How to Wire Up a Car Speaker System
Wiring can be the most economical and dramatic choice in car stereo performance. It's the secret of pro installers, who know that wiring can make the difference between manufacturers' quality and state-of-the-art car audio magnificence. Run power cables as well as speaker cables from different sides of the car to minimize signal interference and distortion. Use wire strippers to bare the ends of the cables, and crimp connectors rather than solder to interconnect the wires throughout the car.
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Things You'll Need
- Guide to removing dash and speaker panels of car
- Pliers
- Utility knife
- Wire cutters
- Screwdrivers
- Wire strippers
- Amplifier wiring kit
- Electrical tape
Instructions
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Run separate wires for each speaker in your vehicle. This will always include front doors, and may include seat backs, rear doors, and/or rear decks for a sub-woofer.
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Run extra wire while doing the installation. Wire is very economical, and it's better and easier to run wire for a future component--i.e., a rear sub-woofer--even if it's not to be installed at the same time. Use 14-gauge speaker wire for all connections.
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Run amplifier cable from its installation point (often under a seat) to the head unit in the dash. Always leave a good 10 inches of extra cable or wire length to enable easy removal or swapping out of components.
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Crimp the connections to the existing wire hub, if there is a wire hub connecting the in-dash unit to the system. Crimping is faster, less messy, and more easily undone than soldering the wires.
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Make power wires and speaker wires as separate as possible. Install them in separate paths in the car or truck. If they must cross, cross as close to perpendicular as possible, and cross only once. Cables from the amp can induce hum in speaker wires.
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Tips & Warnings
Check speaker polarity with a 9-volt battery. If wires are not color coded, use the battery to determine positive and negative. If the speaker moves forward or out, the positive lead of the speaker is connected to the positive terminal of the battery. If the speaker moves back or in, then the wire touching the positive terminal of the battery is the negative speaker wire, and the speaker is potentially out of phase. Reverse the wires in this case.
Always disconnect the ground cable (negative lead) from your car battery first. NEVER work on the electrical system of a vehicle without disconnecting the battery lead.
