4 channel amp hookup - NJFBOA - Home of New Jersey's Camaros and Firebirds

transamkid · 04-19-2008, 06:59 PM

i just picked up an alpine 4 channel amp from the swap meet, it puts out 100w rms. i want to hook it up to my type r components in the doors, how do i hook it up, like what wires come from the headunit, what comes from the speakers, etc? any help is appreciated

Tru2Chevy · 04-19-2008, 07:05 PM

Does your headunit have any pre-amp outputs?

- Justin

transamkid · 04-19-2008, 07:08 PM

yeah, thats the rca plugs right? if yes then they are hooked up to my sub amp right now. do i need to get some splitters to hook them up to this too? i already know how to hook up the grnd, pwr, and remote

qwikz28 · 04-19-2008, 08:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by transamkid

yeah, thats the rca plugs right? if yes then they are hooked up to my sub amp right now. do i need to get some splitters to hook them up to this too? i already know how to hook up the grnd, pwr, and remote

i think what justin is trying to ask is how many pairs of pre-amps are on the back of the headunit?

if there is three pairs, two will be for the new amp and the last should be "non-fading" and that will be for the subs. if there is only two pairs, that will be tricky and although i have never done this before, i believe there may be a set of pre-amps on teh new amp that you can hook the subs to but i'm not entirely sure.

as for the rest of the wires, you will need to ground the ground, power the power with a fuse to the battery, and lead the remote into the wire in back of the headunit to the wire marked "remote." you probably have a wire going to the battery for the subs, you can buy a distribution block and split the wire into two wires one going to each amp. i used my capacitor to split the wires. your choice.

as for the speakers you can do one of two things. you can either tap into the stock wiring or rewire the whole thing coming from the amp. I recommend running new wire for many reasons. one its easier, and two its better than using frail and small stock disgraceful wiring.

don't be scared about all this, you did the right thing about getting a 4 channel amp. just go buy some supplies and start getting familiar with the interior of your car. be careful not to break our Rubbermaid interiors for they are very fragile. Also, feel free to ask questions, i know how frustrating the process is.

Slo86Bird · 04-19-2008, 11:19 PM

if you need help send me a pm. at walmart theres a splitter you can get to split your power cable, i just picked on up..i think it was 12 bucks and i have yet to hook it up cuz i have to get more power cable. what you are trying to do is easy tho.

transamkid · 04-20-2008, 07:46 AM

i have all the splitter and everything all ready, im pretty good with wiring, just was never sure about a 4 channel..thanks guys

my h/u only has one set of rcas on the back of it..my sub amp has an out on it i think though

Slo86Bird · 04-20-2008, 03:07 PM

id split it off the rcas ur using now. i wouldnt run it thru the other amp but thats me.

transamkid · 04-20-2008, 03:45 PM

so put splitters where? on the back of my h/u or where the rcas end up at the back of the car?

and what is the best way to hide the wires in a 4th gen

qwikz28 · 04-20-2008, 03:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by transamkid

so put splitters where? on the back of my h/u or where the rcas end up at the back of the car?

and what is the best way to hide the wires in a 4th gen

how attached are you to that head unit?

transamkid · 04-20-2008, 04:36 PM

not very, its just a cheap pionner, took it outta my t/a. i know i should just go and get another one....lol

Slo86Bird · 04-20-2008, 10:19 PM

you put the splitter at either end of it. it just has to go to both amps.

V · 04-21-2008, 07:52 AM

does ur 4ch or sub amp have pre outs labeled on them? if so, hook h/u rcas to that amp, then rcas from those pre-outs to the other amp. pre outs on amps are not affected by that amplifier, just a pass though.

transamkid · 04-21-2008, 09:00 AM

yeah the 4ch has preouts, i believe my sub amp has them too. i think im just going to get another h/u though. an alpine or something to go with the rest of my stuff

transamkid · 04-21-2008, 09:53 PM

just bought an alpine h/u today. it has 2 sets of rcas on the back of it, so i should be in better shape. when i hook up the speakers to the amp however, do they still stay hooked up to the headunit as well? or only the amp?

qwikz28 · 04-21-2008, 10:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by transamkid

just bought an alpine h/u today. it has 2 sets of rcas on the back of it, so i should be in better shape. when i hook up the speakers to the amp however, do they still stay hooked up to the headunit as well? or only the amp?

may i ask why you bought a HU with only 2 sets of preouts? that doesn't exactly solve your problem

transamkid · 04-21-2008, 10:17 PM

well now i can just put a splitter on the ones for the 4 ch. and be fine. the guy at the place didnt know jack. i told him i need a h/u with 3 preouts and hes just like "uhhhh?" so i was just like what ever..only the sony ones said they had 3 sets, but i was iffy about the sony stuff

qwikz28 · 04-21-2008, 10:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by transamkid

well now i can just put a splitter on the ones for the 4 ch. and be fine. the guy at the place didnt know jack. i told him i need a h/u with 3 preouts and hes just like "uhhhh?" so i was just like what ever..only the sony ones said they had 3 sets, but i was iffy about the sony stuff

ok. but there are plenty of places to get HUs with 3 sets of preouts.

transamkid · 04-21-2008, 10:58 PM

i went to bestbuy since i was there for my comp. anyway....maybe ill return it and get the pioneer i was looking at for 14 more

qwikz28 · 04-22-2008, 08:03 AM

did it have 3 pairs of preouts?

transamkid · 04-22-2008, 09:54 AM

yeah it did

http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Produ...EHP4UB&tp=5684

thats it

qwikz28 · 04-22-2008, 10:26 AM

thats a great radio. your gonna have lots of fun playing with the settings. go for it!

make sure you have RCAs and speaker wire!

transamkid · 04-22-2008, 10:30 AM

oh yeah got tons of them. i usually help my friends hook up all their systems, but no one has a 4ch. amp. all subs and replacing stock speakers and stock h/u's

GP99GT · 04-22-2008, 06:23 PM

you wouldve saved a lot of money if you just used the preouts on the amp and kept the HU you had...but oh well

qwikz28 · 04-22-2008, 07:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GP99GT

you wouldve saved a lot of money if you just used the preouts on the amp and kept the HU you had...but oh well

he woulda lost a ton of adjustability though. maybe he won't use it now, but he may wish he had it later in the future

transamkid · 04-22-2008, 09:32 PM

i got the pioneer one....birthday gift anyway.
it seems to be a much better value than the alpine one. it has a usb port for hookup of a thumbdrive or ipod if you have the cable. it also has the 3 sets of preouts and a remote. only 15 bucks more