So, you got an amp for your car sound system, and you are excited about it. It’s inarguably the best way to upgrade your subwoofers and your speakers.
To be honest, an older system would mean no RCA plugs to ensure the amp is connected correctly. Given the increasingly complex upgrade process, many people now prefer to leave their factory radios alone and concentrate on enhancing other elements for enhancing car sound, including the amplifier.
If you stay with me long enough, I’ll demonstrate how to hook up amp without RCA jacks (the most straightforward way!).
😉All You Need to Know (and Do) Before You Hook Up an Amp in Your Car!
Before we dive into the step-by-step process, there are a few things to know (and do) to hook up an amp in your old car audio system. We’ll start with:
💡What Exactly Does the Term RMS Mean?
RMS is the maximum power a speaker or audio system can constantly produce. Not to be confused with maximum output, which would be the maximum voltage a loudspeaker or amplifier can achieve but cannot sustain for an extended period.
Before determining how to connect an amp without RCA plugs to your sound system, you must first decide where to position the amp in the vehicle. You can install it beneath the seat or alongside the subwoofer crate.
I recommend installing it where airflow can circulate to keep it from burning. Remember not to position the amp close to any miscellaneous items that could be damaged if the car moves.
Safety Tips:
🤔Wondering what an RCA Adapter is?
An RCA adapter may also be referred to as an RCA cord or RCA power adapter. It must transmit audio quality and video signals from an electronic appliance such as a CD player or DVD player to a television or radio framework.
You’ll want an RCA cord or adapter to transfer the sound wave from your car’s sound device and out via the loudspeaker or amp.
Also Read: 5 Ways To Turn On Amp Without Remote Wire
👉3 Stupidly Simple Ways to Hook Amp in Your Car [No RCA Jacks Required!]
These are the three best methods for connecting your amp without RCA plugs. If one’s car’s sound system is old and loses RCA plugs, there are three options for connecting an amp and increasing the power.
| Methods | Difficulty | Time | Steps | Precautions |
| Using RCA Adapter | Super easy | 1-2 minutes | Attach the speaker cables to the RCA connector. | No such precautions to be followed. |
| Use Line-Output Convertor | Medium | 5-7 minutes | The speaker system output cables are attached alongside the LOC. | Remember to detach the battery’s negative port to prevent electrocution. |
| Use High-Level Inputs | Medium | 3-5 minutes | Attach it to the battery, all the way up to the fuse holder. | Make sure the cables are connected and encased with electromagnetic tape. |
✅How to Hook Up RCA Cables to Amp: Using RCA Adapter
In this technique (the easiest one), you’ll need RCA plugs, connectors, and speaker wire. Joining or connecting both will improve your car sound system. If that doesn’t collaborate for you, you could indeed try another approach.
Using this technique, you could add an amplifier to your vehicle’s existing audio setup. This will enhance the audio, making it louder, more precise, and with more bass.
Many people are unaware that they could still add an additional amplifier to their vehicle’s factory radio configuration, but we will demonstrate this presently.
Two RCA connectors will be used in this technique. Attach the speaker cables to the RCA connector.
⚙ How to Hook Up an Amp without RCA Jacks: Use Line-Output Converter
The utilisation of LOC is the method most commonly used today. If your remanufactured amplifier lacks high-level inputs, LOC is for you. The LOC recognised as a Line Output Converter, transforms speaker-level outputs into an RCA frequency.
The speaker system output cables are attached to the side of the LOC, which also has RCA deliverables that can be attached to the amplifier’s RCA components via RCA wires.
🔽Installing a Line Output Converter
Here’s how to put it in your car sound system:
- To begin, we will detach the DC negative terminal to avoid harming other elements of your car.
- Following that, we’ll momentarily remove the head unit to inspect its wiring system.
- You’ll also need to look at the schematic of your LOC’s speaker cables to figure out which color corresponds to which cord (attach the front-left wire to the front-left cord, the front-right wire to the front-right cord, and so on). It’s often listed on the LOC on its own, but if it’s not, check the owner’s handbook.
- Throughout this step, we’ll deplete each LOC speaker cord and attach it to the head unit’s correlating speaker-input cord. It’s worth noting that you can only use the front or rear speaker systems cables as input, not both.
- After that, you’ll need to safeguard these new linkages with a butt plug and electrical tape.
- Connect one closure of the RCA wires to the LOC’s RCA outcomes and the other closing to your amplifier’s RCA components.
- Replace your head unit, reconnect the -ve port wire to the power supply, and experiment with the LOC by choosing multiple soundtracks.
Also Read: 9 Ways To Make Car Speakers Louder With Amp
👆How to Install an Amp without RCA Jacks: Use High-Level Inputs
The first point you must look for is high-level inputs on your amplifier. High-level inputs, also known as speaker-level inputs, attach wires from loudspeaker outputs to the amplification to transmit signals.
Compared to the RCA insight, their terminal voltage level is exceptionally high. That is why they are referred to as high input levels. RCA input data are also known as low-level inputs.
Loudspeaker cables carry 3-5 times the frequency strength of RCA wires. As a result, they must be regarded if you are helpless to extract the highest power wire from your amplifier. Because you don’t have to over-dial the amplifier boosts to enhance sound quality levels, the audio signal is better with a cleaner sound.
Ensure the cables are connected and encased with electromagnetic tape as an additional perk. It eliminates the possibility of grounding or humming from your car speakers.
Except for aftermarket stereos, which have a benchmark color scheme, OEM manufacturing stereos can have a variety of color schemes. As a result, you must inspect each wire independently to ascertain which wire serves which purpose and then fit it to the correlating wire from the strap.
In this case, your factory stereo’s circuit graph will come in handy. You could recognise these wires with a multimeter if you don’t even have any.
Also Read: Why You Need An Amp For Door Speakers
🔎How To Hook Up amp Without RCA Jacks FAQs
Q. Can I use speaker wire instead of RCA?
A surround sound system or LFE output is also connected to the sound system using an RCA cable. Speaker wire, on the other side, is only used to connect the speaker outputs.
You could also use a speaker wire to attach to a silent subwoofer that cannot amplify a signal out of a line-level RCA insight.
Q. Can you hook a system up to a stock radio?
It can link a subwoofer box to an equity stereo, and the procedure isn’t too challenging with the proper amp wiring kits. There are a few steps to take, but as long as you change focus to the cables you link up, you ought to be allowed to have your banging audio system up and running in no time.
Q. Can you run 4 speakers on a 2 channel amp?
A two- or four-channel amplifier can easily connect four loudspeakers. The speaker system impedance must be considered when determining how much strength to nourish each stream.
There are two methods for connecting four speakers: sequence and parallel. Select the one that is most suitable for your loudspeakers and factory amps.
Q. Does Loc need power?
More sophisticated LOC designs can identify input signals and generate a distant output to transform into an aftermarket amplifier or other gadget.
To accomplish this, connect the LOC to 12v+ and Ground wire to deliver the current required to strengthen the twist on circuitry and generate a dependable remote wire signal.
Q. Can you put RCA jacks on the speaker wire?
Several of the interconnections you may have to make regularly are among the RCA plugs and the speaker wire. Except for your vehicles, these links are also necessary for installing your home audio system.
When connecting the loudspeaker cord to the RCA connectors, you can attach either the labelled or unidentified side of the cord to the needle, depending on what makes sense.
As long as you identically connect all of the wires, they will all have the same directionality.
About the Author
Rach Wellard
Rach Wellard is the driving force behind Sound & Solitude. Her mission is to help you discover the profound impact of sound in your daily life and to explore the beauty of solitude. With a deep passion for the connection between soundscapes and emotions, she brings a unique blend of expertise and personal dedication to our platform.
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