Basics of Car Audio (Speakers and Subwoofers)

This is just a basic tutorial showing some of the hiding places for amplifiers, wires, and how to wire your amplifiers, speakers. It also goes into a brief description about how you can install your speakers, mount them or make custom enclosures.

First step: Disconnect the negative wire to the battery.

Step 1: Amplifier Location and Install

Step 2: Determine where you want to put your amplifiers.

Don't forget if you have some serious subwoofers you may need a capacitor to offset them dimming your headlights during heavy hits.

Some ideas:

1. Attach to the back of the subwoofer box
2. Underneath the driver/passenger seat
3. Behind the dashboard (smaller amps)
4. Underneath the trunk near the spare

Always remember if you amplifier is in a tight space, install a fan for ventilation (computer fans work well)

After you figure out where you want to install you amplifier. Go ahead and put it in this location, test the feel and fit. Install it so that when your get your wires to it, it will be ready.

Comments

[trevorman]

This is a very good beginners guide to car audio. But before you go out and spend big bucks on a power capacitor, look at your alternator, if its under 100-85 amps, and your lights are dimming, you need a new alternator, power caps are for systems over 5000 watts RMS. RMS is the power it delivers constantly. The cap stores power and shoots it to your amp at is peak, when it hits the highs, or the lows and needs power. Generally you just need to upgrade your alternator, and the Big Three, wire to the alternator. Battery negative to chassis, Alternator to battery positive, Chassis to engine. Hopes this helps. And nice system you have there, what are you driving with those amps?

[richms]

Amp Under the passenger seat not the drivers is better since you can leave the seat out and go for a drive and see how it sounds incase you want to keep playing with things etc.

If you put it under the drivers seat you have to put the seat back in, go for a drive with it cranking, come back, pull things out, re-arrange them, put the seat back in etc. It gets old quickly.

Also if the rear seats fold down then dont put the amps on the back of them. Its a pain.