cable from the receiver's front left and right RCA outputs. I also have the original 2 channel amp. That’s 4 signal channels: left & right front and left & right rear. I appreciate your comment and the question, too. Hi Jerry. I’m not 100% clear on what you meant by “both amps” as you only mention one (the Boss) and also don’t clarify what the “one pre amp output” was referring to. Wire a 4 Channel Amp To 6 Speakers When you wire more speakers with an amp than the capacity, it increases load. Amplifiers with high-level (speaker-level) inputs like this one allow connecting to speaker wiring for a signal source. The sub channel's input signal will be accessible by switch, and you'll need to run a new speaker wire to the sub. Actually it would be white (left) to channel 1 & 3, and red (right) to 3 & 4. (Don’t use both the RCAs and speaker leads at the same time. Could my sub be affecting my 4 channel amp because of the line level adapter I used to hook it up. Thanks SoundCertified.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. The only drawback is there won’t be a front to rear fader control like with head units with 4 channels of outputs. I’m confident you’ll love it as much as I do. Any idea why they dont sound good. I am not getting any audio from any of the 4 speakers coming out of the amp, only the factory door speakers…. I add power and ground distribution blocks. This saves installation space and makes it easier too. If your head unit has front AND rear outputs yes you can use a front/rear fader control when using a 4 channel amp. Getting nothing. Thanks and keep safe! So, I ran new speaker wire through all the doors directly from the speakers to the 4 channel amp. another weird thing is that if i touch my left rca to the inputs on my amp i can hear audible sound (but still very quiet) coming out of the speakers, but as soon as i plug it in i can’t hear anything. And to answer your question, yes using speakers in parallel does drop the total speaker load the amp will see. You kind of have to choose based on your setup and the speaker outputs. It sounds like the 6.9s and 3.5″ are used as component speakers from the factory, so you can use a pair of crossovers like these in that case. (thanks for providing enough detail, it makes a huge difference!). Do i run the speaker wire from the amp to the harness that came with my aftermarket HU, or do i run the speaker wire from the amp to the factory wiring (in my case the Metra harness kit)? (Basically in parallel = connected beside each other sharing the amp output, as opposed to being connected in series). I would use the 3.5″ with the amp as the radio won’t have anywhere near the power of the amp. Gallery. It only takes a few minutes to make a list of the parts, wire, tools, and other bits and pieces you’ll need. The disadvantage of the series wiring is that power is reduced. So I’ve upgrade my door speaker with mohawk silver series 100w peak 50w rms component speaker. If you need separate level control (separate gain control) for the 6x9s then use them alone on the front or rear channels. Please advise asap. I have a mrv-v500 5 channel amp hooked up and 2 subs. Here is my project… Disconnect the negative terminal on the car battery for safety purposes. Hi Arnfinn. You can see an example of the wiring set up in section #3 in my wiring diagram here: Wiring diagram for adding inline resistors for adding more speakers safely. My advice is to search the Nissan/Maxima forums as often people post the details of what they had to do for their installation in car forums. There’s simply no way around it – most in-dash stereos are limited to about 15W-18W RMS of power for each speaker channel. Only problem is how will I connect a self powered sub ? Should I ditch the old amp or can I use it to drive the sub-woofer? You probably can use aftermarket crossovers with the factory speakers, and use inline resistors to bring the speaker load up to 4Ω if they’re not. (Audi a3 8p). Any suggestions or places to point me in the right direction? But if you listen at normal volume or high volume for short period, you are not going to kill your stereo. It means 2 channels are sharing the workload of one speaker between them and therefore and drive it with more power. In-dash head units can’t produce more than 15-18W RMS per channel. A very first look at a circuit representation may be confusing, yet if you can read a subway map, you could review schematics. Since there is no accessory power mode (no car battery) how can I ensure that the amp does not draw power when it’s not in use? I’m not sure what vehicle you have so that’s something to bear in mind. This allows an easier upgrade for your stereo later, which is very common for people to do. I don’t understand your question 100%, but it sounds like you’re saying that you have a whining noise like “alternator whine” after connecting the amp using RCAs. If those check out, I would temporarily test the amp outside of the vehicle to make sure it’s ok. You can do this by using some small wire to hook it up to the battery or a +12V supply with a few amps of power. We’ve tried everything and can’t get any sound to the speakers anything we’re missing? This goes for speaker wire as well as RCA cables. Then you’d connect your subwoofer bridged on channels 5/6 or 7/8 and set the crossover to low pass. If you only want medium listening levels and don’t care about the sound quality as much, then you can stick with the Pioneer’s speakers outputs. It depends on what your needs are. Cut 7 more lengths of wire, for a total of 8: I recommend connecting to speaker-level outputs using crimp connectors and a crimp tool for a reliable, solid connection. Believe me, I’ve been there, and it’s terrible! For the amp installation itself, I strongly recommend using a pre-made amp wiring kit like you’ll find here in my amp kit buyer’s guide. I have all of the wires run and have checked to make sure they are all wired correctly that I know of. 5. Thanks. So there’s not a “perfect” way to approach this, but I can think of 2 solutions at this moment. Usually you’ll want to round up a bit to be sure you don’t come up short just in case. Crimp tools are great for installing your amp and speaker wiring with professional results. Hi there. Many thanks! Most likely yes, it will be slightly better with +3dB for the rear doors since the highs are facing away from you and you lose sound on them. Remember: 4 Ohm mono is equivalent to 2 Ohm stereo. If that changes the sound, there’s likely some type of crossover component in the factory system causing the problem. 2. There won’t be an issue with delay, though. car stereo to a 4 channel amp. I believe the crossovers that came with them should work so I will try wiring in parallel and see what we get. Always use a reliable connection. 2 add power amp for my door speaker I’m using the standard deck and using a 2 channel line level converter. Your particular amp can handle a lower load than some other amps, so you can (1) run both the 6x9s and the tweeters off of 2 channels, or (2) run the tweeters and the 6x9s off of front/rear channels. So you would 1) run RCAs from the head unit to the amp and 2) run speaker wire from the amp to the speakers or factory speaker wiring in the dash, depending on your installation. I spent hours researching and thank god i came across your site. Hi Sam. Generally it’s inputs #1/2 = Left front, right front, and inputs #3/4 = Left rear, right rear if the RCAs are numbered. An increase in load makes your amp hot that is not good for your amplifier. If you are concerned about this and are looking for a solution, then you should get to know more about car amps and then learn how to wire a 4 channel amp to 6 speakers. Using this, you can run RCA cables to your amplifier. Never connect both types at the same time! If those aren’t available, either an amp with speaker-level inputs or a line level (speaker level) adapter can be used. For a 4 channel amplifier, you’ll need 2 stereo RCA cables to do so. The head unit’s RCA outputs should be connected to the RCA input jacks on the amp. In this case you’ll 1.5 ohm resistors with a 35W (or higher) rating. Bob. with the 4 channel amp. Yes, you probably should use -3dB, but really it’s best to try it and see. An increase in load makes your amp hot that is not good for your amplifier. Please let me know about Pioneer GM-D8704. Marty, I’ve read your articles on wiring amps + read a lot of other people’s questions, still I haven’t came across the small issue I’m having, or most likely not understanding. There’s a lot to cover here so I’ll try to keep it organized. Compare. In order to install a 4 channel amp and drive all 4 speakers, in many cases, the biggest obstacle is getting a signal to the amp. Also be sure the Sony RCA outputs are not set to subwoofer mode if it has that option (some models can be switched between full-range or subwoofer outputs). Getting of stereo hot is killing for your stereo. So it’s wasting power, basically. What’s the best approach to get the most sound out of the 6 speakers? Don’t ever use an amp’s speaker inputs and RCA inputs at the same time: only one or the other (RCA inputs are best). That shouldn’t be a problem if the amp is ok and wiring is good. Btw i run 16g wire from amp to front hu wiring harness then using factory wiring. I know they should be cranking. So I’m lead to believe it must have something to do with the Bose amp or something similar. BOSS Audio Gauge Amplifier Installation Wiring Kit. 4. Thanks for your reply! In that case it’s installation-related and you’ll need to try to seal off the doors where the speakers are installed. Thanks Marty that did the trick! There’s no reason to spend an excessive amount of money. If you have a radio with RCA jacks, skip on down to the next section. This is less dangerous than in series. 4 Gauge Car Amp Wiring Kit –Jeemitery Car Amplifier Install subwoofer Wire Wiring Kits Helps You Make Connections and Brings Power to Your Radio, Subwoofers and Speakers Amp Power Wire. After connecting the stereo to the amp, you’ll need to adjust the rear gain to set the volume level for the rear speakers as needed for the proper volume depending on the stereo’s signal strength. However, it’s MUCH easier to just run the speaker wire from the amp to the factory speaker wiring where the original radio was. That’s because speaker level inputs are usually very high impedance (high input resistance) and can be connected at the same time. Does this sound right? The subwoofer will then produce the low-end bass they don’t. On the amplifier my high level inputs only have 3 connections for each channel. If yes, that leads me to believe it’s either installation related or the speakers won’t perform well in the doors as they are now. Really it should be very straightforward in most cases. Basically, that’s what they did/do: split the audio signal up. Cut 7 more lengths of wire, for a total of 8: 4 channels (4 pairs of wire) going to the amp’s speaker level inputs 4 channels from the amp to the radio’s factory speaker wiring After installing hundreds of amps in vehicles just like yours I’ll share with you the fundamental tips you need for great results. You’ll also need to get a 2nd pair of RCA cables. 4.1 out of 5 stars 63. Sorry for the delay as I was having Wi-Fi problems last night. The head unit’s left channel RCA jack should be connected to the left front and left rear amp inputs. Peter, You wire in a 5-channel amp the same way you would a 4-channel amp. Good morning Am I overthinking this or is this a problem? 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