Installing wiring for an ADVANCED car audio system

[@davect01]

How you lay out your wires takes your system from good to Pro level and makes it really stand out

[@SQ_Silverado]

This is really important to me as well and I hope the shop I go to makes the wiring look clean, minimal and professional just like Marks.

[@TheCompleteConfusion]

Just wanna say Mark. Whenever I’m working on a project I find myself coming back to your videos just to freshen up, and have everything fresh in my mind (plus it’s very entertaining, and I find myself getting sucked in). So thank you for the great content 😎

[@TehBr0]

Exceptional quality and attention to detail.

[@CarAudioFabrication]

Thank you

[@tkh1845]

That standard of work is beautiful. Well thought out and executed.. very impressive

[@tomgarcia9200]

I'd pay to spend a day with this dude working on my car learning hands on

[@camdenfurry5187]

this is so professional its almost scary for my tiny brain

[@carlosespinosa6898]

Great build I missed regarding the wiring for the rear woofers I only see front woofers and tweeters

[@nicaudio888]

Bro, I was looking into making some speakers or a boombox for myself when I stumbled upon your channel, great job! So inspiring, and some of the tutorials seem to me really unique, I dare say that probably a lot of them are but I just haven't watched them all yet. I think at the very least I have a new hobby in the making but who knows maybe a whole new life which I never expected, there's so much more to audio than I ever realized and to be honest took it for granted. It is so in depth and interesting, so thank you for your videos, I also used to teach and just to say that you are a natural teacher, your ability to simply get across ideas and illustrate/demonstrate them is really cool. I'm going to sign up to your forum and see what happens, have a great day! Respect! ;o)

[@danielhurst8863]

For those that don't know, you can get shrink tube for your label maker, and thus have the wording directly on the label. It makes organizing your wiring so much easier.

[@CourtRoss]

You should get some of the heat shrink label for your label maker.

[@grumpysgarage4387]

Hi mark I'm building a car and want to do a massive sound system to complete with other show cars I have no idea about it and stumbled across your channel. Now I know just how un educated in this area I am Cheers Dave

[@MadLadCustoms]

To be honest, most power wire is oil resistant so adding a protection loom is unnecessary if you run it away from where a mechanic could snag it. Appreciate the ton of tips on the other end though, definitely makes car audio less intimidating when trying to do it the right way.

[@PhiMobileSounds]

Can we get a video about either bypassing factory amplifiers or integrating aftermarket audio into factory amplified systems? Things to consider?

[@jcmartinez7527]

AudioControl Active Line Output Converters. LC2i for a basic sub setup, and LC7i for 6 channel system integration. He has videos on both, and talks about wiring into a factory amp in one of them, can't remember which. Point is, the LC2i/LC7i takes speaker level inputs and converts them to low level. And you get the speaker signal from the wires AFTER the oem amp, not before. Again, take the signal from the oem amp outputs. The line converts then put out a low level RCA output to use on any amps. Audiocontrol DSPs also have a line output converter integrated so you don't need a LC7i if you get a dsp from them.

[@douglasking6714]

I believe he already made a video about this

[@PhiMobileSounds]

@@douglasking6714 You are right! It is probably related to DSP and 40 Volt high-level inputs. I’ve probably seen it. … To elaborate, I am looking for the caveats, tips and suggestions for working with cars you may be nervous about situations like BMW with fiber optic systems some of the cars that some installers or DIYers may have to take two looks at. Demystifying some of the “harder” or more advanced installs. I passed up work for some BMWs because I can’t afford to mess up something I can’t fix. Little intemidating to be honest. But when it comes down to it, I understand that ultimately it comes down to is getting good power to manage and amplifying a clean signal from source to output. … Another question, are there stock systems that should just be avoided? Toughest cars to integrate?

[@PhiMobileSounds]

Thanks for the summary. I guess I am trying to get insight into more vehicle specific challenges. I am going to have to retract my question now.@@jcmartinez7527

[@tommylyeah]

That'd be an awesome video. I "upgraded" the radio in my EM2 Civic from the original to a Special Edition unit. I was thinking of having a DSP and external amp(s) for the drivers and later add a spare tire woofer, but I want to retain that OEM+ radio- not sure where to begin.😅

[@dmarz4545]

Where can I find those lugs you used for the ground? Those look really cool!!

[@helgedorbyvesthansen7173]

Looking nice Alumen is a really good conductor

[@landentran4364]

You talked alot about HOW you wired everything together, but I'm still confused about WHAT wires I need. Do you have a list or diagram?

[@cobe1mllc]

Your an Expert with Tons of Experience not pro not advanced Expert 💯

[@mattcoleman978]

Love your work and videos they are too level. Am wondering if you could make a vid for rookies with a step by step walkthrough of each component and what it does. Also when and where we would use 2 ohms vs 4 ohms etc. Thank you

[@williealston9120]

I used insulated flex electrical tubing from Lowe's or Home Depot for my power cable under the vehicle. Better than flex loom in durability when exposed to the elements.

[@IcemanJD08]

I don’t understand why people would think that you wouldn’t have a good ground with an aluminum body. Aluminum is an excellent conductor and they use it in city power lines

[@A6Legit]

They use it in city lines because its lighter and cheaper than copper lol

[@Bill_N_ATX]

The issue is that often aluminum panels are not welded together but rather they are glued together with adhesives. Aluminum warps very easily with heat and doesn’t weld easily to dissimilar metals so manufacturers are using new age adhesives to glue parts together. So the aluminum part you are connecting to might not have a good low resistance connection. Or it might today but might not over time. So, for grounds you can use the factory ground points or run cable back to the battery. The run to the battery always is best. You know that will work.

[@CarAudioFabrication]

@@Bill_N_ATX The bigger issue is folks rarely take the time to test. A few minutes with a multimeter and you can determine if the ground is good or not. (Process shown here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/m3qlZXyXg7yGla8 ) The vehicle body and frame is FAR larger than a single run of 0 gauge so the idea that running back to the battery is superior is not quite the case. Another 0 gauge wire running back up to the battery is almost impossible in a lot of vehicles, not bad at all in this truck but there are so many vehicles that make it nearly impossible to run just the positive lead its not safe to assume you can just always run a ground because you "know it will work"

[@diantrecreagh3269]

@@CarAudioFabrication str8 facts

[@chuckschillingvideos]

Aluminum is a good conductor; however, the process by which unibodies are constructed means that you can't assume that the entire chassis is electrically conducted at every point along the way. Carmakers could give an isht about folks installing aftermarket audio components.

[@COBBADAMS]

I am sooo glad I have found your awesome educational videos!!! Thank You!! Can you recommend the best way to cut and strip heavy gauge wire?

[@McC4rthy]

How do you do when connecting tweeters to the amp? Do you need some resistance in between or does the HPF set in the DSP protect it?

[@24revealer]

That's beautiful work!

[@CarAudioFabrication]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@bassahaulic]

I love watching videos like this. :)

[@aaroncorrell8728]

What wire would you use for getting signal to the amp via line level? Also, do you have a link for the yellow quick disconnects?

[@32toddv]

God damn talk about a wall of amps, That's a hell of a setup

[@gilliam355]

Is it possible for your bigger amp to be robbing power from smaller amp?

[@ryancoburn6179]

What dsp amp would you recommend for a front 3 way component set and four rear speakers and how would you properly set it up and adjust it according to channels and bridging channels

[@TheOystei]

Just curious, is the cab grounded just to the frame or does the cab have a connection directly to the negative battery terminal?

[@jcmartinez7527]

If you're using both amps for the front, what will you do about the rear door speakers?

[@drzflyest4]

No rear fill necessary for sound quality imo

[@projectf025]

I know audio quest is for home theater but i use their speaker wires and rca's their golden gate line

[@A6Legit]

Im planning on doing a 1/0 run in my car once i get it running again, along with big 3. Guess well see what happens and decided if i need an alternator. Im debating upgrading my sub amp. Also probably gonna throw some 1/0cca in a 13 corolla, might swap my old sub amp in there.

[@drzflyest4]

Don't use cca a 0 gauge cca is more like 6-8 gauge copper

[@A6Legit]

@@drzflyest4 AWG is AWG bro

[@josecorrales14]

But in all honesty you shouldn't use CCA wire if you care about getting the power you paid for from your amps watch SMD video bro the cca wire lost about 300 watts rms compared to the OFC wire. I can see why you would want to use cca wire just because of the price but i mean if you bought a good amp wouldn't you wanna squeeze all the power and then some out of it?

[@drzflyest4]

@@A6Legit aluminum is not copper man cca is cheaper for a reason. Its conductivity is not as good. When i compare 0 awg ofc to 0 awg cca the cca conductivity is more like a 6-8 gauge ofc but you can do what you want. I had a knukonceptz cca amp kit that i chose to replace with a d4s ofc 0 awg kit. If you want to save money order welding cable instead of car audio 0 awg. I just paid 3.20 a ft vs car audio 0 awg @ ~5 a ft. Theres a reason cca is not recommended but you do you im just offering unsolicited advice

[@A6Legit]

@@josecorrales14 What do you mean it lost 300w? Cca isnt able to move as much power as pure copper hence why they have different fuse ratings for the same awg. Generally 250A for 1/0cca and 300A for 1/0ofc. Amplifiers use around a 10A fuse/100w output. Naturally if your wire has a 50A smaller fuse its going to deliver less power. My current total amp fuse rating is 220 so technically CCA would be fine. I only want the OFC because I might upgrade down the line. A 3k amp is basically maxing out a 1/0 OFC wire from what I can tell. To clarify my car is getting OFC, but the family car i might use 1/0 CCA or swap my old 4awg CCA wires in it. I probably won't even drive that car but I want to do a system in it. Definitely budget, its basically getting all the old gear I have laying around.

[@josefigueroa941]

The xt60 connector is a great idea but I would use xt30's instead of the xt60's.

[@mmateri]

Mark when you upgraded the ground on the battery to the frame, I have heard that you can cause an issue with the F-150 because the factory battery ground goes through a hall effect sensor that has to do with the battery management system. Wondering if you have a bit of insight into this?

[@NicholasNicolaides]

Where are you obtaining the ACC power for the switched side of the fuse box?

[@oneshawnsay]

What is the back board that you are screwing the amps to?

[@fancyreacharound]

Would you still choose to run 4 RCAs from the HU if optical audio was an option?

[@garethlyle1038]

Can I use 4G OFC wirings for subwoofers as well

[@11am44n]

Do you have a link to the Label Maker you used?

[@nickallen8782]

What is the link for the fuse panel?

[@vinodrana81]

I want to learn car audio installation

[@1452-w3b]

Man I miss car audio

[@kswis]

Looks good. So the body is still aluminum on those, it sits on a steel frame though. Aluminum makes for an atrocious ground

[@Ww-dl7vr]

Did you run speaker wire into the doors? How the heck do you get it in the passenger side

[@ninaoverton1482]

Helpful

[@DKILR]

Que estaño usas ?

[@brianwellman8462]

If I have 3 amps like you have it set up in this video how do you use the right wire I was looking to put JLauido VXI 1000-1 1000-5 400-4 80amp + 80amp + 40amp so does the one lead wire and fuse at the battery have to be 200amp and the amps are 40feet away so what gauge to use? Or should I run 3 leads for each amp?

[@YouroGamer]

Just curious, how much do you charge for something like this? With the amount of detail would take a lot of time, definitely a multiple day job for 1 person. Im guessing at least 2 grand to get this installed if not more.

[@YouroGamer]

And that's just labor not the couple extra grand in gear.

[@chuckschillingvideos]

7:29 Shouldn't your ground wire have some sort of strain relief here? If nothing else, you could have run a wire tie in and out of those two small nearby holes in the chassis, no?

[@james66872]

Quick question, I have 2 different 10” subs in separate boxes. I have not measured the hurts/frequency yet. Is it stupid to have two separate subs in a system

[@edp9517]

I installed a subwoofer and amp. My problem is , that as soon as I turn the key to the accessory mode my subwoofer instantly powers up and full “humming” LOUD. Is not stop. HELP

[@A6Legit]

5:35 ive always wondered why or how people use 1/0 in the vehicle because i can barely fit 4g or two runs of 4g down the side of a car. Ive only ran wire under a car once and it wasnt my favorite route.

[@MikeB1972]

I've ran 0 gauge in two different corvettes (C6 base and C6 Z06) as well as my current 15' Golf and while it's tight I can usually make it work. The only car that's ever given me issues is this one Mercedes I did simply because the panel fitment is too good/ tight lol You definitely can't get away with as much as you can on more budget vehicles IMO.

[@A6Legit]

@@MikeB1972 Yeah I had dual 4g in my audi and it barely fit. In hondas and toyotas it was easier to stuff it under the carpet.

[@elguero8424]

In what City are you located .

[@DominicDimartini]

How can I book you for an install?

[@jeffpessemier9802]

What are you using to remove paint for the ground? The witness marks appear to be made by a rotary type tool on a drill (?)

[@melissathompson7229]

Pozitiveground it's a kit which includes the wire brush. It's an awesome kit for doing grounds

[@jeffpessemier9802]

@@melissathompson7229 thank you!

[@vb7200]

Why did you use 2 200/2's instead of a single 400/4? That's a lot more money/complexity IMO. They put out the same exact power. I understand they're active but if there's only 2 component pairs, a 400/4 would accomplish the same wouldn't it?

[@CarAudioFabrication]

Product availability. Simple as that. The post pandemic world has been rough.

[@dnthateme559]

Great work on all ur vids. But this is way off topic, if im tapping into my rear speakers to a loc mainly for my subs. Can i still use an addtional amp for my highs or do i have to tap into my front speakers for that?

[@hightimehub]

Hi this is Curtis how do I get in touch with you?

[@kutluanocummings2861]

👌👌

[@jeffreyharbin5211]

I know a lot of you will call me dumb, that's fine because I know there will be one of you that will provide me the answer that I'm looking for regardless, with having two separate anplifiers and two separate channels set up for the woofers, and tweeters, so separate amps powering separate channels, how do they both known what song to play? I understand how with a 4 channel amplifier (all outputs coming from one common amplifer being fed radio signals) they can play the same song but how is this possible with so many separate amplifiers? are the radio inputs of each amplifier all connected in parallel?

[@mrblanket5455]

I’m just so confused on how to wire door speakers and hid all those cables

[@melissathompson7229]

If you're not gonna run a ground to the front then don't tell people they have to use OFC since the body is aluminum. May as well have used CCA.

[@6Dontjudgeme6]

Yeah but regardless, the OFC is more efficient on current restrictions in comparison

[@renaissanceman7145]

CCA wire is dangerous when permanently installed. After many heat cycles (how many depends on several factors) the aluminum WILL become harder and harder, eventually it WILL crumble. This usually happens at hard bends in the wire but it can be anywhere in the run and that spot is going to get very hot. CCA nearly cost me a car, I got lucky. Please, don't use CCA and warn anyone and everyone against its use. It's fine for jumper cables but hard wired It's dangerous. The aluminum body if the truck will ground thro the path of least resistance. As it hardens that path will change. Personally I would ground to the frame since steel won't be affected by electricity running through it but aluminum is more conductive than steel so... All the best. Edit - I always run a ground of the same size as my power wire either in the frame or flexible metal conduit. I expose the conductor and bolt it to the frame before it enters the cab, leaving it a solid run. Liquid tape, plasti dip or similar products can be used to protect the wire once attached.

[@melissathompson7229]

@@renaissanceman7145 I have never once used CCA and would never tell someone to because it's garbage. My point is if the body is glued together and is aluminum you just have to run the ground to the battery. It's not debatable. Even NAV-TV tells you to run a ground for their ZEN module and that uses like an 18 gauge wire.

[@melissathompson7229]

Especially with this level of gear and at that price point, it'd what maybe $80 more of wire and an extra hour of labor? If the customer won't pay that then they aren't my customer at that point. Just my opinion

[@WireHarnessAssembly]

💯💥

[@الباشمهندس-ظ5ن]

👍👍👍

[@yanikherman3182]

Do having the Rca's and speaker wires together create noise in a high powered system ?

[@LZ1SSA]

Който следи канала ми, ще види 10 ватов моноблок ръчна изработка. Клас ,,А".

[@ghitaaboulkhairat7911]

Hi, i do like your explanation, i am from morocco, please can you show me how can i buy those wiring and shipping to morocco. thank you very much

[@Frisco1369]

Wow. It looks so beautiful. 🥲 I'd like to do this line of work