Many car owners without technical education do not know how to connect an amplifier to a car radio - for them it seems like too much of a time-consuming task. In fact, you shouldn’t rush to contact a car service center, since installing a car amplifier is not so difficult.
Maintenance by specialists will be expensive, so in order to save money, it is worth trying to understand the connection procedure, which this article will help with.
For high-quality operation of the amplifier you need:
- Give him good food;
- Give a signal from the radio. We looked at how to properly connect the radio;
- Connect speakers or subwoofer.
More details on how to connect the amplifier can be found below.
Good nutrition is the key to success
The amplifier connection procedure begins with the power wires. Wiring is essential element car audio system, the volume and sound quality depend on it. Amplifiers need a stable power supply, otherwise the power will not be enough and the sound will become distorted. To understand why you need to pay attention to the quality of wiring and how it affects the sound reproduced by a loudspeaker, you need to know what a music signal is.
Some suggest that it represents a sine wave, however, a musical sinhala is characterized by a large difference between the normal and peak value. If for speakers car acoustics sharp bursts in the signal are not important, but in the case of an amplifier the situation is completely different. If the signal exceeds the permissible power for even a second (or even a millisecond), then these “anomalies” will be audible even to those who cannot boast of a good ear for music.
If the car amplifier is connected properly, the signal will flow through the wires undistorted. Carelessly done work or incorrectly selected wire cross-section will lead to the sound being more compressed, rough and sluggish. In some cases, wheezing may also be clearly audible.
How to choose a wire cross-section?
Wire is the most common metal with a certain level of resistance. The thicker the wire, the lower the resistance of the wire. To avoid sound distortion during large voltage fluctuations (for example, when playing powerful bass), you must install the correct gauge wire.
It is worth noting that the cross-section of the positive cable should not be larger than the negative one (the length does not matter).
An amplifier is considered to be a rather electrically intensive device. For its effective operation, high-quality grounding is necessary so that it is possible to receive the necessary energy from the battery.
To choose the correct wire cross-section, you need to make some calculations. First, look at the instructions for the amplifier (or directly at the box from the manufacturer, if there is no documentation, use the Internet) and find the rated power value (RMS) there. Rated power is the signal power an amplifier can deliver over an extended period of time to one channel of 4 ohms. If we consider four-channel amplifiers, they usually have a power of 40 to 150 watts per channel. Let's say that the amplifier you purchased produces 80 watts of power. As a result of simple mathematical operations, we find out that the total power of the amplifier is 320 W. Those. How did we calculate this? It’s very simple to multiply the rated power by the number of channels. If we have a two-channel amplifier with a rated power (RMS) of 60 W, then the total will be 120 W.
After you calculate the power, it is advisable to also determine the length of the wire from the battery to your amplifier and you can safely use the table to select the required wire cross-section. How to use the table? On the left side the power of your amplifier is indicated, on the right you select the length of the wire, go up and find out what cross-section you need.
The table shows the cross-sections of copper wires, remember that a large number of sold wires are made of aluminum coated with copper, these wires are not durable and have more resistance, we recommend using current copper wires.
Fuse selection
In order to secure the connection of the car amplifier, it is necessary to protect the power supply from the battery to the amplifier using a fuse. Fuses should be placed as close to the battery as possible. It is important to distinguish between a fuse that protects the device itself (whether it is an amplifier or a radio) and a fuse installed on the power wire. 
The latter is needed in order to protect the cable itself, since a considerable current flows through it.
Make sure that the fuse ratings match, as if the wiring fuse rating is too large, the result will be short circuit The wire may burn out. If the rating, on the contrary, is less, then the fuse can easily burn out at the time of peak loads and then there will be no other choice but to buy a new one. The table below shows the wire cross-section and the required fuse rating.
Connecting interconnect wires and control (REM)
To lay the cable, you need to find the linear output on the radio. The linear output can be recognized by the characteristic “bells” that are located on the rear panel of the radio. The number of line outputs differs depending on different models radio tape recorder Usually there are from one to three pairs. Basically they are distributed as follows: 1 pair - you can connect a subwoofer or 2 speakers (labeled as SW\F) If there are 2 pairs of them, you can connect 4 speakers or a subwoofer and 2 speakers (outputs are labeled F and SW), and when there are 3 pairs of linear ones on the radio wires you can connect 4 speakers and a subwoofer (F, R, SW) F This is Front i.e. front speakers, R Read rear speakers, and SW Sabwoorer I think, and so everyone understands what.
Does the radio have no line outputs? Read the article "".
The connection will require an interconnect wire, which should never be skimped on. It is prohibited to lay the interconnect cable near the power wires, as various types of noise will be heard when the engine is running. You can run the wires both under the floor mats and under the ceiling. The last option is especially relevant for modern cars, in the cabin of which there are electronic accessories that create interference.
You also need to connect the control wire (REM). As a rule, it comes with interblock wires, but it happens that it is not there, purchase it separately; it does not need to be of a large cross-section - 1 mm2 is quite enough. This wire serves as a control for turning on the amplifier, i.e. when you turn off the radio, it automatically turns on your amplifier or subwoofer. As a rule, this wire on the radio is blue with a white stripe; if it is not there, then use a blue wire. It is connected to the amplifier to a terminal called REM.
Amplifier connection diagram
Connecting a two-channel and four-channel amplifier
We have combined this section because these amplifiers have a very similar connection diagram, one might even say more simply, a four-channel amplifier is two two-channel ones. We will not consider connecting a two-channel amplifier, but if you figure out how to connect a four-channel amplifier, then you will not have any problems connecting a two-channel amplifier. Most car enthusiasts choose this option for their installations, since this amplifier can connect 4 speakers, or 2 speakers and a subwoofer. Let's look at connecting a four-channel amplifier using the first and second options.
Connecting a 4-channel amplifier to a battery is recommended using a thick cable. How to choose the right power wires and connect the interconnects, we discussed all this above. Amplifier connections are usually indicated in the manufacturer's instructions. When an amplifier is connected to an acoustic system, it operates in stereo mode; in this mode, this type of amplifier can operate under a load of 4 to 2 ohms. Below is a diagram of connecting a four-channel amplifier to speakers. 
Now let's look at the second option, when speakers and a subwoofer are connected to a four-channel amplifier. In this case, the amplifier operates in mono mode, it takes voltage from two channels at once, so try to select a subwoofer with a resistance of 4 ohms, this will save the amplifier from overheating and going into protection. Connecting a subwoofer will not be a problem; as a rule, the manufacturer indicates on the amplifier where to get the plus to connect the subwoofer, and where to get the minus. Take a look at the diagram of how to bridge a 4-channel amplifier. 
Connecting a monoblock (Single channel amplifier)
Single-channel amplifiers are used for only one purpose - connecting to a subwoofer. A notable characteristic of amplifiers of this type is increased power. Monoblocks are also capable of operating with resistances below 4 ohms, which is called a low-impedance load. Monoblocks are classified as class D amplifiers, and they have a special filter for cutting frequencies.
Installing a single-channel amplifier will not require much effort, since its connection diagrams are very simple. There are only two outputs - “plus” and “minus”, and if the speaker has only one coil, then you just need to connect it to it. If we are talking about connecting two speakers, then they can be connected either in parallel or in series. Of course, you don’t have to limit yourself to just two speakers, but before you connect the amplifier and subwoofer to the radio, will the latter cope with a high level of resistance?
Video on how to properly connect a four-channel and single-channel amplifier
We hope that this article helped you understand how to properly connect car amplifier. Rate the article on a 5-point scale; if you have any comments, suggestions or you know something that is not indicated in this article, please let us know! Leave your comment below. This will help make the information on the site even more useful.
) pure class A, quiescent current 1.25 A per transistor (total 2.5 A). Power supply is organized according to the dual mono principle.
Location. In the center is the power supply, or rather two separate power supplies. Power amplifiers are mounted on the sides of the radiators. On the front panel there is a button to turn on the 220 V relay, next to it there is also a board smooth start. At the rear wall of the AC protection board. A toggle switch on the rear wall, if necessary, connects the common terminals of both channels of the amplifier to the housing (near the input connectors).
Frame. Aluminum corners are screwed around the perimeter of each radiator on all four sides, threaded rivets are installed on the other plane of each corner, so we got two side radiators with corners around the perimeter to which we screw the bottom, front panel, rear panel and top cover (the side radiators are the main connecting link, without them all the covers and panels will fly apart). Top cover made of stainless steel.
Each radiator is made up of two halves, the total size of each radiator is 400x180x45 mm. The total area of each radiator is 6100 cm2 (3050 cm2 per transistor). External dimensions of the case are 430x400x180 mm (with legs height 200 mm). Internal free size 340x388x170 mm. I made the case with a reserve, and I really wanted the electrolytes to fit in height (I actually adjusted the height of the case to fit them).
power unit mounted on an additional stainless steel insert, two 200 W toroidal transformers are installed in the center. Each transformer has two separate secondary windings of 20 V each (wound with 1.5 mm wire). The transformers stand on top of each other through a rubber gasket. Switched on in antiphase to reduce electromagnetic interference. Each secondary winding of the transformers is connected to its own diode bridge. Around the perimeter of the transformers, eight electrolytic capacitors are fixed through insulating washers - ROE 15000 µF/100 V (in terms of voltage, the electrolytes could be set to 35 V, but I found only such high-quality ones). These eight capacitors implement four CRC power filters (plus and minus for two channels).
The filters are used to reduce the ripple of power supplies (CRC filters are effective mainly only for class A amplifiers - where the current consumption remains almost unchanged at both the minimum and maximum volume of the amplifier, this type filter allows you to obtain output voltage ripples 5-10 times less than when using a C-filter with an identical total capacitance of capacitors). An aluminum plate (nickel) is screwed on top of the capacitors; four KBPC5010 diode bridges (1000 V/50 A) are screwed onto this plate. The plate (later two plates) performs two functions: 1) it combines the common terminals of the power supplies of both channels, 2) it serves as a heat sink for diode bridges. A little later, I cut this plate (a nickel serving as a common power wire for both channels of the amplifier) into two parts and broke the connection with the case - thus I got two separate, completely isolated from each other bipolar power supplies not connected to the case and, accordingly, a complete dual mono in one building.
The insert has 4 threaded rivets plus additional stops so that it does not sag under the weight and is screwed to the main bottom, its task is to lift the capacitors so that they do not touch the bottom with the nuts.
Turning on the network This is done by a small button from a DVD player, which turns on a powerful 220 V relay. Next, from the relay, the network goes to the softstart board and splits into two transformers.
Appetite comes with eating. Same with speaker systems: the process of creating the perfect car speaker system addictive, you just need to touch the world of goodness once car sound. Sooner or later, the owner of car speakers comes up with the idea that it would be nice to connect two amplifiers to one radio. When first a thought appears, and then a second amplifier, then this is all right. But the trouble is that usually thought slows down, and the amplifier (given as a gift, got it for the occasion, changed) - here it is, already there. The one you got - after all, you don’t look a gift (found) horse in the mouth.
Why and who needs it
This is information for those naive who do not yet have a second amplifier, and have not even thought about why this is needed. Because for someone who suddenly became the owner of a second amplifying device, the question “why” no longer arises. Nor does it stand before those who have already thought about the need to purchase.
If you connect 2 amplifiers to the radio, you can get the following bonuses:
- Improve sound quality by dividing “users” into channels. Connecting two amplifiers and using a crossover allows you to separate the output signal separately into high-frequency speakers, separately into midbass (MF), and separately separate the “rear” - low-frequency speakers or a subwoofer.
- Bridging 2 amplifiers increases the output power to the speaker. The scheme “one amplifier is good, but two is more powerful” works here. When connecting amplifiers using a bridge method, do not forget to think about additional cooling of the devices: increased power also increases the load on the device.
How to do it?
Before asking yourself the question of how to connect 2 amplifiers to 1 radio, you need to, taking into account the above, determine what is more important - better sound or powerful sound. Theoretically, bridging two amplifiers slightly degrades the sound quality. In practice, it is difficult to detect a significant decrease in quality.
There are several options for connecting two amplifiers per channel. Each option has its pros and cons. Let's look at some options:
- GU – responsible for Twitter;
- two-channel amplifier - behind the front speakers;
- single-channel amplifier or monoblock - for a subwoofer;
This is the most simple circuit, and as a result, does not represent anything special.
- a four-channel amplifier is connected to high-frequency tweeters and midbass;
- a single-channel amplifier is connected to low-frequency rear speakers;
- a two-channel amplifier after the GU operates with high frequencies;
- three-channel – with midbass and subwoofer;
Separate control of the high-frequency component of the speaker system improves overall sound quality.
In addition to these three main options, you can create several more compositional diagrams of the car acoustics system.
By the way, you can achieve the same results and much more in a simple way, and as a result, more budget-friendly. Replace the entire garland of amplifiers with one, but six-channel one: dividing the high-frequency segment, midrange speakers, and subwoofer. Space saving - you only need to find it to accommodate only one device, easy to connect - cables need to be pulled to only one device, easy to manage. But we are not looking for easy ways, are we?
What difficulties may arise
Both the channel and bridge connection methods entail a number of problems, without solving which the whole undertaking becomes meaningless. And the list of problems is quite long:
- Method of connecting power to both amplifiers. There are two ways to connect amplifiers to power: each with a separate cable through an individual capacitor, and installing a single capacitor on both devices. The choice of power supply depends on the power of the connected devices and the tasks assigned to this combination.
- The quality of power supply to all system components. It's no secret that a powerful sound system in a car requires a lot of energy consumption. Therefore, before you start implementing devices and buying missing components, carefully evaluate the capabilities of your car.
- Connecting an RCA cable to two devices;
- Synchronization remote control two amplifiers;
- Requirements for the Head Unit: the presence of filters, an adjustment system, additional linear outputs;
- To ensure the required sound quality and trouble-free operation of the entire system, the requirements for the Head Unit are quite high. Preference should be given to processor models.
- The need to organize additional cooling of the entire system;
- Availability of free space in the car;
- The need to install a capacitor - two amplifiers can significantly “drain” power;
- A “beard” of wires, and as a result, the need to place it somewhere and protect it from interference that creates interference;
- Increased requirements for amplifiers with a bridge connection - models of the lowest price group are not suitable for this role;
If you are not going to stop there and want to improve even more general sound entire speaker system, you can try to connect 3 amplifiers in series to the radio, highlighting separately high, mid and low frequencies. But you understand: this will increase all of the above problems. And the devices for organizing such a scheme will require high-quality devices.
For those who have firmly decided that there should be a second amplifier (or already have one), we offer to see how you can connect 2 amplifiers to a radio in the video.
First, it’s worth understanding the importance of this issue since it is directly related to the reliability and durability of the sound in your car. Many people, having bought an amplifier, immediately begin to install and connect it without thinking about the fact that, in fact, the amplifier is a fairly serious consumer of energy, the consumption of which, even in cheap models, is comparable to the energy consumption of the entire on-board car network and the car’s power system in general was not designed for such loads.
In addition, few people understand the essence of how a car amplifier works. In particular, the operation of the power supply of most amplifiers. Speaking in general terms in simple words then the amplifier's power supply increases the voltage to obtain high output power. at the same time, roughly speaking, it converts the consumed current into an output voltage.
For example, let's take a simplified theoretical ideal power supply with 100% efficiency. For most amplifiers, a voltage of about 13-14V is considered comfortable. Let’s say our power supply, having consumed 14V and 16 amps, will output 30V and 7.3 amps when calculated for a 4 ohm load. Wherein output power unit will be 225 watts.
Now, if the input voltage drops by 1 volt and is 13V, then the output of the power supply will be 27.86V, and the output power will be 194W. That is, from 1 volt we lost 30 watts at the output. That is, simply by turning off the car we will lose 60 watts.
And with a drawdown of up to 10V on bass hits, we will already lose 120 watts, that is, the power will drop by more than halving! Now let’s take into account all the losses and efficiency of the amplifier components and the fact that the amplifiers are powered by bipolar power, and let’s also estimate that the example is not as dead as we took, but the power is more serious, then it will become clear that the power losses will be simply catastrophic!
And with a loss of power, clipping, overload and other unpleasant phenomena will appear. Now we definitely understand that nutrition is everything to us!
Let's consider 2 options.
1) You have not yet installed the equipment and are just about to install the system. First of all, you should find out what kind of generator is in the car, what current it is capable of producing and at what speed it reaches its normal level. After this, it is worth recalculating the idle and close to idle engine speeds, taking into account gear ratio pulleys (this can be calculated by measuring the diameters of the pulleys).
To work with everyday music, you need a generator that will provide sufficient current for music, charging the battery and operating the on-board network at speeds close to idle. Here, too, it’s worth understanding that when the car is running, music consumes most of the power from the generator. If there are no generator drawdowns, then battery consumption is minimal.
If you are not going to make a disco, then a good regular battery will be enough. If you need a disco, then a durable battery with a larger capacity is simply necessary. After this, the power wires from the generator to the battery, from the engine mass to the body mass (preferably directly from the generator mounting bolts) and from the minus battery to the body mass with a cross-section the same as the power that will go to the music must be replaced.
After this, it is necessary, according to the tables for selecting wire cross-sections, to select the parameters of the power wire and purchase it.
The power wire must be pulled directly from the positive terminal of the battery (in the case of a separate negative, from the negative terminal).
At the same time, bypassing the security forces of cheap companies. Here it is worth turning again to a generalized rough example. The resistance of the wire and the drawdowns in the wire that occur with a sharply increasing current consumption depend on 3 values. on the length of the wire, on the cross-section of the wire and on the conductivity of the metals used in the wire. That is, if we take some kind of Mystery wire with copper-coated aluminum and a good copper wire of the same cross-section whose conductivity will be, for example, twice as high, then in order to achieve the same conductivity as a good copper wire you will have to either shorten your Mystery by half or double its cross-section .
Which you yourself understand is at least not practical. At the same time, if you manage to shorten the power wire by half, then a wire with half the cross-section will be sufficient. In this case, its conductivity will not change relative to the long one. Because of this, they often place a front bar under the panel. Therefore, if you use cheap wires, their cross-section should significantly exceed the optimum for this load and their length should be minimal.
I get ahead of the objections of all kinds of “specialists” electricians from the service who laugh and claim that wires of such cross-sections are not needed because even 4 squares will easily carry such a load. The trouble is that these guys in their work never encounter a dynamic load with such requirements for the rate of current rise. The starter draws huge currents only when it fails and only works for a short time. And the length of the starter wire is not very long.
We need a large cross-section not because of physically permissible limits, but because of minimizing the voltage drop in the wire when driving the amplifier! We decided on this. Now let’s think about whether you need a separate minus from the battery or whether the minus from the body will be enough. There are no strict recommendations here. The only thing that can be said is that a separate minus is always good. It reduces the influence of equipment on the on-board network and the power supply to amplifiers with it is more stable. Although at low powers a separate minus is not necessary. The body will cope quite well. It is enough just to ensure reliable contact by cleaning the place where the mass is attached to the body until shiny.
It is also worth mentioning that the negative wire must be the same cross-section as the +. You can route the power from the distributor to the amplifiers using thinner, shorter wires, but keeping the cross-section after the distributor for the sub amplifier is considered good form and will definitely not be superfluous. After this, you need to pay attention to all kinds of terminals, power distributors and contacts.
All terminals and connections from the generator output to the amplifier ports must be as reliable and clean as possible. NO twists, joints, snotty solders or covers on bolts. All contact surfaces must be cleaned to a shine, and all terminals must be bolted connections must be securely crimped. On bad contacts you can lose more volts to the amplifier! which will be used to heat and oxidize these same compounds. When organizing the power wire, you should carefully make sure that there are no exposed surfaces, that the wire is not pinched anywhere, and that there is no danger of fraying it.
Ideally, the positive force should be placed in the car corrugation. Extra security not prevent. Separately, it is worth paying attention to the protection of the power wire: a fuse or a circuit breaker.
These devices should be located as close to the battery as possible, the wire from them to the terminal should be protected as much as possible. It is recommended to select the fuse rating according to the sum of all load fuses.
In this case, it is recommended to choose a power one slightly less than the resulting amount. It goes without saying that the fuse holder must be positioned so that you do not touch it when servicing the engine and so that moisture does not get on it. Only after organizing all of the above can you begin to install the amplifier. And this is precisely why proper installation of an amplifier is impossible in 1 evening, as many do.
2) The second case is if you already have music that you played in 1 evening. Here it is very advisable to check everything that you have installed. Checking everything is quite simple. But it’s worth checking after you go over the point above. All you need is a 20 volt meter and the song of the evil blacks. We start the car, put the track on repeat and turn the volume up to maximum as we usually listen. Well, we begin to measure the voltage and its drawdown on bass hits. We measure one by one. At the generator terminal relative to the engine body, at the generator terminal relative to the car body, at the generator terminal relative to the negative terminal of the battery. Voltage at the battery terminals, voltage after each connection relative to the negative terminal of the battery, and lastly at the amplifier terminals. The power supply at the generator terminals is 13.5-14.2V. in this case, the drop in bass strikes should be no lower than 13v. The voltage should not differ at the gene terminal, regardless of what you measure it against (body, engine, minus battery).
During the final measurement at the amplifier terminal at low volume, the voltage should be almost equal to the voltage at the generator terminal, and at maximum boost the drawdown at the amplifier should be no more than 1 volt relative to the drawdown at the generator terminal.
In this case, ideally the voltage at the amplifier terminals should not fall below 13-13.5V. If the drawdowns are large, then by gradual measurement you will determine which participant in the chain is causing this drawdown and then it will become clear how to avoid this. It will also become clear whether a separate negative wire is needed.
It should be clearly understood that a system with illiterate nutrition in best case scenario will work poorly, smeared and extremely inefficient in terms of power; at worst, it will interfere with the on-board network and there will be a danger of burning one or another component of the system.
In general, feed the amplifiers correctly, install the equipment correctly, and most importantly, NEVER rush into installation. The more you hurry, the more chances you have to create a collective farm instead of a sensible sound, even from expensive components, which will not cause anything except a smile and criticism. And the crappy sound of which you will have to justify with standard phrases: “I have enough as it is,” “I can’t go to competitions,” etc. Sound is such a thing that you either need to do it smartly or not do it at all. And this fact does not depend in any way on the complexity of the system and the level of its components.
