Thread: amp input wiring question

I wouldn't just snip-snip up the RCA's and splice another wire into them; the wires inside the RCA cables are tiny and gay to work with. I've seen an RCA adaptor that you can then "convert" the RCA male end to your own speaker wire.

You WILL need a line-level convertor. The signal going to your door speakers is "High-Level" or "Speaker-Level". Your amplifier needs a much "smaller" and lower power signal. It needs a "Low-Level" or "Line-Level" Signal.

A line-level convertor will take a speaker-level signal and give you a line-level signal that your amplifier can deal with.

Some amplifiers can take either speaker-level or line-level signals, but RCA jacks almost always carry signals that are line-level.

Peace.

Okay, here's the deal...

From reading the thread it is my understanding that you want to know if you can take an active speaker wire, add the phono plug from radio shack to the end of it, and plug it into your amplifier. I'm pretty sure that this WILL NOT work. Why? Because there is power running through that speaker wire, and RCA cable is not made to have significant amounts of power in them.

Why do they sell line level converters, or AKA line output converts? Because "what that little box does" is it takes the watts out of the signal coming through the speaker wire. If you put pure speaker wire into your RCA inputs like you are proposing, you are going to either A) Fry your amp; or B) Get a distorted sound, or at least not nearly as good a sound as you would if you did it properly.

If cost is a problem, I would recommend using the Tsunami line output converter, available at Circuit City. Here's the link:
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Tsuna...oductDetail.do

What you want to do with this is basically tap your speaker wire that is going into your rear door speakers, or better yet, if you have 6X9's mounted above the rear seats, tap into those. Run your positive from the left speaker to the positive on the line output converter, and run your your negative from the right speaker to the negative on the line output converter (or vice versa if you want). Then, connect RCA's from the line output converter to the RCA inputs on your amp. Be sure that after you verify your connections, you properly tune the gain on the amplifier as well as the line output converter, if they are improperly tuned you will get distortion.

I utilize a similar setup in my car and it works great for me....

Good luck.

Sorry walky_talky20, musta been posting same time as you, but we said the same thing anyway...