Need suggestions for where to buy wiring

Cruelkix · 09-02-2006, 10:28 AM

Hi all,

I need to buy wiring for my amp and wires that are going to speakers. I want to run 4 gauge for power and ground for my amp and I need help with what gauge I should run for my M2-atx. Also, is there a distro block that will split to both the gauge i need for my amp and the gauge i need for my M2-atx? What I really want to know is WHERE to buy this stuff. Should I buy an Amp kit? Is there a good online site that you guys would recommened to buy all this stuff at? Also, are there speaker wires that go to rcas to connect to my amp? or am I gonna be making custom speaker wires with rcas on the end? I tried searching, but I could have easily missed something that covers all this. If so, my bad!

Any help is greatly appreciated.

P.S. I have a 5.1 amp so I get to go straight from my comp into the amp with a s/pdif! Nice and simple.

Shadow · 09-02-2006, 10:37 AM

The outputs of your amp shouldn't be RCAs, they should be some setscrew terminals. Your power supply shouldn't need bigger than 12AWG. I'd run that seperately and not worry about it being on the run with the amp's power supply. Here's a link to a Stinger HPM 4AWG wiring kit. It's GREAT wire and it bends really easily. That's everything you need to install the amp. As for speaker wire, just get 14AWG or better from wherever. All speaker wire is pretty much exactly the same.

jschrauwen · 09-02-2006, 12:35 PM

That looks like a nice kit, but the grounding wire is not as long as the power wire. What's up with that? I'd prefer to have the main ground junction in the engine bay along with other main grounding points. Least likelihood of ground loops.
BTW, the speaker out terminals are setscrew type.

"Cruelkix", did you get the ICBM 5.1 issues sorted out (scratches, no IR remote or reciever, no paperwork, etc). Got mine a few days ago missing the remote and reciever also but did have the little baggy of screws and fuses and a photocopy of the owners manual.
Have you sourced a long enough SPDIF/Tos-Link cable for it yet?

kbkid · 09-02-2006, 02:42 PM

I'm pretty sure you wanna keep the ground wire as short as possible? 18 inches or so if possible.

Cruelkix · 09-02-2006, 02:46 PM

Shadow - Thanks for the help. One more question tho. Both my amp and my comp are gonna be in my trunk. Don't you think it is easier to just run power for the comp from the one 4 gauge wire instead of running an entirely different cable for the computer. And if you still would suggest that I run a seperate power cable, should I fuse that one also and what gauge you think for the small amount of power and amps that my comp will draw? (12awg like you stated before I assume). Thanks!

jschrauwen - I returned the ICBM 5.1 that I got from carstereoexpo and will never do business with them again as it cost me 40 dollars in shipping and I got nothing out of it (they refused to pay shipping costs)

. I reordered the amp through techronics.com. Much more expensive but they promised it was retail and that it would come with the remote and reciever. As I said above both my amp and comp are gonna be in the trunk so spdif cable length is not a huge worry for me.

Also the ground cable doesnt have to be nearly as longas the power cable because you dont need to run it all the way back to the battery you can just ground it some place closer to your amp. (in my head it makes sense that the closer the ground to the amp the better for wire and other reasons, this may be wrong tho)

parksgm · 09-02-2006, 02:49 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by jschrauwen

[color="Blue"] I'd prefer to have the main ground junction in the engine bay along with other main grounding points. Least likelihood of ground loops.

Grounding to the chassis near the amp is fine, as long as it's a good ground. In my experience, grounding all the audio components in the same place is much more important than grounding the components near "other main grounding points". Many different pieces electical equipment is grounded throughout the chassis of the car from the factory anyway...

2k1Toaster · 09-02-2006, 03:04 PM

Yes grounds should be as short as possible so that is why all those "amp install kits" have short wires.

If you don't want a full kit, or just want to get a couple meters of big guage cable for your ground, then go to any audio install shop. They'll sell it by the foot/yard/decameter/meter. Usually more expensive than a cheap kit from Walmart though.