4 Channel Amp installation ?s - Audio & Electronics Forum

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4 Channel Amp installation ?s
Sunday, February 27, 2011 6:43 PM
Alright, so I currently have a 13" W6v2 with a PX1300.D Picasso Amp. My interior speakers are 4x6 Infinity Reference speakers and 6x9 Kappas. I bought a matching Picasso 4ch. amp which is a 760w RMS, 190w @ 2ohm, 120w @ 4ohm, I am planning on hooking this up later this week.

I have a Pioneer 3200DVD with 3 RCA outs, 1 sub, 1 front, 1 rear. I plan on splitting off the remote wire in the trunk, and the battery is back there, so I will just run another power and ground off the top posts. As far as getting the speakers wired. I could just run the 2 other sets of RCAs into the Front and Rear sets of RCAs on the amp, and leave the speaker wiring going into the back of the HU, correct?

I have heard of people cutting the wiring off at the HU and then wiring it through the car and hooking it up the the speaker outputs on the amp. This would not be necessary if I run it all through the RCAS, correct? Or would I have to do RCAs and Speaker wire? I could see how it either would work, and I wouldn't want to run 2 more sets of RCAs and 100 ft of speaker wire through the car if I didn't need to. I have done a lot of monoblock amp installs, but this is my first 4 channel amp install. I did search, but it wasn't really the same question, even youtube didnt really answer it for me. So I thought I would ask the trusty A&E group.

Thanks !


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Re: 4 Channel Amp installation ?s
Sunday, February 27, 2011 7:10 PM
I'm a little bit confused on what you mean, but this is the way I would do it. Hook up two more sets of rcas for your front and rear channels. Leave the wiring behind the deck alone. If theres a setting on that deck to turn off the internal amp, do that. If not just shrink wrap the wire ends or something when you disconnect them at the speaker., Run new wires from the amp to your speakers so you can use a thicker gauge. Thats how I had mine hooked up.



Re: 4 Channel Amp installation ?s
Sunday, February 27, 2011 8:02 PM
Thats what I wanted to know, thanks!

I was just wanting to run more RCAs quickly instead of running speaker wire from the speakers to the amp and replacing everything. I should be able to turn the internal amp off, since the stereo has front and rear RCA outputs.


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Re: 4 Channel Amp installation ?s
Monday, February 28, 2011 4:44 AM
rca's headunit to amp.new speaker wire amp to speakers.

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Re: 4 Channel Amp installation ?s
Monday, February 28, 2011 7:21 AM
i think your in over your head. you dont run speakers off of rca cable.

running new wire for the speakers is the proper way to hook them up. rca cables are for audio signal to the amp only.




Whats up people?
Re: 4 Channel Amp installation ?s
Monday, February 28, 2011 10:05 AM
Take two sets of RCAs. Front and rear respectively. Run those to the trunk. Plug each set into the amp. Take about a length of speaker wire. I think mine were about 12 feet apiece but I just stepped it out and didnt really measure. Take that speaker wire and run it to the front and through the door grommet to the speaker. Unhook the stock speaker wires. Just tape them off or whatever excites you. Hook the new wire up to the speaker. Double check the polarity, Return to the rear of the car. Get another wire repeat for the other door. Then do the same for the speakers in the rear.

You dont need to cut the wires at the harness. The radio has nothing to output to since the stock wires are unhooked. All of the useful signal is going out of the RCAs and to the 4 channel amp. All youre really doing is wasting power sending the signal to an empty set of wires. Hence why you turn the internal amp off.

The process is easy just time consuming.



Re: 4 Channel Amp installation ?s
Monday, February 28, 2011 10:34 AM
Cool, Thanks for the detailed explanations, I got it. It doesn't seem very hard, and I will follow that. it was late so what I was saying probably didnt make much sense, but thats pretty much what I was planning on doing except using the wire already coming from the factory harness because it was easy to get to and extend all four, but I will just run all new 12ga wire to each speaker like it was mentioned, since im sure the factory 18ga wont like all that power.

Also, I have ton of other car applications ( car / mono amp / HU ) and wired all the in the car gauges and I also do home theater wiring and installation on the side, I think I can handle this, its just something I haven't done before, so thought id check here, but I severely doubt its over my head. it makes sense when you think of like a home audio receiver or something, your RCA carries the signal in, and then it is output to all the speakers and wire the speakers to the receiver, its very simple. Idk what I was thinking last night.

When the amp comes in on like Wednesday or Thursday, I will put it in there and update my thread in Photos and Media with the upgrade. Thanks for the help.


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Re: 4 Channel Amp installation ?s
Monday, February 28, 2011 12:42 PM
Didnt mean to sounds like I was talking down to you or anything. I just like to be thorough.



Re: 4 Channel Amp installation ?s
Monday, February 28, 2011 2:03 PM
No, not you.. I was replying that to the person above you that said it was probably over my head, I think think he has been around for too long, so he doesn't know me, so I was letting him know that I knew the basics and that I was asking for clarification and thought I was being a noob lol.

I really appreciated you explanation and I will follow that, and I think that is really helpful, and I think anyone else with same questions about hooking one up will see it and it will help them out greatly too. I should have it hooked up by Sat., so I will show you what I ended up doing by the meet if you still make it out to Pinheads.


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Re: 4 Channel Amp installation ?s
Tuesday, March 01, 2011 4:34 AM
TheSundownFire (GME Chat) wrote:Didnt mean to sounds like I was talking down to you or anything. I just like to be thorough.




you were talking over his head when you said rca







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Re: 4 Channel Amp installation ?s
Tuesday, March 01, 2011 10:37 AM
Whats that rca? some sorta gay sex orgy?




Re: 4 Channel Amp installation ?s
Tuesday, March 01, 2011 11:20 AM
This thread is full of fags. And whoever told you picasso amps were a good idea is a complete douche bag! Seriously. Truth, I promise.


On the other hand....you have other fingers.

"You really need to staple your face shut"-THE Joey Baggs.
Re: 4 Channel Amp installation ?s
Tuesday, March 01, 2011 8:53 PM
Pfftt... I already knew that Dustin . I am taking a chance with the 4 channel one, but I think the sub amp was a good choice so the same series should be efficient for the other amp, not to mention I got it for like 169, and its 229 even on amazon and like 329 at the store, so I did alright.

And yeah. Faggotry has def. ensued. Mostly from Jason.


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Re: 4 Channel Amp installation ?s
Wednesday, March 02, 2011 5:45 AM
you get this installed yet big nub?



Re: 4 Channel Amp installation ?s
Wednesday, March 02, 2011 10:30 AM
Well, I got all this a little bit ago, Im gonna work on that, but also gonna help a few other people work on some projects getting ready for a meet this weekend, but I hope to have install pics and thoughts and a photoshoot up tonight. If it all goes to plan and they are still there after my class tonight.


This is all I have done so far..





Edited 1 time(s). Last edited Wednesday, March 02, 2011 10:44 AM

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Re: 4 Channel Amp installation ?s
Wednesday, March 02, 2011 7:33 PM
What you said in the original post was just confusing. Sounds like you have a good handle on it now.



Whats up people?
Re: 4 Channel Amp installation ?s
Wednesday, March 02, 2011 7:58 PM
Yeah, it was really late, i suck at explaining things sometimes. The amp is in now and all wired, works great. I have to clean up in the trunk a bit and get the mesh loom and end caps in there, but it works great, just could use a little tuning, and I blew a 200A fuse, so I will need something bigger then ill be set.


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Re: 4 Channel Amp installation ?s
Wednesday, March 02, 2011 9:06 PM
ummmmmmmm you blew a what?!?!? You won't be drawing 200 amps with those amps dude. you must have shorted a wire out during the install.


On the other hand....you have other fingers.

"You really need to staple your face shut"-THE Joey Baggs.
Re: 4 Channel Amp installation ?s
Wednesday, March 02, 2011 9:13 PM
Not too mention 4 gauge wire will start burning insulation that high IIRC. That wire is normally rated for 150 amps. Like Dustin said you have a chaffed wire somewhere. If youre blowing fuses, 98% of the time its not due to high amperage draw from the amps.

Never never never try to fix a blow fuse by stepping up to a bigger size. Id hate to see that beautiful car take on a shade of charred Cavalier.



Re: 4 Channel Amp installation ?s
Wednesday, March 02, 2011 9:36 PM
Well, I guess I will have to take a look and see what might have happened there tomorrow in the light, I was working in the interior and doing the door panels and dash stuff and others were in the trunk and we were switching off and when I turned it on and it all seemed to be working properly I didn't think anything else about it.

I will check the wiring out and see what might be causing the issue. I was thinking it was gonna have to be something like that, I have everything fused and took all the safety precautions I could, If I keep having issues maybe Saturday at the meet maybe someone will see something I missed.

The battery has been relocated to the trunk, and I ran 1 power and 2 grounds off the battery top post with ring terminals. The grounds going to each amp just a few feet long. I have a fuse like a foot from the battery and then I connected the two ring terminals to the fuse block, and then each power wire is going to the amp. I assume the problem is in there somewhere, The so either a wire came loose and touched something else (which would be easiest) but they seemed to be really tight and secure and I tried to take the time to make sure it was right. if not I would have to think it has something to do with the two power wires off of the fuse block... It has a 200A ANL fuse. I am thinking it would work like a distro block, or I could get another fuse holder and run the two terminals off the positive on battery and hook up a fuse and fuse holder to each 4 gauge wire for each amp, if that fuse setup was the issue. Which would sorta make sense.

It sucks, if I did something wrong I def. wanna learn from it. I trust you guys for sure. I know its 2000wrms for the two amps and so I need to get a handle on it and make sure its all safe, It would be nice not to burn the car down lol.

I took the Battery Box Top off, and the tape from the battery side of the terminal, and the plastic cover to get pics, I normally have all of that covered.











Edited 1 time(s). Last edited Wednesday, March 02, 2011 9:49 PM

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Re: 4 Channel Amp installation ?s
Wednesday, March 02, 2011 10:06 PM
being a neat/clean/stealth freak with wiring, everything pictured annoys me


On the other hand....you have other fingers.

"You really need to staple your face shut"-THE Joey Baggs.

Re: 4 Channel Amp installation ?s
Wednesday, March 02, 2011 10:12 PM
As I said, I got it all ran and working, but then it got dark and so I had to do what I could, It will be nice tomorrow . I got all this really nice mesh loom that I can bundle the wires into and put them under the endcaps, and each amp has a channel above it that you can run things through, and so it will all feed in through the top, I have a really nice plan for it, I just had to get it running, I took the pic to show what I did there, but its no indication of how it is going to look when its done. It is DEF. in progress.


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Re: 4 Channel Amp installation ?s
Thursday, March 03, 2011 4:52 AM
first thing to do before you drive anywhere is get something on that fuse piece. thats basically a not point. and when driving around that thing could slide around, hit a piece of metal and ground itself out.

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Re: 4 Channel Amp installation ?s
Thursday, March 03, 2011 5:45 AM
Oh how I hated those smash together crimp terminals. Never stayed together for @!#$. They seem to work in a stationary situation but as soon as the slightest amount of pull is applied they come apart. I just started soldering through some open ended ring terminals. Holds 1000x better.

Id just put a 150 amp in it and leave it unless it blows again. Ive had sporadic issued like that I couldnt trace.



Re: 4 Channel Amp installation ?s
Thursday, March 03, 2011 9:54 AM
Jason, I replaced it before I went anywhere, I had a 2 pack, so the other is in there and im going to buy another back and fuse holder so I can have each one on a fuse holder so if it does blow I will at least know which one has the issue.

Also with those crimped and taped, I cant see how they would come out, but I know what you mean, ive had some before that seemed get caught and then pull out pretty easily. When I get it all cleaned up I will see what I can do with that, but I dont really have anything to solder it so that will have to work for now. It does sound like a better option though.


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