Weaver

Hi all, Dave here. Just looking for a few tips/ some help setting up my subs with my amp.

I have a Sony xplode 800w amp, it has 2 channels. I'm hooking it up to a prefabricated Subwoofer Box with 2x 12" subs inside. For some reason the plugs (female connections) on the sub box are RCA connections. I've read that home theatre systems use RCA, but I'm 90% certain that the box was made for a car, not a living room.

Problem is my amp has the type of connectors that are just screws that clamp the wire in, they don't have RCA output for the subwoofers.

So I've been looking at the Box and I can unscrew a plate that the RCA jacks are mounted on. I can then cut and strip the positive and negative wires and then connect them to my amp.

Also, I have a Sony deck.. there is a blue wire with a white stripe on it. Can I use this wire as the remote wire for the amp? It looks like the solid blue wire is already connected to something, and I don't have an amp currently.

Thanks to all in advance, and let me know if you have any questions or need clarification.

Dave

MTT

iTrader: (17)

out of the blue wires, one will be "remote on" the other should/could be "power antenna" (which only powers with radio on)

as for the sub box, are you sure they aren't banana plugs instead of RCA's?
double check just to be sure, if they are in fact RCA then just pop off and connect directly to the wires as you suggested.
if they are banana plugs, just buy some male connectors for the wires coming from the amp.

Weaver

I will definitely check that out. It's very possible they could be banana plugs, although I haven't heard of them until now. I googled pictures of them and they seem pretty similar to RCA cables.

The problem is I got my box as is, no manual or anything to check what it says. I don't even know what make or model it is, although I haven't looked very hard for any kind of label.

If it is banana plugs, could I just pick some up from Crappy Tire and crimp them onto the ends of the wire?

Edit: Forgot to mention that my car is really old its a 1994 Dodge Spirit, so I don't know if it has a power antennae. But for some reason the solid blue wire from my deck is hooked up to something already. I'll double check my wiring to see if I did something wrong.

Unless I am mistaken you only need a power antennae if your antennae goes up and down automatically? Or do regular antennaes still need power?

MTT

iTrader: (17)

not positive CTC carries them, but probably....I'd try a home electronics store to be sure.
If you have a multimeter handy, I'd get a reading from the inputs on the sub box before hooking it to an amp. if it's wired to 1 ohm or something it could blow up your amp.

to be sure, pop one of the speakers out and read the back of it, and make a note of how the subs are wired together (series/parallel).

Weaver

Actually I was able to find this info about the box. Looks like it runs at 4 ohm by default so I should have no problem there. But just to be safe I'll test it with my meter first. As for the wiring I don't know too much about it, but I think it's just regular wiring. Each Sub has a seperate positive and negative input, it doesn't look like they are in series or parallel. Oh and yes these are really cheap speakers I got them for $50 from my brother, I wasn't looking for anything good.

HEAVY DUTY SPEAKER TERMINALS
2-12" WOOFER 50OZ MAGNET
FREQ.RESP.: 20~300HZ
SENSITIVITY: 88 DB(1W/1M)
PEAK POWER: 400 WATTS
IMPEDANCE: 4 OHM
WEIGHT: 30.5 KGS
SIZE: 770(W)X390(H)X400(D) MM

MTT

iTrader: (17)

seems like a good match to that amp, good luck and let us know how it goes and sounds.

Weaver

Will do, thanks for all the help and advice, MMT!

Weaver

Well just to update you I did try plugging in an RCA connector to the subwoofer, and you were right! It didn't fit. So I bought a banana plug for $2.00 at the local shop to test out the connection. It does fit inside, but its really loose. I can move the plug around and if I were to pull on it gently it comes out. So I'm not sure if there is a larger size of banana plug that I should be using. I think I'll just go with a direct connection to the amp from the subwoofer wires just to be safe.

red rocket

iTrader: (1)

Sounds maybe too simple but do they unscrew, cuz all the ones I've seen would unscrew a bit to have a hole under there to put your wire under, then tighten back up.

Weaver

Yes, they do unscrew, so maybe your right about that. I haven't been able to do much work on the system yet because of limited daylight after work and some rainy weather. I'm going to work on it tonight, and on the weekend. I'll pull the box out of the car so I can see everything a lot better. Right now all I can do is look at the back of the box with a flashlight in the trunk.