How to install a amplifier in my car

However, my ACC wire on the bike is connected to a 2 prong plug. One side goes to where it needs to go to give power when the key is turned on, the other side goes to ground If the sound gets muddy when you turn it up, you need the added power of an amplifier. You probably know the difference in sound between your TV speakers and a home theater system. An amplifier in your vehicle can make that kind of difference. You'll hear a bigger, fuller sound, with more detail and greater impact, especially if you've installed better speakers in your vehicle.

The first consideration is how many speakers you'll be powering and how much power each speaker will handle. Once you know that, you'll know how many amplifier channels you'll need and how much power you'll want. Yes, you can, as long as you have a basic knowledge of electronics and you're handy with tools. You'll have to run a power wire from your vehicle's battery back to your amp's location, and then a ground wire from the amp to your vehicle's chassis.

It's important to do the job correctly so you don't damage your vehicle. Our Tech Support people can help you if any issues come up. Check your speakers or sub to see how much power they can handle in terms of "watts RMS. Speakers are more forgiving, so you don't always have to max them out, although more power always sounds better.

The easy answer is "one speaker per channel. There are plenty of exceptions to this rule, so contact an Advisor to get the best advice for your situation. How much power and how many channels do your car speakers need? This guide will help you choose the right amplifier for your car's sound system. Check out this overview of a typical installation to see the steps involved when you install an amplifier in your vehicle. Where should I mount it? What wiring do I need? What size fuse and power wire?

These wiring diagrams illustrate how amplifiers connect to your audio system, which will make it easier to shop for the gear you need for the system of your dreams.

Car amplifier audio terms - like watts, volts, and efficiency - are explained. Confused about wiring your subs and picking the right amplifier? Crutchfield will get you on the fast track to big bass with this simple guide. You need to set your amplifiers gain correctly in order to enjoy your musics full range of dynamics hearing all the notes clearly, whether loud or soft.

Here's a method for setting amp gain fast and accurately using test tones. There are many ways to connect subwoofers to an amplifier. Our wiring diagrams will help you find the best way to wire your subs and amps so you'll get the best performance out of your gear. What size of wire should you should use when installing an amplifier? Use our handy wire gauge chart to find out. For free personalized advice, call Our Advisors have listened to most of the speakers we carry, and can help you make the best choice for your system.

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Cancel my request. It's your turn. See bio. We will be calling you. We're sorry. We have encountered a problem. Sorry, the call-back feature is currently unavailable. Car amplifier installation guide Step-by-step instructions for wiring an amp. Meet Buck Pomerantz Close. More about Buck Started at Crutchfield in Completed our thorough in-house Advisor training, learning about the ins and outs of our various products Stays up-to-date by attending vendor training sessions for new products Earned MECP Mobile Electronics Certified Professional certification Designed and organized Crutchfield's subwoofer wiring diagrams Authored dozens of Crutchfield articles and hundreds of product presentations, primarily focused on car audio amplifiers and pro audio gear Answers the many customer questions posted in the comments on his articles Semi-retired soundman with decades of experience making other people sound good From to , also worked as a sidelines video camera grip for University of Virginia football and basketball games.

Q: How do I install an amplifier? Power and ground wires The power and ground wires need to be thick enough to accommodate the amp's demand for electrical current or the amp won't operate properly or put out its rated power. The fuse that will protect your system The in-line fuse on the main power cable, mounted within six inches or so of the battery connection, is essential for protecting the wire, your car, and you from a catastrophic fire in the event of a short circuit.

An amplifier wiring kit The easiest way to get these items is with an amplifier wiring kit , which will include matching power, ground, turn-on wires, and fuse. RCA cables and speaker wire Amp wiring kits often don't include signal wiring. Bojo trim panel tools. Fuse installed on power wire, and secured in engine compartment near the battery. Setting the amp's gain.

Comments Read comments. Reggie, You can do that only after you disconnect the lower door speakers from the factory amp, so each speaker won't have two amp outputs connected to it, trying to blow each other up.

You can connect your new amp's outputs to the factory speaker wiring, to avoid having to run new speaker wires throughout your car.

They deserve a more powerful amp. Using both amps each bridged to power a sub might be your best option using the gear at hand to power one sub with watts RMS and the other with watts. Otherwise, I recommend getting a mono, 1-channel subwoofer amplifier that can put out up to watts RMS at 2 ohms. Beto, There's no need for such an edit. In step 5 we state: "Attach the power cable to the positive battery terminal Tim, An online search for the amp you name comes up with zero suggestions.

It does, however, sound like you have a mono subwoofer amplifier with a low-pass filter engaged. This is an inappropriate amp for a full-range speaker. Doug, If you purchased your gear from Crutchfield, you're entitled to free lifetime tech support.

Give us a call so someone can fix you up. Dave, A fuse holder, and its fuse, must fit whatever size power cable is used. If you're using 8-gauge power and ground wires, then the fuse holder must be able to get attached to 8-gauge wire, and the fuse near the battery should be 50A or less. A great way to be sure you'll have everything you need to to get an amplifier wiring kit. Jimmy, If your receiver only has two outputs, you can use two RCA Y-cord adapters to make four input channels for your amp.

I don't know what it is that you refer to as a "worthless control app", but I'll guess that the gain and crossover filters on the amp aren't set correctly.

Check out this article for some guidance. Vincent, If your vehicle is electric or has more than one battery, you should only let a qualified mechanic or audio installer disconnect things. Otherwise, using an appropriately-sized wrench, you'd loosen the bolt-nut assembly holding the negative terminal to the battery's negative pole tightly.

Then, you'd lift the terminal off the pole and tuck it away where it won't re-contact the negative battery pole. Then, the system is safe to work on without fear of short circuits, sparks, or shocks. Anthony, Without knowing the make and model of bike you're referring to, or seeing a wiring diagram of its electrical system, it's impossible to explain. Looking for car amplifiers? Shop our selection. The easiest way to shop car audio online Find what Fits your vehicle Remove.

Checking fit Related products. In stock. Bojo Trim Panel Tools. Crutchfield CK4. Crutchfield Red Power Wire. Rockford Fosgate TbdCP. Go back See more. Popular questions customers ask Toggle Why would I put an amplifier in my car? Toggle How do I choose a car amplifier?

Read the full article. Toggle Can I install a car amplifier? Toggle How many watts should my amp have? Toggle How many channels should my new amp have? Car amplifier buying guide How much power and how many channels do your car speakers need?

How to install a car amplifier Check out this overview of a typical installation to see the steps involved when you install an amplifier in your vehicle.

Amplifier wiring diagrams These wiring diagrams illustrate how amplifiers connect to your audio system, which will make it easier to shop for the gear you need for the system of your dreams. Car amplifiers glossary Car amplifier audio terms - like watts, volts, and efficiency - are explained. How to set amplifier gain using test tones You need to set your amplifiers gain correctly in order to enjoy your musics full range of dynamics hearing all the notes clearly, whether loud or soft.

Subwoofer wiring diagrams There are many ways to connect subwoofers to an amplifier. Amplifier wire gauge chart What size of wire should you should use when installing an amplifier? Audition speakers before you buy. Virtual Audio technology allows you to compare sonic characteristics between speakers so you can make a more informed shopping decision. SpeakerCompare simulates the sound of home and car speakers through your headphones.

It lets you compare sonic characteristics between speakers so that you can make a more informed shopping decision. Learn how SpeakerCompare works. Select your headphone brand Brand. Select your headphone model Model. Don't see your headphones? Rent our Listening Kit. Please turn active noise cancelling off for best results. Add up to 4 items. What to listen for. We're here to help For free personalized advice, call Learn more.

Why selecting your headphones is important. SpeakerCompare tailors your listening experience to the exact headphones you have, so that what you hear is comparable to auditioning speakers side-by-side in person.

Two different listening modes. In an actual listening room, you'd find that some speakers play louder than others when fed the same amount of power. In equal power mode, you'll hear these differences in loudness as they naturally occur between speakers.

In equal volume mode, we've made the loudness of each speaker about the same. This gives you a more direct comparison of subtle voicing differences between speakers. Nothing beats listening to speakers in your space. SpeakerCompare gives you a sense of the sonic differences. But performance in the real world is affected by the acoustics of your car or home, your choice of amplification, and your source material. We're here to help. Our headphone testing and research is ongoing.

If your headphones are not currently selectable, please use the link below to request our Listening Kit. It includes a pair of studio-quality headphones, a combination DAC digital-to-analog converter and headphone amp, USB mobile adapters, and a guide to getting the most out of your session. If your headphones are not currently selectable, please use the link above to request our Listening Kit.

Submit Don't show this again. Great Gear Giveaway. There was an error. Please contact us to sign up for emails. Go to new page. Direct line:. Located in Virginia. More about us. Find what Fits your vehicle Remove. Please Select Make. Make sure you do not pinch the power wire or accidentally cut the power wire while you are running it through the engine bay. Install an inline fuse. This fuse will protect your vehicle from being destroyed in case of a power wiring shorting. You will need to remove the rocker panel and kick panel covers to do this as well.

Continue to run your power wire to it's destination point where the amp is mounted. Be mindful to avoid any pinch points such as seat tracks or door jambs. Connect your power wire to the amplifier using the correct hardware such as ring terminal. Connect the blue wire to the remote.

Use plastic zip ties to secure your power wire to make sure it doesn't move or interfere with surrounding wires. Run the RCA cables and the remote turn-on wire typically a blue wire but you will need to check your head unit's manual from the back of your head unit to your amplifier's mounting location.

However, run your RCA cables on the opposite side of vehicle. You do not want to run power wires and signal cables on the same side of the vehicle. This could induce noise into your system. Connect the remote turn-on wire to your amplifier using an appropriate connector such as a ring terminal. Run your speaker wires from your speakers to your amplifier. If your running your speakers from the inside of your vehicle; make sure you run them on the same side as your RCA cables.

Connect the speaker wires to your amplifier using the appropriate connectors. Connect the negative terminal of the amplifier to the chassis ground of your vehicle. The negative wire does not have to be a long piece of wire. If possible, scrape an area that is clear of the gas tank and insert a metal screw.

The metal to metal contact will conduct a chassis ground. Check over your work and make sure everything is secure. After this is done, you may then insert your inline fuse. You could get a line-out converter. You can usually find them at auto parts stores or online. You splice them into your speaker wires, per the instructions, and run your RCA cables from the converter. Yes No. Not Helpful 0 Helpful 1.

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Submit a Tip All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published. Be careful when you are attempting to place a hole for the chassis ground. Make sure you survey the area carefully so that you do not drill into the gas tank. Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0. You Might Also Like How to. How to. Co-authors: Updated: September 16, Categories: Audio Speakers Electronic Amplifiers. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 36, times.

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