Amp Wiring

georgerosen06 · March 28, 2009

So i already have an amp for my subs I went to custom sounds today (which i never will again) after being told on the phone the amp install would cost 180 i was printed out a ticket with the final price of 320 bucks!!! YEAH RIGHT just to run speaker wire and power cables etc. I figure i can do this myself. I do have some questions though. I found a splitter so I can split the power wire next to the amp and them just run two wires from there to the amp. My questions are (1) can I tap into the remote turn on wire back by my other amp or do I have to tap into it near my head unit. (2) On the amp there's something called speaker level inputs...do I need these I found the connector for them but what is it for? (3) There might be a piece of wood back there from when they installed the other amp If not whats the best way to mount the amp on the back wall of the cab? and last but not least (4) below is a screen shot of my cart is this everything I should need to get the job done?

georgerosen06 · March 28, 2009

also heres some pictures of the speaker level inputs that I was talking about

jrrod2004 · March 28, 2009

So i already have an amp for my subs I went to custom sounds today (which i never will again) after being told on the phone the amp install would cost 180 i was printed out a ticket with the final price of 320 bucks!!! YEAH RIGHT just to run speaker wire and power cables etc. I figure i can do this myself. I do have some questions though. I found a splitter so I can split the power wire next to the amp and them just run two wires from there to the amp. My questions are (1) can I tap into the remote turn on wire back by my other amp or do I have to tap into it near my head unit. (2) On the amp there's something called speaker level inputs...do I need these I found the connector for them but what is it for? (3) There might be a piece of wood back there from when they installed the other amp If not whats the best way to mount the amp on the back wall of the cab? and last but not least (4) below is a screen shot of my cart is this everything I should need to get the job done?

Answers:

1) You should be able to split the signal wire (remote turn on wire) near the amp instead of running a split behind the head unit and then running two separate wires...

2) The speaker level inputs are for when you are using the Factory Head Unit instead of an aftermarket one. If you are using the Factory Head Unit, then your factory wires are what carries the signal and you simply use these wires as the inputs for the amp to amplify the signal (music), hence speaker level inputs.

3) I would mount it to the wood if that piece of wood is sturdy. Otherwise, I would recommend that you find some holes and mount it there using prefabbed brackets. Worse case scenario, you would have to drill (not recommended).

4) That is most of the stuff you need, you may need some electrical tape, taps, shrink tube, misc screws, zip ties and labels. The items in the cart will allow you to complete the job, but I would recommend the additional items above.

GARB55 · March 28, 2009

So i already have an amp for my subs I went to custom sounds today (which i never will again) after being told on the phone the amp install would cost 180 i was printed out a ticket with the final price of 320 bucks!!! YEAH RIGHT just to run speaker wire and power cables etc. I figure i can do this myself. I do have some questions though. I found a splitter so I can split the power wire next to the amp and them just run two wires from there to the amp.
Yes you can, not sure of your Amp ratings but you want o make sure you have the proper AWG wire.

My questions are (1) can I tap into the remote turn on wire back by my other amp or do I have to tap into it near my head unit.

You can tap off the wire to the existing Amp for your remote turn on. You do not have to run from the head unit again.

(2) On the amp there's something called speaker level inputs...do I need these I found the connector for them but what is it for?

Speaker inputs on the amp would be used if you did not have RCA out puts from the head unit to the amp! RCA is what you want!

(3) There might be a piece of wood back there from when they installed the other amp If not whats the best way to mount the amp on the back wall of the cab?

Recommend to mount on piece of wood if not enough room on existing one. If you have space under your seat that may be an option? Just depends on what room you have and where.

and last but not least (4) below is a screen shot of my cart is this everything I should need to get the job done?

I do not know exactly what you already have but that cart should get you what you need.

Someone else might have some additional information that can help as well.

killterrorists · March 28, 2009

First off you should check out www.the12volt.com and read up on the info there. It sounds like you have alot of basic questions that you can find in depth answers on there.

To quickly answer your questions.

#1 Yes you can use your remote turn on from your existing amp to turn on your second amp, any more than two amps and I would use a 12 volt relay.

#2 How is your current amp getting its audio signal from your head unit? RCA inputs are a much cleaner signal than speaker level inputs and you should use the RCA inputs if you are running an aftermarket head unit. Speaker level inputs are typically only used if you are keeping your stock head unit.

#3 Ideally your other amp should be mounted to a piece of wood if it's on the back wall of your cab. There is only a thin layer of sheetmetal there so if you screw directly to the sheetmetal you will have screws poking through your cab to the outside. See how your other amp is mounted and mount your new one the same way, as long as it's not screwed directly to the sheetmetal you should be fine.

#4 Your post and screenshot do not provide enough information to answer your last question. What guage power wire is currently run to your existing amp and what amperage fuse is installed on it near the battery? What is the fuse rating of your existing amp? What is the fuse rating of your new amp? Does the combo of your two amp fuses exceed the amperage of the fuse on your main power wire from the battery? Where is your existing amp grounded? You should ground your new amp in the same place.

georgerosen06 · March 29, 2009

hey guys thanks for all the tips. I had one more question. I was looking at the crossover for the front speakers and saw that all thats on the crossover is tweeter woofer and input. Is input the one that goes from there to the sub? or is it one of the other wires? thanks again for the help guys