how to CORRECTLY hook up your car stereo!

I saw a thread last week asking how to hook up a stereo. I was not impressed at all with some of the responses. The only one I did agree with was, someone said to soldier and heat shrink the connections.
I saw wire nuts and tape! not good connections for automotive use.
Here is a Rockford Fosgate stereo I installed into a 2000 Nissan Xterra.
This is what you should be doing when hooking up a stereo.
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If there is any questions, let me know.

Originally posted by 91EF3ZC
I saw wire nuts and tape
The industry standard at stereo shops is to use crimp connectors as you've illustrated. They work decently and should last for a few years in low humidity locations.

Below crimps (in level of quality) would be wire nuts & tape. They can fall off and cause your system to short & die (or cause a fire).

The top of the line "bulletproof" method would be soldering & using heat-shrink tubing or brush-on electrical tape.

Im my own vehicles I will twist wires together & use tape until I know the setup is something I'll be happy with (won't have to return the deck or alarm the next day). Then I go back & solder all the connections when I can find the time:D

Peace:alien2:

What i did is use wire nuts to make sure the connecton it correct then what i did is cripped it and but some electrical tape around the connection so that the metal part of the cimp wont touch any other metal to short out the circuit and blow a fuse. I like sodering and heat-shrink tubing but i had my system intalled by a pro cuz i was lazy and it was free and even his sodering and heat-shink tubing connections fell off. So if i were installing a deck i would use crimps and some electrical tape. Plus my dad is a electrican and he says these are better then the heat-shrink tubing and sodering. This is just my experiance wiht things. Later.

I always crimp everything ... dont have any pics of my stereo installs (im on my third deck, and about to get my 4th, moms accord is gonna get the JVC) But heres a pic from me rewiring the bumper lenses.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid52/p1b204ad3f1b205a5d4869ddcf9cbc010/fc9cfd9d.jpg

and what happens if you arent more careful with the wire cutter :o
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid52/pac43cb911d72c923586f54ab29027c51/fc9cfd92.jpg

[mindless rant]I would like to say that i will kill anybody who cuts their factory stereo harness to install an aftermarket stereo. go to walmart and buy a harness for 12.99. I hate cut harness' worse than anything in this world. [/mindless rant]

thank you and good night.

:finger:

i did mine by soldering them good and tightly wrapping them in electrical tape, it was nice and clean when i was all done :)

Amen 91civicdxdude...thats what im dealing with in the HF rex right now...


gunnmen01

gunnmen01: i am very lucky. The stupid bitch that had my car before me cut the factory wiring harness but she didnt cut all the wires....the severed harness is laying back inside the dash with about 2 wire still hooked up. I have to just get off my lazy ass and resolder all the other wires and i'll have a nice clean harness :D

thank god both the times stereos have been stolen out of our cars they have just unplugged it from the factory harness and not cut the wires, man I would have been even more pissed .... they did do this on my clear corners though, rather than just twist the bulb out of the lense, they fuckin cut the wires, and pretty short too, it was a bitch to wire the new sockets on there :finger4: But anyways, what really burns me up is they fuckin broke the corners in the process of getting em out, so they cant even use the fuckin things :mad:

I'm not so lucky....and the guy who owned the car knew better too...i can only assume that it was hacked when he got it....


gunnmen01

To me Fosgate decks are junk. Crappy lasers, they need to stick to subs and amps.

Originally posted by Jmunk
To me Fosgate decks are junk. Crappy lasers, they need to stick to subs and amps.
They are not junk, they are just as good as the leading top sellers.
thier out put section is better than most.

IBanotherfosgatevsJLthread.

Originally posted by Melt
IBanotherfosgatevsJLthread.
no, I wouldn't say that. I don't like JL very much and I don't like RockFord very much either, but I don't think their products are crap.

I just used a straight plug in so all i had to do was connect the stereo to the car using this extra harness. cost me about $14 which aint shit comparing it to the time u spend messing about cutting and soldering and taping and crimping wires, plus its a bastard when u come to change stereos

Cheerz

Jim :D

Fosgate decks are ok, my ex-girlfriend got one for $100 fully loaded, but I wouldnt pay over $200 for one. Rather go JVC or Panasonic.(My opinion, dont whore this up).

Once again Im huge on JL also, but dont call "everything" else crap!

My Opinion on new models:

JL Audio= Subs-----Like the sound quality, others hit just as hard.(10W3's for $160 each)

JVC/Panasonic= Decks---- I had an eclipse and had problems with it, fosgates buttons stick, JVC had been nice and solid.

Rainbow/MB Quart= Mids and highs----Expensive but crystal clear!
Rainbow is more bang for the buck though....

Arc Audio/Arc Audio= Amps, For $550 for a 1500dr Arc that puts out 1100 watts RMS at 10 volts into a 2 ohm load(have 4 10W3's, so dual voice coil and the amp doesnt even get warm) To get a Zapco or anything similar in quality was like $750+

EQ's= Zapco/Arc----- The Zapco EQ is so easy to use and is 4 volt signal

Again just my 2 cents worth, dont whore me!(Happens alot on here)

BTW Arc/monitor one, are the same thing

Well since this is a new thread, I'll ask my question again. When crimping, do you insert both wires and let them touch? Or kinda space it out on the inside of the crimp connector and just crimp the metal contacts which touch each wire?

Just insert it enough that the metal contact hits it and then crimp, and then insert the other wire and do the same.

Back to the stereo convo, I got a JVC KD-S680 180W (45X4) and am probably gonna get the 60X4 vdrive alpine (not sure what the model # is) within the next week, and the JVC is going into my moms accord cause her 5 year old sony was stolen :finger4: theives

I think the high-end rockford fosgate decks are actually very nice and can rock with the big boys of the same value. I've never had a problem with rockford anything as long as it is installed CORRECTLY and in its original intention.

If it reaches the other wire then thats good but it doesnt have to. Some people like to get a little carried away.

Arc/Monitor same thang, yes and no. Went to Arc Audio themselves in Modesto adn there is some differneces, they said the Arc 1500dr is the best bass amp they have right now, shhhhh. they also have a 5000 watt competition amp coming out(around $2200) Zapcos 4000 watt is like $4000.

He said Arc the Arc 1500dr hasnt changed for like the last 10 years because it is so good they don't need to change anything and arent going to for quite awhile.(The Original maker is no longer alive or just retired not sure)

Originally posted by pnut420
they also have a 5000 watt competition amp coming out(around $2200) Zapcos 4000 watt is like $4000.

4 geez for a damn amp!! holy shit, I would just run multiple 1000 watt amps and then daisy chain that shit together

how do you daisy chain amplifiers?

To my knowledge, all that could be done with 4 1000 watt amplifiers would be to bridge on amp and run it to one voice coil of a DVC sub and bridge the 2nd amp on the 2nd voice coil of the sub. Then you have one more DVC sub for the other 2 amps... even though i have never heard of anyone doing this. I've hooked up a lot of stereos but never daisy chained any amplifiers, but maybe thats what the stereo competition people do, i dunno.

:confused:

hell JBL now has a 10,000w peak amp, 6,000w RMS (don't remember the ohm load). if you want to get spendy, look at macintosh (no not apple computers) brand amps. they have been around forever making audiophile shit.

Originally posted by 91civicDXdude
I've hooked up a lot of stereos but never daisy chained any amplifiers, but maybe thats what the stereo competition people do, i dunno.

:confused:

I was just guessing but I think thats what they do considering I see a lot of show setups with 2 subs and like 4 amps.

Originally posted by 91civicDXdude
how do you daisy chain amplifiers?

To my knowledge, all that could be done with 4 1000 watt amplifiers would be to bridge on amp and run it to one voice coil of a DVC sub and bridge the 2nd amp on the 2nd voice coil of the sub. Then you have one more DVC sub for the other 2 amps... even though i have never heard of anyone doing this. I've hooked up a lot of stereos but never daisy chained any amplifiers, but maybe thats what the stereo competition people do, i dunno.

:confused:

$2200 is alot better than $4,000 thats all Im saying, also 1 4,000 watt amp will be alot more efficient and claner/smaller than 4 1000 watt amps and is a full on bass amp only and can be abused! The Arc 1500dr sells for $750, but I can get it for $550 at the end of the month(they like me there for some reason), so usually $750*4=$3,000 for 4 1500drs, making it cheaper than Zapco still, but is $800 more than the 4,000.

I would rather run 1 0 gauge wire to a 4000 watt amp, then run 1 gauge back then pay $30 for a distribution block and 4 sets of RCAS, wait a mintue 4 sets would be kinda hard

nah robert zeff is still alive my friend used to work at zapco designing boards his name is on some of em .,.... zeff called him up cause he wanted him to wright a review on one of the arcs

Hey just wanted to compliment you on the thread. Everything is explained well, and actually should be a STICKY, because i know this question will be asked a thousand times again. good work on the info though.

Originally posted by pnut420


$2200 is alot better than $4,000 thats all Im saying, also 1 4,000 watt amp will be alot more efficient and claner/smaller than 4 1000 watt amps and is a full on bass amp only and can be abused! The Arc 1500dr sells for $750, but I can get it for $550 at the end of the month(they like me there for some reason), so usually $750*4=$3,000 for 4 1500drs, making it cheaper than Zapco still, but is $800 more than the 4,000.

I would rather run 1 0 gauge wire to a 4000 watt amp, then run 1 gauge back then pay $30 for a distribution block and 4 sets of RCAS, wait a mintue 4 sets would be kinda hard

hmmm. I talked to the head Arc guys and they said that he designed the Arcs after the Zapco, but I may be wrong. So if Monitor is exactly the same, why would have two differnt brands that they sell out of the warehouse instead of just making Arc or just making monitor, I mean its not like they are so big its like Chevy and GMC, is it?

Also you must be from Modesto Im guessing. Oh and I meant hes retired right? So this amps while still be on top in like 5 years Im hoping.

Originally posted by 1990civic
Hey just wanted to compliment you on the thread. Everything is explained well, and actually should be a STICKY, because i know this question will be asked a thousand times again. good work on the info though.

Thanks alot, I really appreciate that.

Mike

PS- I am not sure what a STICKY is, but I assume it is a good thing.