What gauge wire do i use for amp and subs?

 

New member
Username: Lukasz70

Post Number: 10
Registered: Apr-05
hi, got a sony 2100gtx 600w amp, it has a 25a fuse (has 2 fuses) i need to know what kind of wires to use for hooking it all up:-(

ive had people tell me to use 4-6gauge, and i've read on the net to use 10gauge, so which do i use:-(
its only about 7-10feet, from battery to trunk, for the power lead, and ground should be how long?
also what about the wires for the subs? just normal speaker wire? or what size gauge?

thx
 

Silver Member
Username: Theelfkeeper

Stockbridge, GA USA

Post Number: 389
Registered: Feb-05
i'd go ahead and get 4AWG or larger so if you upgrade later you won't have to redo all your wireing
your ground wire should only be about 4 feet long
as far as the sub wire goes, anything from 12-18 AWG should be fine.
 

WC
Unregistered guest
Yeah, ono of the RF amp kit that is 4 gauge is pretty good. Costs about $80 at buest buy and $40 on the net.
 

Silver Member
Username: Theelfkeeper

Stockbridge, GA USA

Post Number: 392
Registered: Feb-05
www.KNUKONCEPTZ.com
cheapest wire i've found anywhere
 

Bronze Member
Username: Lukasz70

Post Number: 11
Registered: Apr-05
probably wont be buying a kit though, i already have RCA cables, and there are alot of stores near by that i can buy per/ft, 10ft would be enough.

4gauge sounds good, but a 6-8gauge would still be perfect right?

so, here is how i should hook it up:
power,
+ 4-8gauge
- 4-8guage
GRD 4-8gauge no longer then 4 feet.

speakers
12-18gauge

what about fuse on the + line? ive seen then at canadian tire, but only 12AWG wire on them to connect, do they have fuse kits to connect your own AWG wire?


also, RCA and power cables shouldnt run beside each other to the trunk right? i heard that can increase noise.
 

Silver Member
Username: Theelfkeeper

Stockbridge, GA USA

Post Number: 393
Registered: Feb-05
6-8AWG should work
use the same AWG for both ground and power
you can find kits without RCA cables too
inline fuses will come with cases that'll accept different sizes, 0,2,4,6,8....ect.
and you wanna run signal wires away from power wires and not just the power wires for your sound system, but the ones running through your car as well
 

Bronze Member
Username: Lukasz70

Post Number: 14
Registered: Apr-05
thanks alot!!
i was a little confused with all this AWG stuff, i didn't know it made a difference, i was just gonna use an old vacuume cleaner cord for power/ground lol, worked fine with my old amp, but then again it was only 100w
 

Bronze Member
Username: Lukasz70

Post Number: 16
Registered: Apr-05
one last thing,
already bought teh wires, its ready to be wired, just 2 more questions,

1. does the length or the RCA cables matter? i have quite a long rca cable and i have 1/2 of it bundled together cause its that long, can it loose signal with length or anything?

2. i want to install an on/off switch for the amp, is there a point in doing this? i like being able to cut the power to it if i have to, this means i have to install a switch on the +line, i have a 120v switch already, but it wont take the size or 8awg, the disconnect terminals (the little terminal you crimp wires in and connect to speakers, or anything else) they only fit 12-16awg, cant find ones big enough at store for 8awg.
 

Bronze Member
Username: Calaway

Austin, TX

Post Number: 56
Registered: May-04
Not sure about length of RCA. But you don't want to try and put a switch on the power wire. Put a switch on the blue remote wire going from the head unit to the amp. This tells the amp to turn on as your radio comes on. The remote is like 18 gauge and Walmart has on-off switches for like $3 that work fine.
 

Gold Member
Username: Fishy

Tamarac Ft.Laud, FL USA

Post Number: 1181
Registered: Sep-04
If you're looking for an easy way to cut power to your amp so you can safely work on stuff you could use one of these:

http://www.autoanything.com/products/product_sp.aspx?p_id=1720&se=car_security_b attery_disconnect_switch

If you use the little fuse that comes with it you won't completely isolate power, but if you do accidentally short power to ground the fuse will blow before any serious damage is done. If you forgoe the fuse then whenever you turn off the switch you shut off power to your entire car's electrical system. That can be problematic for some car's computers and in my vehicle leads to the alarm going off when you hook power back up.

Oh, I couldn't find one on their site, but I've seen those switches at Pep Boys.

Another option would be to run a high current battery switch inline with your amp's power wire. This would be a more difficult install but a 2 position marine battery switch would work

http://www.basspro.com/servlet/catalog.TextId?hvarTextId=58533&hvarTarget=search &cmCat=SearchResults

and you wouldn't have to worry about blown fuses or disconnecting the rest of your car's electrical system.

-Fishy
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