HU / Amp / speaker wiring question (long).
07-03-2008, 12:25 PM
#1
Done With Sidepatch
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
HU / Amp / speaker wiring question (long).
I've been reading...too much reading and just when I thought I was getting it figured out I'm lost. Pull an replace and engine...easy compared to this stuff!
Here is what I have:
Head Unit:
JVC KD-NX5000 Car 3.5" LCD w/ DVD CD MP3 GPS NAVIGATION
Power Output:
Peak: 50 watts x 4 chan.
RMS: 20 watts x 4 chan.
4 Pairs of RCA Preamp Outputs: Front, Rear, Subwoofer and Video Output
Optical Digital Audio Output
RCA Audio and Video Inputs
Gold-plated, 2.5 volts Preamp Inputs and Outputs
Shockproof Memory to virtually eliminate skipping of music
GIGA MP3 Playback (copy MP3s to the built-in HDD for playback OR to a burned DVD-R/RW and play hours of your favorite music with ease)
MPEG Audio playback
DivX Ultra Certified playback
Steering Wheel Remote Ready (steering wheel remote sold separately)
DTS/Dolby Digital Processor
12-bit/108 Mhz Video DAC
AM/FM Tuner with presets
SSM (Strong-STation Sequential Memory Ability)
Amp defeat mode
AMP:
MB QUART PAB5400 5 CHANNEL AMPLIFIER
620 watt RMS high powered 5 channel class A/B amplifier
(approximately 1,800 watts peak output) (Peak is approximately 3 times the RMS power)
5 Channel Car Amplifier
4 x 80 W RMS + 1 x 300 W @ 2 Ohms
4 x 55 W RMS + 1 x 200 W @ 4 Ohms
40A x 2 Fuse rating
built in adjustable low pass and high pass and full pass crossover
10Hz - 150kHz (high pass mode)
30Hz ~ 150 Hz (low pass model)
24 dB per octave
# Focused mass aluminium heat sink
PWM power supply
high speed MOSFET output devices
superior sound performance
Ultra-flexible and adjustable active crossover network
Vario bass equalizer circuit up to +18 dB
adjustable 24 dB per octave subsonic filter
preamp outputs for easy daisy chaining of additional amplifiers
illuminated logo with red rectangle
Wire concealing detachable end panels
Input Signal: 0.2 - 6.0 V
Dimensions (W/H/D): 21.42 x 2.25 x 10.4 inch
Soft Start
Frequency Response: 10 hz-150 KHZ
Damping factor: >185
S/N ratio: >72 dB
THD: 0.10%
variable input level control: 0.2v - 6.0v
input impedance: 47k OHM
Power and Protection indicators
short, thermal, an overload protection
variable low pass (mono 24dB): 35hz-250hz
bass boost at 45hz: 0 - 9dB
Line Output
Unbalanced RCA input
Balanced line input
High Speed MOSFET Output Devices
PWM Power Supply
Band Pass Capable Crossover
Vario bass equalizer circuit
preamp outputs
remote base ****
SPEAKERS:
MB Quart QSD210 Q-Series 4" 2-way Component System (doors)
MB Quart OSD164 Q-Series 6.5" 2-way Component System (mid panel)
CDT CL-4EX coaxial 2-way 4" (rear)
SUB:
Image Dynamics IDQ10 D4 V.2
Recommended RMS Power: 100-300W
Peak Power Handling: 400W
Impedance: dual 4 ohms
RMS: 250W
So from reading others:
The amp. has 5 channels...should I power the QSD210's (doors) with the amp or use the head unit? That would leave me amp room for the sub and the QSD164's (6.5). If I do that how should I power the rear 4"?
Is 4 ga. sufficient from the amp. to the sub and for the ground...RCA cables to the HU...wires everywhere...Perhaps I should farm this job out?
How about page 3 from this MB Quart pdf...I can follow this, http://www.mbquart.com/all/downloads...en/qsd_164.pdf
Here is what I have:
Head Unit:
JVC KD-NX5000 Car 3.5" LCD w/ DVD CD MP3 GPS NAVIGATION
Power Output:
Peak: 50 watts x 4 chan.
RMS: 20 watts x 4 chan.
4 Pairs of RCA Preamp Outputs: Front, Rear, Subwoofer and Video Output
Optical Digital Audio Output
RCA Audio and Video Inputs
Gold-plated, 2.5 volts Preamp Inputs and Outputs
Shockproof Memory to virtually eliminate skipping of music
GIGA MP3 Playback (copy MP3s to the built-in HDD for playback OR to a burned DVD-R/RW and play hours of your favorite music with ease)
MPEG Audio playback
DivX Ultra Certified playback
Steering Wheel Remote Ready (steering wheel remote sold separately)
DTS/Dolby Digital Processor
12-bit/108 Mhz Video DAC
AM/FM Tuner with presets
SSM (Strong-STation Sequential Memory Ability)
Amp defeat mode
AMP:
MB QUART PAB5400 5 CHANNEL AMPLIFIER
620 watt RMS high powered 5 channel class A/B amplifier
(approximately 1,800 watts peak output) (Peak is approximately 3 times the RMS power)
5 Channel Car Amplifier
4 x 80 W RMS + 1 x 300 W @ 2 Ohms
4 x 55 W RMS + 1 x 200 W @ 4 Ohms
40A x 2 Fuse rating
built in adjustable low pass and high pass and full pass crossover
10Hz - 150kHz (high pass mode)
30Hz ~ 150 Hz (low pass model)
24 dB per octave
# Focused mass aluminium heat sink
PWM power supply
high speed MOSFET output devices
superior sound performance
Ultra-flexible and adjustable active crossover network
Vario bass equalizer circuit up to +18 dB
adjustable 24 dB per octave subsonic filter
preamp outputs for easy daisy chaining of additional amplifiers
illuminated logo with red rectangle
Wire concealing detachable end panels
Input Signal: 0.2 - 6.0 V
Dimensions (W/H/D): 21.42 x 2.25 x 10.4 inch
Soft Start
Frequency Response: 10 hz-150 KHZ
Damping factor: >185
S/N ratio: >72 dB
THD: 0.10%
variable input level control: 0.2v - 6.0v
input impedance: 47k OHM
Power and Protection indicators
short, thermal, an overload protection
variable low pass (mono 24dB): 35hz-250hz
bass boost at 45hz: 0 - 9dB
Line Output
Unbalanced RCA input
Balanced line input
High Speed MOSFET Output Devices
PWM Power Supply
Band Pass Capable Crossover
Vario bass equalizer circuit
preamp outputs
remote base ****
SPEAKERS:
MB Quart QSD210 Q-Series 4" 2-way Component System (doors)
MB Quart OSD164 Q-Series 6.5" 2-way Component System (mid panel)
CDT CL-4EX coaxial 2-way 4" (rear)
SUB:
Image Dynamics IDQ10 D4 V.2
Recommended RMS Power: 100-300W
Peak Power Handling: 400W
Impedance: dual 4 ohms
RMS: 250W
So from reading others:
Is 4 ga. sufficient from the amp. to the sub and for the ground...RCA cables to the HU...wires everywhere...Perhaps I should farm this job out?
How about page 3 from this MB Quart pdf...I can follow this, http://www.mbquart.com/all/downloads...en/qsd_164.pdf
Last edited by Mike B; 07-03-2008 at 09:09 PM. Reason: spelling
07-03-2008, 04:27 PM
#2
Drifting
I would skip the rearmost speakers for no reason other then the fact that they're worthless. If you have a sub in the car you're not going to hear them anyway. Drop them in just to fill the holes, but trust me, they don't have any function beyond that.
You can run all of your MB Quarts and the subwoofer with your 5 channel amp. To make sure we're on the same page, with the components, you don't wire both the woofer and the tweeter to the amp. What you do is bring one pair of wires to the crossover that should be included with the components. then from the cross-over you run the wires to the two components.
Thanks to slick marketing campaigns people get confused about the difference between a channel and a speaker. The car company says "it has an 8 speaker stereo system." The reality is that it has 4 pairs of components and is still a 4 channel system.
The power supply to the amp is about the only thing that might require 4ga wire. Even the ground for the amp probably doesn't need 4ga wire but go ahead and use it if you've got extra. Personally, I think that all of the huge power wires sold for car amps is probably a bit of overkill, but I'm no expert in the matter.
As far as wiring the sub, just use high quality speaker wire. I don't think they make speaker wire in 4ga, but I could be wrong.
My advice is this.
1. Ignore the coaxials in the back. They're useless.
2. Run three sets of RCAs from the HU to the amp.
3. Wire the positive terminal from the amp direct to the positive post on the battery.
4. Wire the negative terminal from the amp, preferably to a common ground (i.e. ground point shared by other things, and your car should have 8 of them, or use the ground point for the battery.)
5. There should be a blue wire (usually with a white stripe) that comes off the HU. This is the signal wire that tells the amp to turn on. Run it at the same time you run your RCAs.
6. Run one pair of speaker wires to each component cross-over. To power all four will use four channels from the amp.
7. Run a final pair of speaker wire from the amp to the sub. This is the fifth channel.
The RCA outputs on the back of your HU should be marked to indicate front, rear, sub, etc. If your amp is a 5-channel unit, it should have the RCA inputs clearly marked as well. The speaker outputs should be marked on the amp too.
Those MB Quart instructions are a bit confusing and are based on using a 4-channel amp which as you can tell, makes things more complex. What you're trying to achieve is much easier.
The amp. has 5 channels...should I power the QSD210's (doors) with the amp or use the head unit? That would leave me amp room for the sub and the QSD164's (6.5). If I do that how should I power the rear 4"?
Thanks to slick marketing campaigns people get confused about the difference between a channel and a speaker. The car company says "it has an 8 speaker stereo system." The reality is that it has 4 pairs of components and is still a 4 channel system.
The power supply to the amp is about the only thing that might require 4ga wire. Even the ground for the amp probably doesn't need 4ga wire but go ahead and use it if you've got extra. Personally, I think that all of the huge power wires sold for car amps is probably a bit of overkill, but I'm no expert in the matter.
As far as wiring the sub, just use high quality speaker wire. I don't think they make speaker wire in 4ga, but I could be wrong.
My advice is this.
1. Ignore the coaxials in the back. They're useless.
2. Run three sets of RCAs from the HU to the amp.
3. Wire the positive terminal from the amp direct to the positive post on the battery.
4. Wire the negative terminal from the amp, preferably to a common ground (i.e. ground point shared by other things, and your car should have 8 of them, or use the ground point for the battery.)
5. There should be a blue wire (usually with a white stripe) that comes off the HU. This is the signal wire that tells the amp to turn on. Run it at the same time you run your RCAs.
6. Run one pair of speaker wires to each component cross-over. To power all four will use four channels from the amp.
7. Run a final pair of speaker wire from the amp to the sub. This is the fifth channel.
The RCA outputs on the back of your HU should be marked to indicate front, rear, sub, etc. If your amp is a 5-channel unit, it should have the RCA inputs clearly marked as well. The speaker outputs should be marked on the amp too.
Those MB Quart instructions are a bit confusing and are based on using a 4-channel amp which as you can tell, makes things more complex. What you're trying to achieve is much easier.
07-03-2008, 05:15 PM
#3
Rennlist Member
14-16 gauge for the speaker sub wiring is just fine...
Good luck!
07-03-2008, 06:23 PM
#4
Chronic Tool Dropper
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
Phineas Ohm reminds us that current that passes through the the cable from the battery to the amp will also pass through the cable from the amp to ground. Unless there's a significant difference in length, both cables should be the same cross section. Obviously shortest is best, while honoring the common ground point guidance for the HU and the amp.
07-03-2008, 08:27 PM
#5
Done With Sidepatch
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
I would skip the rearmost speakers for no reason other then the fact that they're worthless. If you have a sub in the car you're not going to hear them anyway. Drop them in just to fill the holes, but trust me, they don't have any function beyond that.
You can run all of your MB Quarts and the subwoofer with your 5 channel amp. To make sure we're on the same page, with the components, you don't wire both the woofer and the tweeter to the amp. What you do is bring one pair of wires to the crossover that should be included with the components. then from the cross-over you run the wires to the two components.
Thanks to slick marketing campaigns people get confused about the difference between a channel and a speaker. The car company says "it has an 8 speaker stereo system." The reality is that it has 4 pairs of components and is still a 4 channel system.
The power supply to the amp is about the only thing that might require 4ga wire. Even the ground for the amp probably doesn't need 4ga wire but go ahead and use it if you've got extra. Personally, I think that all of the huge power wires sold for car amps is probably a bit of overkill, but I'm no expert in the matter.
As far as wiring the sub, just use high quality speaker wire. I don't think they make speaker wire in 4ga, but I could be wrong.
My advice is this.
1. Ignore the coaxials in the back. They're useless.
2. Run three sets of RCAs from the HU to the amp.
3. Wire the positive terminal from the amp direct to the positive post on the battery.
4. Wire the negative terminal from the amp, preferably to a common ground (i.e. ground point shared by other things, and your car should have 8 of them, or use the ground point for the battery.)
5. There should be a blue wire (usually with a white stripe) that comes off the HU. This is the signal wire that tells the amp to turn on. Run it at the same time you run your RCAs.
6. Run one pair of speaker wires to each component cross-over. To power all four will use four channels from the amp.
7. Run a final pair of speaker wire from the amp to the sub. This is the fifth channel.
The RCA outputs on the back of your HU should be marked to indicate front, rear, sub, etc. If your amp is a 5-channel unit, it should have the RCA inputs clearly marked as well. The speaker outputs should be marked on the amp too.
Those MB Quart instructions are a bit confusing and are based on using a 4-channel amp which as you can tell, makes things more complex. What you're trying to achieve is much easier.
You can run all of your MB Quarts and the subwoofer with your 5 channel amp. To make sure we're on the same page, with the components, you don't wire both the woofer and the tweeter to the amp. What you do is bring one pair of wires to the crossover that should be included with the components. then from the cross-over you run the wires to the two components.
Thanks to slick marketing campaigns people get confused about the difference between a channel and a speaker. The car company says "it has an 8 speaker stereo system." The reality is that it has 4 pairs of components and is still a 4 channel system.
The power supply to the amp is about the only thing that might require 4ga wire. Even the ground for the amp probably doesn't need 4ga wire but go ahead and use it if you've got extra. Personally, I think that all of the huge power wires sold for car amps is probably a bit of overkill, but I'm no expert in the matter.
As far as wiring the sub, just use high quality speaker wire. I don't think they make speaker wire in 4ga, but I could be wrong.
My advice is this.
1. Ignore the coaxials in the back. They're useless.
2. Run three sets of RCAs from the HU to the amp.
3. Wire the positive terminal from the amp direct to the positive post on the battery.
4. Wire the negative terminal from the amp, preferably to a common ground (i.e. ground point shared by other things, and your car should have 8 of them, or use the ground point for the battery.)
5. There should be a blue wire (usually with a white stripe) that comes off the HU. This is the signal wire that tells the amp to turn on. Run it at the same time you run your RCAs.
6. Run one pair of speaker wires to each component cross-over. To power all four will use four channels from the amp.
7. Run a final pair of speaker wire from the amp to the sub. This is the fifth channel.
The RCA outputs on the back of your HU should be marked to indicate front, rear, sub, etc. If your amp is a 5-channel unit, it should have the RCA inputs clearly marked as well. The speaker outputs should be marked on the amp too.
Those MB Quart instructions are a bit confusing and are based on using a 4-channel amp which as you can tell, makes things more complex. What you're trying to achieve is much easier.
Thanks all for your time.