Amp question

[Quick]

I bought a small 2-channel Pioneer amp (if you hate Pioneer thats fine, but dont flame this post with how much they suck please ) to power my JBL sub (10" and box for free, cant complain). I have a few questions.

To wire it, I need RCA cables. I run them from the head unit (I'm assuming that there are only 2 RCA connectors in the back of my headunit because the amp only has two for "input", a left-white one, and a right-red one). Which one do I use? Do I run from the left or right or does it matter?

After I do that, do I the connect the sub to the speaker output left or right?

I'm assuming that if I run an RCA cable from the right side RCA port of the head unit to the right one on the amp, that I connect the sub to the right speaker output.

Also, do I need one or two RCA cables?

And last but not least.. when wiring it to the battery I only need a 30-40amp inline fuse right? The manual seems to want me to have 2, but I honestly think I only need one.

Thanks for looking and answering my questions..

 

[leenjen]

your headunit maight only have one set of rcas (rear), but it could have two (front & rear), or three (front rear and sub). you have to connect both right and left rcas. then bridge your amp mono to run the subwoofer.
as for a fuse, put one close to the battery (18" or closer) make sure the fuse rating is higher than the fuses on the amp.

 

[mrsteve]

First do you have an aftermarket headunit?? If you don't you won't have RCA outputs

Here's what you need:
1. 20 ft of 8ga. power wire
2. 3 ft of 8ga ground wire
3. 15-20 ft or 12v wire (for amp's remote turn-on)
4. 15-20 ft or RCA cables. You only need one set left and right.
5. inline fuse
6. ring terminals to connect power wire to battery and to connect ground to chasis.
6. enough speaker wire to get from you amp to your sub.

I think that's it but I always forget something. If you look around you will find amp installation kits. They will include everything you need to install your amp. Sometimes you have to by RCA's seperately.

To wire the amp in "mono" look in the amp's instruction manual. Basically you connect the + speaker wire to either left or right + connection. Then take the - speaker wire to the - connection on the opposite channel either left or right depending on where the + wire is.

Steve

 

[JTang]

1. You usually need to run both RCAs (left and right) to the amp, even when it's bridged, because the amp will play the commonalities between left and right signals.

2. Just as MrSteve said. Go to Pioneer's site and see if they have hookup instructs. Usually one wire goes to the + on channel 1 and the other to the - on channel 2. Sometimes it doesn't make a difference, but on many it does, so make sure to hook them up correctly.

3. Yes, connect rights to rights and lefts to lefts.

4. A single fuse close to the batter is fine, the fuse is to guard against the power wire melting, nothing to really do with the amp, so as matching the amp fuse ratings should be fine.

Connect the RCAs LAST in your install, do all this with the car battery disconnected. If you don't sometimes when making connections the battery surges through components, and when some installs are not finished, such as grounding equipment, the surge will force itself through other components instead to complete the circuit, like RCA cords, which will burn out your equipment.