How to Hook Up a Car Amp to a House Stereo
Car amplifiers are compact, powerful and durable and can easily power a set of speakers in a home stereo system. But since they're designed to operate in a 12-volt car environment, you can't just plug one into the wall outlet and use it. But you'll find that with the right gear and the proper setup, you can still use your car amplifier in the home.
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Things You'll Need
- AC to DC power inverter
- 10-gauge insulated power and ground cable (red and black)
- Wire cutters
- Wire strippers
- 16-gauge insulated wire
- Phillips screwdriver
- RCA patch cables
- Speaker wires
Instructions
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1
Place your power inverter in a location where you can plug it into an electric outlet or power strip. Place it close to where you'll be putting the amp if possible. Provide for ventilation around the inverter as inverters generate heat during use.
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2
Cut lengths of power and ground cable long enough to reach from the amplifier to the inverter, using your wire cutters. Place the ends of the cables into your wire stripper and remove 1/2 inch of insulation from the end of each cable.
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3
Cut a length of 16-gauge insulated cable long enough to reach from the amplifier to the inverter, using your wire cutters. Place the end of the cable into your wire stripper and remove 1/2 inch of insulation from the end.
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4
Loosen the terminals of your power inverter so that the opening is large enough to insert your cables. Different models and brands use different types of terminals, so consult your inverter's manual if you don't know how to do this.
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5
Slide the black wire into the negative terminal (-) and tighten the terminal to hold the wire. Twist together the end of the red cable and the 16-gauge cable and slide it into the positive terminal (+). Tighten the terminal.
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6
Loosen the positive, negative and remote terminals of the amplifier with a Phillips screwdriver. Insert the cables and tighten. Place the red cable in positive, the black in negative and the 16-gauge cable into remote.
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7
Connect your audio gear to the amplifier with an RCA patch cable. Push the plugs on the end of the cable into the inputs of the amplifier. Put the red plug in the red jack and the white in the white.
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8
Loosen the speaker terminals of the amplifier with a screwdriver and connect the wires leading to your speakers.
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