battery for amp

[Nikku]

Hey guys, I just got my first sub yesturday. its a 12" sony xplod ( dont flame me, all i want is a little more bass not to be deaf ) anyways im getting an amplifier tommorow and i know it has to be hooked to the battery. my questions is...

1.) Is there a wire that is hooked to the cd player that connects to the battery? If so can i just splice it and connect it to the amp? 2.) If the above isnt possable and i have to hook it directly to the battery how do i go about getting from the trunk to under the hood?

I was thinking of just getting a battery for the trunk. but with no altenator to recharge it im sure it will run out fast!

Thanks,

[PoorManQ45]

You cannot do option 1. The wire isn't large enough to carry the amount of power you will need.

A battery in the trunk without it hooked to the main battery makes no sense.

IIRC there is a gromet where the clutch pedal should be(if you don't have a manual). Or you can follow the main wiring harness through the firewall

[Nikku]

ok, another question.

1.) on the amp there are three things for power. 1. remote 2. Ground 3. Power, my question is will it work if i just hook up the power and ground? or do i have to hook the remote thing to the headunit?

Thanks

[PoorManQ45]

It'll "work" meaning it can power up, but it won't power up.

The remote wire is the same as the autosensing circuit in home subs. When the amp is needed(HU on) the amp is on, when it's not needed(HU off) the amp is off

[Nikku]

ok is the headunit a seperate thing i have to buy? or is it built into the cd player?

[PoorManQ45]

The headunit is the radio. The thing in the dash.

Are you using the stock headunit?

If so there is usually a blue power wire coming off the factory HU. You can connect your remote wire from the amp to this.

[xxcrashxx]

its not always correctly color coded with the factory harness. with my infiniti j30, the factory harness colors are nothing near the "basic" colors. but u can look at a diagram of the wire harness and find out which wire is the remote amp line.

[joe603]

I would recommend getting it installed at a stereo shop or electronics store (circuit city/best buy). It doesn't sound as though the poster really understands how the amp connects to signal and power, and could cause damage to his vehicle.

No offense...we were all there at one point! I just don't want you to set your car on fire by incorrectly wiring an external amplifier. (seen it happen)

It shouldn't cost too much, and the work is guaranteed if you go to a reputable business.

[Nikku]

ok i finally got it all set up. here is my setup. i did it all myself,

i used all oxygen free copper wire

1.) 5g wire on positive battery terminal fuse'd with 100 fuse at 12in2.) 5g wire going into cab via rubber plug above the driver side front tire.3.) 5g wire connected to 9g wire4.) 9g wire connected to amp on B+5.) 9g wire from amp grnd to chasis6.) 22g remote wire going from sony CDX-GT510 to remote term on amp.7.) 16g wire from sub outs on cd player to inputs on amp8.) 16g wire from amp outs to sub.9.) bad amp ;( ( it was free tho )

Any thing i should change??? it took me 4 hours HAHAHAH

[joe603]

For step 7...Did you mean RCA cables from the head deck to the amp?

Do you see any lights come on with the amp when the head deck is on?

Are you sure your getting power to the amp? Test with a multimeter.

[Nikku]

Yes, sorry i ment RCA cables. yes the power led on the amp lights up.the amp is a 4channel amp.

can someone tell me how to hook this up

ok i got the rca cables hooked into the rear outs of the head deck ( red to red and white to white ) i then have them going into the amp. on the amp input, red is channel one and white is channel two, then there is another red wich is channel 3 and another white wich is channel 4. then on the speaker output, all the channels have a + and -, . how do i hook it up

[joe603]

Well lets figure it out!

First off, what amp are we working with?

What speakers are you using?

We'll go from there...

[Nikku]

i have an "American Pro" vs-1244 600w amp. and one Sony 12" Xplod

my amp: http://www.americanproaudio.com/vs-12xx.html
Modified by Nikku at 7:02 AM 12/29/2006

[PoorManQ45]

If you used 5awg wire you need to change that fuse to ~60~80amps. 100amps is too much and will lead to the insulation melting if you ever do pull that much power

[joe603]

Ok, that amp has a front and rear RCA input.

Amp 101: 4-ch means that there can be up to 4 speakers connected at 4ohms. This number can be increased with series/parallel wiring.

The amp's front is split into 2 channels, right/left; the rear is also split into 2 channels, right/left-hence the label "4 channel"

Now for wiring:From your head deck, use the front RCA output and connect to the amps front input. The sub-output from the head deck, goes to the Rear channel input on the amp.

Because the amp will not push 2ohm bridged, your only safe option is to wire the subs normal. From the amp, run the "+" and "-" for the left to the left speaker, and the "+" "-" for the right to the right....

You didn't mention what and how many mid/high speakers you have. But, they would connect to the front channels of the amp. If you have 4 you could wire in series to keep the amps load down.

[Nikku]

ok i dont have a "sub output" on my head deck, i have a rear output and a front output and a bus input. also the only thing that is going to be connected to the amp is going to be 1 12" sub at 4ohm

[PoorManQ45]

Just connect the front preamp outs from the HU to the amp.

The amp should have a lowpass filter in it. This will take out everything but the bass from the signal

[joe603]

I see, well the amp can't bridge all 4 channels into 1, so I would use the front channels for your mid/high speakers. You'll like the sound quality over using the head deck internal amp.

The amp has a built in crossover, so you can use your deck's rear output. Make sure you turn of the deck's EQ, and flatten the curve. To connect the sub to the amp, you should see on the rear channel of the amp's speaker connection, an indicator of how to bridge the 2 channels to 1. Usually it uses the "+" from one channel and the "-" of the other.

To get the best possible sound, install 4-aftermarket speakers to replace the stock ones. Wire the left side together in series

Now for connecting the 4 speakers to the front inputs on the amp:

Wiring in parallel will draw the most current your amp can handle. Basically, you're going to wire the 2 right speakers to the amps front right output, and the 2 left speakers to the amps front left output. Really simple to do!

Start with one side, and wire the "+"s from each speaker to the "+" on the amps corresponding side. Same with the "-". Repeat with the other side.

I can send you a diagram if you like (you cant add attachments anymore on NICO )

[Nikku]

i have tried doin a bridge ( + from channel 1 and - from channel2 ) and there was still no audio, im going to get a 1000w sony amp today in about.....12 min when i get off work.

thanks for your guys help.

Joe, i would like the diagram can u pm it to me?

[joe603]

sent you an e-mail

[Nikku]

Thanks, It was the amp. got that 1000w sony amp and it work like a charm..... and my girl loves it

[PoorManQ45]

Now for connecting the 4 speakers to the front inputs on the amp:

Wiring in parallel will draw the most current your amp can handle. Basically, you're going to wire the 2 right speakers to the amps front right output, and the 2 left speakers to the amps front left output. Really simple to do!

Start with one side, and wire the "+"s from each speaker to the "+" on the amps corresponding side. Same with the "-". Repeat with the other side.

I'd never recommend doing it this way.

Just buy a four channel amp and a mono amp for the sub

[joe603]

If you don't have another amp, this is an option...or to get a 5 channel amp that has a subwoofer channel. But, if money is tight, this would work fine.

[PoorManQ45]

Yep, it'd be fine, but I like having fader control

Note: I just put a set of Focal 165A1s in the hatch of my wagon. Powered by a cheap pioneer amp(for now)

[joe603]

So Nikku, did you get everything hooked up?