Wiring Your Car Audio System

In This Chapter

• Choosing car audio cables 
• Understanding power cabling 
• Considering signal cable options 
• Wiring speakers

A car audio system is made up of individual components that work in a concert to produce great sound. But the components need to be linked together so that the audio signal can move from one to the other, all the way down the signal chain from the head unit to the speakers. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link, so a car audio system is only as good as the wiring that ties it all together.

Some components, such as head units, come with almost all of the wiring you need, but amplifiers, processors, and subwoofers usually don’t come with any at all, so you’ll need cables to connect these components.

In this chapter, I take a look at the different types of cables, the role each type plays, and the important things you need to know about them. But first, I give my two cents on cosmetics versus performance as it pertains to car audio cabling.

Deciding Between Plain Jane Wire and Audio Jewelry

It’s a decades-old debate in audio circles: Some people claim that if a wire is the proper gauge (or diameter) and made from decent materials, it accomplishes the simple task of sending signals or power, and should be good enough. But others want the very best of everything for their systems and 

are willing pay extra for premium cables that supposedly increase performance, or simply because they like the look that such audio jewelry affords. It really comes down to a matter of opinion, taste, and budget.

Practical-minded car audio enthusiasts can’t justify paying extra money for wiring that they feel doesn’t have an audio performance advantage. They are typically the same people that go for the least flashy components and don’t show off their systems or compete in sound-offs.

Another more predominant school of thought among car audio enthusiasts is that cables are an essential component of a car audio system. These people can recite reasons why a wire is wound or constructed a certain way and how that benefits a car audio system. They typically have showy systems or compete in sound-off competitions.

Although companies that sell car audio cabling can give you plenty of reasons why you need to spend more money on their products, many experts on the matter feel that as long as you’re using the proper wire for the job, the benefits of premium cable are generally negligible. That’s not to say paying for premium cable doesn’t make a difference: It just doesn’t make the kind of difference that, say, buying quality speakers versus cheap speakers makes.

That said, anyone who drops a good chunk of change on putting together a car audio system usually doesn’t mind spending a bit more for high-quality cables. If you are going to invest in a high-end system, you may as well connect it with quality cables. Plus, chances are you’ll want to show off your system, and using quality cables and accessories is like wearing a nice pair of shoes and belt with a suit. You’re simply accessorizing your car audio system the same way someone would accessorize a sharp outfit. But it is a bit of a misnomer to call cables accessories because a car audio system can’t function without them. A better name would be necessories. (Hmm, I may have to trademark that.)