Car Audio Wiring

Car Audio Wiring

A significant part of your entire car audio system consists of just wires. There are all kinds of cables and wires involved in installing a car audio system. You have power wires, speaker wires, amplifier cables, power capacitors, and what not. It is always better to be equipped with at least the basics before you go in for car audio installation.

The power wire is an important part of the amplifier installation. Select the proper gauge and fusing. A proper gauge prevents the amplifier from being choked off by the size limitations of the wire. Choose power wires with lots of strands, so that they are easier to install and don't break while passing through the numerous corners of the car. The jacket of the wire should be of a material, which can resist chemicals like oil and battery acids, which can wreak havoc on substandard wires.

You can go for wires with large number of strands for the car audio speaker wires. The jacket is not that important in this case, because the speaker is not placed in regions where it could encounter chemicals, as in the case of power wires. Oxygen free copper wiring is always recommended for car audio speaker wires. The size of the speaker wiring depends on the power going in to your speakers and the total length between the amplifier and the speakers.

Signal cables are otherwise known as RCA cables and assume importance for their noise rejection properties. Try and go in for a quality RCA cable, which would ensure trouble free performance in the long run. It is recommended that you go in for "twisted pair" cables. They are better at noise reduction. Needless to say, the quality of wires connecting car audio power capacitors and batteries should also be good.

One can find extensive information on car audio wiring by visiting online resources on the subject. Perhaps car audio professionals are best placed to offer you great advice on car audio wiring.

Auto tuning

Car audio installation is a fairly specialized job, requiring at least some knowledge about the basics of car designs and electronics. The final audio output depends to a large extent on good installation. You may buy the best equipment, but if it is not properly installed, then the result will be poor. The entire set up consisting of wires, amplifiers, alternators, and speakers would have to be perfectly set up for that great audio effect.

Speaker location is perhaps the most important part of setting up your car audio. Determining where you are going to place your speakers is the first step you have to take. The designs of cars are such that the listener isn't placed perfectly in middle of the two speakers. What we mean to say is that the distance between the left speaker and the left ear is not the same as the right ear and the right speaker, which is a traditional audio setup. You can easily avoid this problem by making the distance between the left and right as little as possible. Some people try to place an extra speaker on the dashboard. The problem with this is that this speaker on the dashboard rips the sound into two, making for unpleasant hearing. You can try placing the audio in different locations around the car and arrive at the proper configuration for your speakers. Another mistake which commonly occurs is that people tend to go for looks rather than the sound, when it comes to car audio. Try to listen, rather than look. Some unlikely places inside your car may be the best for placing speakers.

Choosing the location of subwoofers and amplifiers is relatively easy. You can place them where you feel they will look good. One thing to keep in mind, though, is that different equipment may interfere with each other, if improperly placed. The next step is the wiring part, which is equally important. The thing with laying cables is to buy the correct cable keeping in view the capacity of the amplifier and speakers. Next in line is the installation of the head unit and amplifiers. Once you install them, you have to select the correct type of speaker enclosure. Although the choice is yours, you can try different types of enclosures and choose one which gives the best audio output. A final fine tuning, preferably with professional help and your car audio installation is done.