Audio Wiring

Please help me with the wiring. I would like to know where to run the RCA, Speaker wires and Power cable for my amp. I will be installing the amp under the drivers seat. Which wires do I need to keep away from each other.

Thank You

 

Hi, Keep the power wires away from the speaker wires as much as you can. I ran my power wires on the drivers side and speaker wires on the passenger side. HTH

 

My battery is on the driver side so naturally you would run the power on that side and speakers and RCA on the passenger side.

 

So its ok to keep the speaker wires and the RCA wires together, and would long do I need the RCA wires then. Can I run the RCA wire under to center consul. Where is the best place to ground the amp.?

Thank You Guys

 

It does not matter. Running speaker wires next to a power wire or the RCAs next to the power wire does not cause audible interference.

Typically, since the battery is on the driver's side, the power wire is easiest to run on that side. There is even a nice rubber grommet that you can use to get through the fire wall. The RCA's, in my truck, are easist to run on the passenger side. I did this because the 4awg power wire on the other side takes up a fair bit of real estate and it was easier on the passenger side. You can also run it down the center hump, but you have to deal with some carpet in the way.

Speaker wires, just run the back up the driver side and across under the dash. Just use some zip ties to secure them up under the dash and out of sight.

 

Is it a 4 channel amp or are you adding a sub? If it's a 4 channel you can def get interference if you run the power and signal cable together. If it's a sub amp you will be fine if you do that because you wouldnt hear it anyway. The "rule" is to run the power wire and signal wire at least 18 inches from each other and if you have to run them close, cross them at a 90 degree angle. If you are putting the amp under the seat your best ground point under there is going to be to a seat bolt or a seat belt bolt. Good luck.

 

the "keep power away from signal" thing is a myth. i've never had any problems with both ways. i use to keep them away but now its 10 times easier to make one wire run

 

not a myth, interfearence is real, it just may not happen to your set up.

to ground my amp i used the seat bolt.

 

Someone may correct me, but you're not going to get much interference from a DC power cable. AC is a different story, but luckily one we don't have to worry about.

 

Go ahead and believe in the easter bunny. Easter is real and rabbits are real...

Noise induction, while it exists, is not manifested in an audible levels through a properly shielded and grounded system. You have much more intense forms of radio interference in the mobile audio environment than what would be induced through a 12v power cable and properly shielded interconnects. The electric field that surrounds your power wire is minimal, and typically the cables are run parallel to each other, which reduces the flux of the field to near zero anyway.

The physics do no support power wires causing noise. The issue of noise induced in the mobile audio environment, if it exsists, is typically because of a poor ground, a short, or a transmitter such as a cell phone or other electronic transmitter.