How to Install Amplifiers

The key to any good sound system is the amplifier, which is either a separate unit or includes an AM/FM radio, possibly satellite radio or receiver. A common rule of thumb is the more powerful the amplifier, the better sound quality you're going to have.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Cars

1. Choose a location that is as far out of sight as possible. Two good spots are either under the passenger seat or in the car's trunk.

2. Connect the power cable, which runs from the positive pole on your battery to the amplifier, and ground the amplifier, preferably to something metal using a ground wire. You should also install an in-line fuse about 18 inches from your car's battery.

3. Run RCA cables from the stereo system's head unit to the amplifier, making sure they run under the car's carpet on the opposite side of the power cable. This will reduce the chance for static or interference, such as a hum.

4. Connect the thin blue wire, which is the remote power cable, to either a switch on your dashboard or between your head unit and the amplifier. This will allow your head unit to control whether your amplifier is turned on or off.

5. Run your speaker wires from the amplifier to your car's speaker, making sure you connect them to the proper poles (rear, center, front).

Home Audio Systems

6. Placed the amplifier is a position where it can easily be connected to a surge protector and within cable length or your speakers and other components.

7. Connect your source devices (like DVD player or turntable) to your amplifier using line-level interconnect cables.

8. If your amplifier doesn't have a built-in power source, use RCA cables to connect it to your power source. This is especially true if you're connecting a pre-amp to power speakers in another zone.

9. Connect an impedance-matching/speaker selector device (if it's not integrated into your amplifier) to the main speaker output of your amplifier. This will match the impedance of your speakers and will turn them on or off.

10. Connect your speaker wires to the outputs of the connecting block or to the back of an integrated amplifier. There should be a set of two wires for each speaker.

11. Run your speaker wires to the speakers, and connect them making sure you attach the positive and negative wires from the amplifier to the correct terminals on the speakers. If possible, the wires should be hidden or run through your walls.