A car without an audio system will make you feel like you are a robot, and your job is only driving when needed. I cannot think of going anywhere without listening to the song or radio, so everyone does it too.
Knowing about how to install a car amplifier is the hardest thing to do, but if you know the basics, you can quickly achieve the goal by installing the amplifier yourself.
You can optimize or replace the audio system yourself by not taking your car to a workshop or hire any professional.
How to Install A Car Amplifier?
To know A to Z about installing a car amplifier, this article will guide you to build up these projects by yourself.
What does the Amplifier do in a Car?
You cannot enjoy the audio system without an amplifier. It is an integral component that provides power to the sound system of your car.
You can enjoy high-quality music through the amplifier as it boosts the audio the signal in the head unit, and the signal will be amplified. It also controls the bass, equalizer and adjusts the sound so that it can create a soft vibe in your ear.
Basic Consideration
Before starting the project, you need to think about some necessary yet important considerations like what kits you will need, where to mount the amp, how to assembles the wires, etc. making proper decision is the key to success, so a little study about amp will take you a long way.
Accessories and wiring you will Need
You can either buy an amplifier wiring kit where you will get power and ground wires, fuse, and many more or buy them separately.
Power Wire and Ground Wire
The power wire needs to fulfill the amp and the power setting according to your amplifiers. If the amp is less power-oriented, the power wire will not be heavy.
The power wire has to match with your amp that is written on the amp’s instruction manual. The size, lengths, power is significant here.
An Inline Fuse
The fuse protects all the systems so the rates should be correct otherwise, it can make a short circuit or any damage to the system.
Different lengths of wiring need separate amp fuse such as for 10-gauge wiring it needs a 25-amp fuse, for 8-gauge wiring it needs a 60-amp fuse, and the lower the wiring length, the higher the fused power.
RCA Cable
The cable sends a signal from the input receiver from the output receiver. The wiring kit may not include it, better buy them in matching length and size.
Run the RCA cable from behind to the location of the amplifier and then attach it with the head unit. Make it in away from the opposite side of the car that it doesn’t go on the same side of the power wire as it will increase the speaker’s nose.
So, the wiring of the power and the sound will come in the opposite direction from behind to the head unit accordingly.
- Speaker wire: the wires work with the speaker.
- Turn-on switch
- Connector plugs
- An earth wires
Where to Install the Amp?
You can mount the amp in your car in some specific place, which also depends on the car model.
First of all, read the manufacture so that you can securely mounting it in the right place. Also, it should be mounted at least three feet away from the stereo to prevent interference with radio reception.
Amp also produces heat, so you should not install any metal parts. It will also create a noise problem.
The wire should be adjusted in a safe place, do not let it stay on any power cables; otherwise, the wire will get damaged. Putting it underneath the floor or the dashboard is the best place to line them.
Some location to install amplifier are,
Under the seat
The receiver is close to the seat, so you will need only a short patch and signal cables to install the amp under the seat.
Also, the speaker is close to here, so the wire will be needed very few to install the amp. Although you have to remove the seat entirely and only small size Amp can fit in here.
Passenger side
Removing the seat is not needed here. But this is not recommended as the amp could be close to some noise area.
In the trunk
You can install a large amp here as the place is big enough. I would say it is the best place for installing amp as the speaker and amp controls will be near to the amp. Although you will need longer wires and patch cords.
Car Amplifier Wiring Diagram Installation
Some may argue that understanding the car wiring diagram installation is a complicated thing to understand for all. Only the expert can get rid of these complicated things.
But here, we are going to provide some tips to make it easier to understandhow to wire car speakers to an amp diagram correctly. Here we will provide an installation guide and diagram of aftermarket amplifier upgrades.
We will Need –car amplifier wiring kit.
- Wire strip for the installation process
- Speaker level inputs
- Amplifier wiring kit to get things done hassle-free
- Electrical tape
- Amp waiting kit
- wire gauge
- Power wires to run power to the amp
- Wires for the speaker system installation
- Gauge Wire and Turn-on Wire
- Electrical tape
- Remote wire
- RCA Cables
Car Amplifier Installation Process
After locating a place for your amp, it’s time to install it. Whatever the car model is, the process of installing an amp is almost the same. Imagine, your selected place is under the seat, so the process on how to hook up a car is given below:
Remove the Seat
First of all, remove the seat from the car and put it on the outside. Now remove the screws and trim piece from the carpet then pull the carpet too.
Get a Good Ground
Clean the ground and scrape away all the paint with a Dremel tool. The paints should be removed entirely from any metals out there. Otherwise, it will decrease the amp power, and the amp will be overheated, which can damage or makes short circuits.
So, making a good ground is essential. If there is any sound decreasing material like dynamite, cut that off and make a good ground.
Set the Ground Wire
Now drill a hole in the floorboard but before doing it, check the underneath if there are any wires or lines. Take the ground wire and flare it at the head. After that, set a clipper on it tightly. Set the clip on the hole.
To prevent the ground loop, set another wire which is connected to the stereo. If the stereo is away from the ground amp, the extra wire helps a lot to reduce electrical noise. Sometimes, you can set it with a bare metal surface to do the job.
Use a wire stripper to strip the insulation of the wire from both ends. If you can strip the wire, it will easier to reduce the noise. Also, the wire that goes into the main compartment needed to have a better strip insulation for the safety.
If there is any rusted metal on the ground, remove it and paint on the clip. The paint will prevent rusting on the clip.
Install Power Cable During Car Amp Install
The power cable will be connected from the battery to the amp. Just hook the cable at the positive terminal of the battery and set a fuse holder away from the battery.
Run the power cable at the ground of the engine compartment to the negative terminal. So, other parts will not be disturbed. You can make some holes in their carefully so that the wire can set properly.
There is a little screw head on the amp ground, and you can drill in here to get the power cable. Remember, do not run the power cable up off the engine otherwise, it will make a lot of noise. Now create a drill on the firewall and set a grommet so the power cable can run through it.
Some people give tips to set it on a bare metal surface, so the noise is reduced. There are many metal chassis surface you can set it on.
Make a Fuse Holder Wire and Install It
To building a fuse holder, take a cable and set a ring terminal on the head. You can set the ring terminal on the battery and on the other side put some split loom. Use the speaker level inputs to make it right.
If you have a factory radio and need to attach it then, you should use amp wiring kits properly to have a good audio signal.
Twist a plastic tube on the fuse holder wire head. Attach the split loom all over the wire. Now remove the bolt from the positive battery terminal and install the fuse cable there. This was also good with a negative battery terminal.
There are many battery which cannot deliver power for high end amp. But if you are using a powerful winch battery, it will be no trouble. After that, connect the power cable with the fuse holder than connect it to the amp.
Final Work on Amplifier Installation
Connect the remote power wire from the stereo to the amp, and the RCA cable is also connected here. After the set, the RCA to the head unit and remote power wire to the amp set the speaker wire to the speaker of your car.
When you will get your RCA attached to the head unit and speaker wire, and ground cable and the main power cable on the carpet, hook the amplifier and turn on.
Make sure the wires are straight and not connected with any unwanted things. If there is any stray wire hanging, secure it.
After setting up all this, turn on the car engine and check if all the parts work correctly. And then, you can use turn on wire to your amplifier.
How Much Does It Cost to Install an Amplifier in a Car?
The cost of installing an amp to the car depends on what brands amp and kits you want to use. Different types of amp require different prices. Also, it would help if you understood what you are buying it for.
For a factory stereo speaker setup, the amp doesn’t need higher power and kick panel, so that it will cost less. If you are working with a 5-speaker setup, you will need a powerful amplifier with better signal connection wiring so that it will cost much higher.
You can spend $40 to $200 bucks for an amp, but as you know, the low-quality amp won’t serve you long. Also, if you want to use a multi-channel speaker with it, you have to spend $80 to $400 that depends on your choice.
How to Match Speakers to Amplifier?
To matching the amp to the speaker, choose an amp that can send power twice or more. The power rating should be 350 watts, so the amp needs to require at least 700 watts per channel.
If the amp has extra headroom, you will get good power quality so your speaker will not receive distorted power. So, having enough headroom is very important for preventing the gear clipping.
Also, the amp should have transient peak capability so that it can send more power to the speaker.
How to Put a Subwoofer in Your Car?
To know how to install a car amplifier and subwoofer, you need to know some of the basics of the engine compartment where you need to put it.
You will need a socket, wiring kit, tape, pliers, scissors, etc. disconnect the negative terminal from the battery and attach the sub for a better life in your car bonnet. Connect the power wires from the amp to the battery.
Run the wires under the glove box and grommet. Install a fuse box on the wire and attach the wire from the battery and subwoofer. After that, start the engine and see how it works.
