Thread: Will this wiring work?

are you using stock speakers? is there a stock external amp? how many speakers do you have? what is the power of the amp?

Originally Posted by 04silvertib

Okay I'm not going to be running a headunit at all. With that being said here is what I have in mind will it work?

yes

Originally Posted by 04silvertib

I'm going to use a 3.5mm to rca cable which will be plugged into a 4 channel amp (or should I use a 2chanel amp?)

you can use either a 2-channel or a 4-channel. either way it will be 2-channel (stereo) audio.

if you use a 2-channel amp you will have to wire the front left and rear left speakers in parallel and the front right and rear right speakers in parallel. this will cut their impedance in half, make sure the amp can handle that impedance load.

if you use a 4-channel amp then you will have to use a couple RCA-RCA Y-adapters to split each channel in two (unless your amp has a 2-channel input mode, my Pioneer amp has that feature).

Originally Posted by 04silvertib

I will then use a wireharness adapter and run speaker wires from the amp to the wireharness.

just remember that your amp will probably put out more power than your factory wiring was designed to handle. so if you're going to run an amp that is significantly more powerful than your car's factory HU, then you may want to bypass the wiring harness and run thicker speakers wires from the amp directly to the speakers.

Originally Posted by 04silvertib

Am I missing something or is it as easy as that?

in it's most basic form, yes it is that easy. but you will have to control your volume and EQ settings through software/touchscreen interfaces. some people are ok with that, others are not.

I personally hate touchscreen volume/EQ control. it forces you to look at the screen just to raise or lower volume. some people use USB volume knobs but that is still software controlled, so if the PC locks up then you have no volume control!

I wanted a true hardware-based volume/EQ solution, so I bought a Clarion EQS746 1/2-DIN equalizer. it takes a single 2-ch RCA input and outputs 3 independent 7-volt RCA pre-amp outputs (front, rear, and subwoofer). you can control the volume of each output independently and from the master volume knob. as well as volume control you get 7-band EQ control and subwoofer volume/crossover control without having to look at the screen.

good luck

Originally Posted by 04silvertib

Yes stock speakers

Originally Posted by 04silvertib

Yes there is a stock external amp (I'm not sure what to do about that yet)

if yo uhave an external amp, it's best to run new wires to the speakers

Originally Posted by 04silvertib

4 speakers 2 tweeters (I don't really need the tweeters though)

this poses a problem. you would need to figure out either a passive x-over or go active... both would be too much of a hassle. your best bet may be to replace both of them with a coaxial speaker or component set if you have some extra cash

Originally Posted by 04silvertib

I don't have the amp yet I'm looking to get one. The amp that powers the stock speakers is 500 though so I would think somewhere around 500ish I would go with.

the amp that power the stock is proably 15 watts per speaker (realistically)

check out the options for oem interfaces (i.e. pac-audio, peripheral, soundgate) and see what they have available to tie into the factory system. you may be able to get away with a small 4 chan

you'll need to retain the stock stereo with that piece


what kind of car do you have?

Originally Posted by 04silvertib

My pc will power the speakers in the car and the stock amps will still power the 2 subs. Can someone take a look and correct me if I'm wrong?

you may be able to use the stock subwoofer amplifiers to power your subs but you will still have to use an outboard amplifier to power your regular speakers.

your PC cannot directly power any car speakers. your PC's audio output is a low-level pre-amp output. the signal needs to be amplified by an outboard amplifier.