Comments on: How to Wire a Car Stereo System

on 8/8/2006 The more output you require from your amplifier, the more distortion it will create. Dirty power is what blows speakers, so it may be wiser to invest in an amp that will slightly overpower your speakers to create cleaner and safer sound.

on 8/8/2006 If you choose an amp with an average RMS rating above the rating of the sub, you can lower the gain and get better quality sound. Over-powering the sub can occur, but only if you are neglectful and turn the gain up too high. It is much better to run your amp on half gain than full gain. It will increase the life of the MOSFETs and produce better quality sound (won't run into distorted saturation).

on 8/8/2006 It may be cheaper to have 1 15" sub, but at high levels it can become sloppy. Whereas two 10's or two 12's will deliver better performance and better quality; without becoming as sloppy.

on 8/8/2006 Hi,
I noticed in the section explaining how to hook up a car stereo, where it talks about bridging a pair of speakers, the example bridges two 8 ohm speakers which would cut the impedance in half. It says that two 8 ohm speakers in parallel would give you a 2 ohm load, but it would actually give you a 4 ohm load. This could be very confusing for someone who has no idea about impedances in parallel and series.
Thanks

on 7/25/2006 It is actually a good idea to have an amp that can exceed your speakers RMS rating. It will reduce "clipping" and it will put less stress on the amplifier. You will not have to worry about the amp overheating as much, and you will just get a better overall sound. However, you have to be careful not to overpower your speakers.

on 3/29/2006 Never use an amp that can overpower your subs. If your speakers can handle 300 watts, just get a 300 watt amp, so you don't have to worry about blowing the speakers or wasting money on an amp that has more power than you need.

on 11/22/2005 Hi,
I noticed in the section explaining how to hook up a car stereo, where it talks about bridging a pair of speakers, the example bridges two 8 ohm speakers which would cut the impedance in half. It says that two 8 ohm speakers in parallel would give you a 2 ohm load, but it would actually give you a 4 ohm load. This could be very confusing for someone who has no idea about impedances in parallel and series.
Thanks

on 11/22/2005 It's best to put a fuse somewhere between the remote in your amp and to the other end. I had it get too much power and melt all my wiring and smoke came out really bad. Luckily I knew what the problem was right away, so I yanked it out and the smoke stopped.

on 11/22/2005 Many people, including myself, believe a capacitor is unnecessary in a small to mild system. Unless you need headache creating, block quaking bass, you don't need it. A less expensive alternative is cable upgrading. This also benefits the vehicles electrical system. It's typically called the big 3 upgrade.

1. Upgrade the cable that goes from your alternator to your battery's (+) terminal with 4 gauge cable or thicker

2. Upgrade the cable that goes from the battery's (-) terminal to the cars frame (on body-on-frame cars/trucks/SUVs) with 4 gauge or thicker cable or upgrade the cable that goes from the battery's (-) terminal to the cars body (on uni-body cars/trucks/SUVs)

3. Upgrade the cable that goes from the battery's (-) terminal to the engine block.

Upgrade 1 helps the alternators charging and current flow capabilities, most electrical components are connected to your battery, but when the car is turned on, all vehicle electrical power comes from the alternator. Doesn't it make sense for the alternators current to flow easier through a bigger cable?

Upgrades 2 and 3 help to provide a better ground. A good ground is necessary in all electrical applications.

on 11/22/2005 It is always good to use some sort of eyelet or crimp on a connector when hooking any sort of power to your battery. The same thing also applies for the ground, when you use an eyelet it fits much more flush to a battery terminal or a bolt to the chassis; therefore, your connection, clarity, and quality is better. It makes the job look much neater than just horseshoeing your wire around the the target metal.

on 11/22/2005 Never turn the Gain on the amplifier up too much when you're running the amp to Speakers. Speakers can be blown pretty easy if you give them too much power. My friend did it and now he needs new speakers. I usually keep the gain at like 10-30% up. Just listen for the sound, make sure the speakers arent crackling and they still have clear sound.

One reason is because the higher frequency sounds take a lot less power to create, while Low frequency sounds (subwoofers) take a lot more power and thats why it is ok to turn the gain up a little more for subs, but still be careful, it isnt a volume control.

on 11/22/2005 Don't forget to add a fuse within 18 inches of the battery. This way, if you power wire shorts between the battery and the amp/stereo, the fuse will protect from a possible car fire. The fuse(s) in your amp or stereo are not enough. A car battery has about 375 amps available, when they short-circuit it is like a welder and can burn your car to the ground! Protect your ride - fuse it!

on 11/22/2005 Try to run your power and groundwires on the oppsite side of the RCA and remote wires, this will help the over all sound quality of you system.

on 7/5/2007 It is always a good idea to use at least one capacitor per amplifier. Run a hard 4 or 8 gauge wire from the battery of choice to the capacitor and then plug in the amplifier. This acts as a second battery. When you hit a hard bass, the lights don't flicker. This also helps out the alternator. It's a really good idea to use this on older cars.

on 11/22/2005 An easy way to ground the amplifier is to connect the ground wire to a bolt that holds a seat to the floor. It is easy to find, and convenient to work around.