The 5 BIGGEST Mistakes When Buying and Installing a Car Stereo Amp

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These are the 5 biggest mistakes when buying and installing an amp for your car stereo System. Adding an amp is essential for any good car stereo system. Whether you're buying your amp online or in a store keep these 5 mistakes in mind so you don’t make them.
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Start at the 3:15 Mark

[@danielmiller4492]

When I first got into car audio 30 years ago I thought RMS meant " recommended measured sound". Lol.

[@jacquesduplessis6175]

Haha, how about Rock My System 👍

[@jyes6365]

Great video!!! Very well articulated! Thanks bro this made A LOT OF SENSE!!

[@BreakersStereo]

Thanks!!

[@SpyroRoar]

I got the blam speakers for my single cab and im pretty impressed with how they sound a friend recommended them but i was nervous about them because i never heard of the brand

[@BreakersStereo]

Yeah they are awesome! We are going to release a good better best video on 6.5” components and are going to highlight the BLAM Signatures as our best choice. So look out for that video

[@drunkenbass6128]

Audiotec Fischer products are amazing. I have an old school HXA 400 MKII and a B5 and love them.

[@JeepTJay6]

Damn I did more than a couple things wrong according to this. Thanks for sharing. I got some work to do.

[@Csteiny383]

A local audio shop sells the Audison SR 1.500 and tells me they are very skeptical that it does rated power at 1ohm. Can you please tell me what your thoughts are. I am also considering the JL RD 1000/1. Looking for good sq and will be powering 2 - 450 watt rms subs

[@liftedjsmith]

Some great tips, but on the power / rca wire separation, how far apart do you recommend?

[@nicolasespitia2397]

Hey! I´m a rookie in the sound world and I have invested in 4 Power Bass 2XL speakers, can you give a recommendation on a good amp for them, please!!!

[@vk9423]

I installed Audison Voce series AV k6 component and Vice coaxial along with Audison APBX 10 and Sr 4.3.But the mid and highs were not detailed.So I added Nakamichi NDS6831 DSP.Though vocals have improved but details n clarity are still missing.Is there problem with Class D amp vis-a-vis audio output or is there any other issue

[@luisrobledo5694]

You Should do a vid on top 5 component speakers with an amp etc.

[@BreakersStereo]

Good idea!

[@3613jeremy]

I definitely agree there's thousands of videos on sub woofers but nothing good for people like me that just want a budget friendly system!!! Like running a 4ch amp then adding a low profile sub & amp combo if I want more bass or just bite the bullet with a 5ch amp. I was planning on a descent 4ch to run my 4- 6x8 infinity kappas or 2-6.5" component with 2-6x8" in the back on my F150. But running 2 amps worries me without upgrading my charging system I know it should be fine seeing it won't be much over 6/700 RMS but running the extra wire and all seems pointless

[@billybobbarker3175]

Great video. Is it ok to have speakers that are capable of much more than the amp? Asking as I have 100w rms speakers but amp is 50w rms.

[@robertcruz1463]

What about 3ohm speakers ? Like JBL 6.5 and also Hertz MP-165P3 Millie Pro 6.5" , what power will take from this amplifier???

[@precisioninc4870]

When using the wire chart, don't forget to add ground length. Thats why people say you make the ground wire as short as possible. Rockford Fosgate 4ga kit comes with 17 feet power and 3 feet ground. So, technically, it is rated for 85-105 amps of current draw if you do not cut any wire. Cutting 1 foot off either side would raise it to 105-125 amp. Cutting 3 feet off power but adding 3 feet to the ground would keep it at 85-105amp rating, don't be one of those guys that yells at an installer for adding length to a ground wire when the reason they do it is so that it makes a better, proper ground.

[@turnipsucks6416]

Word. Learning!

[@powerband5235]

What amp would you recommend to power two jbl club ws1200 1000 Watts 12" shallow subs. Thanks

[@Propolizei]

hi friend- can you help a beginner: if I install some third party multimedia in my 2011 ford focus (I am pretty satisfied with sound in car), and if multimedia has output of 4x45W, does it mean that I will "downgrade" my overall sound quality in my car, besides my ford speakers? Thanks

[@TechTimeWithEric]

On that last FAQ, some amps are + - + - while others are + - - + and I see A LOT of people mess up because they didn't pay attention to that.

[@BreakersStereo]

Great point. Thanks

[@3613jeremy]

I keep going back and forth between buying a decent 4 channel for my door speakers then adding a sub amp combo if I want more base or just buy a 5 channel and be done with it I'm not looking for rattling thumb just a quality sound in my f150

[@erict1144]

Start with running the power and getting your sub set up done. Do some sound deadener. Upgrade door speakers. Then add. Make amp deck/board

[@billybobbarker3175]

Imho. Good quality main 3way speakers (6x9) and a matched amp will NOT need a sub. Get a 4 way and divert the spend on great speakers. (Dump the sub and extra amp idea, spend that on good speakers). Hope that helps.

[@tanaybag4751]

@BreakersStereo Hello, For a combination of speakers XS-162ES at front & XS-160ES at rear, which is a suitable amplifier among XM-GS4 or XM-4ES? I require to get crystal clear sound only with some good bass. I am NOT looking for very loud sound. What are the extra things to get from XM-4ES over XM-GS4, is it only loudness or the output is far better in terms of clarity? Is it worth the price if I install XM-4ES or XM-GS4 will meet my requirements? Please let me know. Thanks!

[@menjivar76]

Thanks for your video, well explained, just one question, can I run my RCA’s and my power cable 6” apart to avoid engine noise or it has to be on different sides of the vehicle?

[@derekgardin1512]

Yup. I always do that.

[@derekgardin1512]

6 feet apart or opposite sides are the same lol

[@InsulinDependentDean]

@@derekgardin1512 dude said 6" not 6ft lol

[@chandra7698]

nice video very useful

[@beardedgaming3741]

you didnt mention types of RCA. coax vs twisted pair. if the source and destination (deck/amp) do not have balanced out/in then there is no comparator circuit, there for a twisted pair wire will be more prone to noise than a coaxial style cable. having a three conductor coax will have grounding shields down its length. those grounds insulate the center conductor that carriers the signal. as such, emi is shunted via the insulation braid and barrier inside the cable (often a polymer to simulate the Mu of an air gap) to ground and not induced into the signal. on the other hand, if your radio is outputting balanced or differential output and your amp also supports this, then it has op-amps in a comparator circuit on its input stage. a coax cable will induce noise into this system due to the differences of this setup. a twisted pair is wound at a specific wraps per inch - it is designed to minimize cross talk at the frequency range of the cable. (it is the same in telecommunications but with higher frequencies). amps with this circuitry will pickup the noise that is induced into BOTH strands of wire. because they are lightly shielded (or not at all) and run parallel to one other, both conductors will have the same noise induced over the transmission signal. the amp will subtract the inverse of this data and using Boolean logic will delete the induced noise. IF you use these twisted cables with out such a circuit, the amp will not be able to remove this noise. like wise if you use a coax with a differential input - you will get noise because now the EMI is of different amplitudes between the two conductors. using the wrong RCA just because the marketing says twisted pair is better is a problem and will lead to noise issues in the build. the SNR is also a major contributor to this equation. if the noise floor is too low the hall effect from the power wire can exert inductive coupling into the RCA and cause noise or signal degradation. a high enough voltage on the RCA however would be able to overcome this is nearly every scenario. doubly true in a car with an already high noise floor. MAYBE one could hear it in a home system. so that is to say, its not a requirement to separate RCA and power depending on build. if your worried about it you can do the math and factor your angle and direction of field travel and how many tessla newtons will be exerted, its field strength over X distance and how much voltage might be induced into the adjacent cable - if you do the math, you will see its quite minimal so long as both cables have some insulation on them as the permeability of modern insulation is quite low compared to air or vacuum.

[@luvishg.ramdoo8962]

What amp should i buy to push 350wattx4 speaker

[@renaissanceman7145]

You are 100% right about CCA and I appreciate you spreading the word. I would add CCA is dangerous. Over many heating and cooling cycles the aluminum will become brittle, at sharp turns especially, eventually it will crumble there. When it crumbles it will get even hotter becoming a very real fire hazard. Been there, wasn't fun, I don't recommend.

[@derekgardin1512]

I used it once and had problems like a year later. Never again. I buy all my wire from Sky High Car Audio now, all OFC.

[@buchiokwuosa2205]

I have a Handa poilt I need stereo system for it

[@Anmai232]

Thanks

[@turboflush]

Did i miss it? Do i match the rms of amp to speaker? Can i go larger rms on amp than speaker and just turn amp down?

[@adamfifield5044]

the rockford fosgate t1500-1bdCP is stable at 1, 2 and 4 ohms. so not every mono amp is only stable at 1 and 2 ohms

[@phillegend9080]

Do I need to change my head unit

[@Cougar139tweak]

What, no Series/Parallel? always wired up my Marshall Cabs that way.....

[@derekgardin1512]

Autotek amps have bogus ratings ,(the blurred out ones in vid) and Boss bad for it too. 1600 watt amp that barely makes 200. Look at the fuse(fuses) and multiply that by 14. Or for quick math multiply by 10. That is the real power the amp makes.

[@45eno]

Can you safely run a higher rated wattage amp on a lower rated sub? Can you compensate the extra power by simply tuning the gain down or will amp's RMS watts always be directed towards sub and over powering it? Have a brand new Kicker CX1200 that I bought a few years back. Still in the box and hoping to use it to power a JL W6 10". Amp is rated double what the speaker is rated for. I could sell it or if it is possible to simply adjust the gain down that would be great. I don't think it would be that hard to sell as it's new never installed.

[@brando81]

Yes you can. I had a similar situation in my last system. Had a 12W6 ran off an Alpine M-240, waaay overkill for the sub at 2400w at 2 ohms. I wired the sub to 8ohm. Sub got lots of clean power, and amp ran cool and clean all day. You can use a multimeter to adjust your gain and get is close to your desired rms power for your sub.

[@YusufGinnah]

Absolutely... 👍🏼 Keep the gains in check and you'd have a much cooler running amp as well, It would be working a lot less than a perfectly matched amp running flat out every day.

[@robindavisjr4109]

I’m currently running 4 Kicker KS 6x9s front and rear and two Kicker KS dash tweeters powered off a Boss 10.1 floating tablet and it sounds horrible. All the money I spent I would have just kept the factory Ram speakers (which are bad). Would an amp make all the difference in the world? I’m looking for clarity and a little more depth from the bass. Right now it’s distorted

[@billybobbarker3175]

I think the main issue is the kickers. They are known for base punch but otherwise not very good full range quality. I put Infinity Reference set in my Ram. AMAZING! Now I just need to add an amp to drive them properly at higher volume that they are capable of.

[@d77543020]

Number four is the only one I disagree with this use to be the case but rcas are made so well now I never get engine noise running on the same side as power five Star car stereo does installs every day with RCA's and power wire ran on the same side

[@DedsecEric]

You can get away with it if you're just running a bass amp; but, the engine noise/alternator whine will be a very apparent on a 4-channel amp.

[@turboflush]

The amp sub in my Chevy cuts out when it hits hard for too long. Voltage drop problem with alternator, apparently.

[@elcomandante9299]

Had this issue. Couldn't figure it out. Fix was my fuse was faulty.

[@ajayaj8368]

Why pioneer is not on videos?

[@rolandoantunez2001]

I have 700w rms 4ohn dvc sub at 2 ohm. Ima running a cxa800.1 at 2ohms which turns too 600w rms is this safe for amp or sub?

[@riffle8883]

Yes sir.

[@AhThizz]

1:29 not cool i jumped out my bed lol

[@jrhpstc]

Cuando haces videos en español saludos.

[@javierortega4782]

Yo tambien kiero saver Tengo unas preguntas.....

[@buchiokwuosa2205]

What's up bro How are you doing bro

[@luvishg.ramdoo8962]

Hi

[@ezequielinzunza2489]

Did he just ground the amp using self tapers?????

[@norbertovargas1931]

Wheres your shop located

[@Thumper68]

In the matrix

[@norbertovargas1931]

@@Thumper68 ok I'll try to get there

[@buchiokwuosa2205]

Please bro

[@sauldean6430]

Almost thought I'm in a rocket science class

[@williampearson6259]

Please sir I need help picking out Head unit. I'm buying 2 skar subs 1500 watt skar 3500 watt amp and 4 200 watt skar speakers and I do not know what head unit to pick???? If you had 3 choices what would you do? Thank you.

[@kramnull8962]

That's where you have to do your homework. Look at the specific receivers you like or fit your vehicle. THEN, you need to make sure that unit has the number of channels of RCA outputs for the amp, that you are wanting to amplify. I see many of receivers that only have front left and front right; rear left and rear right; and a sub output. But for myself and my Colorado, I as well as many cars today, there are dash speakers front door speakers and rear speakers. So in turn you actually need 3 sets of outputs for all around sound and then a sub output. If you are putting aftermarket speakers in all those positions you surely want to run them off an amp, so make sure you get enough channels or you won't be able to balance and fade properly. On the other hand, if you are using a multichannel amp, you might choose to just run the rear door speakers through the sub channel, and you only need the FR, FL, RR, RL channels and 5 outputs is all you need. Other than that is all boils down to what flavor you have in sound quality and tones and such. So from there you just have to rely on reviews and in store displays at stores like Best Buy, if they have a floor model. By the way, if you are getting aftermarket speakers, there is no need to really try and rely on a built in amp in the receiver. 90% of those receivers only produce 17Watts RMS tops. You are barely going to hear your speakers, especially if you run a sub amp with a sub. That's why those RCA outputs are so important before you buy your receiver.....

[@YusufGinnah]

I agree with the reply above, however, you do have the option of adding in a parametric equalizer if your head unit doesn't have the multiple pre-out options. Most pre-amp equalizers these days have separate FRONT + REAR + SUB outputs with each being individually controlled. The added bonus being that most of these units also have between a 7volt and 11volt output being fed to your amplifiers. Far superior to most top of the line head units.

[@cosasdepuromacho1247]

🔥💯💯👌👍🤘🏼✊

[@paleteroman2586]

What state you from practice my truck I could take my chat to you

[@turnipsucks6416]

Crap. I'm gonna have to re-watch this video and take notes. Too much solid information I'm not processing at the moment.

[@zlywilk69]

Would've been better if you wouldn't read of screen all the time.