Amp wiring
 

Morning all
I have got myself an amp and subwoofer and was wondering which wiring I need.
The guy in the shop said 8 awg but I got the impression that he knew as much as me.
Somebody else said 4 awg.
It's a 12 " active sub which is 900 watts
Any help on which is best

Stan

Hello Stan,

I admit that my tastes in ICE are modest but I do have electrical knowledge.

If it's an "active" speaker then that means it has a built-in amplifier. I would expect this to have two connections: 12v DC power supply and low level audio input.

The 12v supply will need to carry the maximum current drawn by the amplifier. The spec. should state this and it is not 900 watts! :eek: Can you give me a link to the equipment you've bought?

For the audio input just use any high quality screened cable and connectors.

I don't know why AWG was quoted because this is the UK and we don't traditionally use American Wire Gauge.

I hope that clarifies rather than clouds the issue! ;)

Simon

Hi Simon
It's the edge edb12 v2 , its 900w peak and 300 w rms

Stan

Am guessing it is an Edge Active sub (?) and based upon that, and a basic look at the fuse fitted to it, and assuming it is going to be fitted in the boot, 8 AWG would be adequate. However, if it was pushed, or you were going to push it hard, I would want it to have a margin of error, so therefore 4 would be to me, be ideal. However, 4 AWG would be more difficult to thread through the car, and move around (thicker and stiffer), but more importantly, it may not fit into the connector (or a properly sized crimp).

The instructions for the unit should tell you what to use. THIS guide should help.

The instruction of it suggest at least 10 gauge , but that makes no mention of distance of the cable run, but keep in mind the size of fitting on the amp. A workaround to using thicker cable, especially if fitting multiple amps is to use a power distribution block. (heavy cable to the distribution block, and then a narrower gauge cable from there to the amp - EXAMPLE, although I prefered a fused one).

Thanks Stan.

First of all, 300 watts RMS refers to the audio output from the amplifier and/or the rating of the loudspeaker. It bears no relation to the wiring size you are seeking for the DC power supply.

The Edge website gives no technical data whatsoever which is very unsatisfactory. Is there not a label on the unit giving the power consumption at 12v DC either in amps or watts? Failing that you'll have to guess.

Forget about AWG. We do not live in America! Look at this long established company based in the UK and select from their range of cables. The 25 amp cable should be more than enough, allowing for long cable runs and over-engineering.

Simon

Thanks both
I have brought a pre made kit which is 8 gauge but rated to run up to 1500 watts.
States on the box oxygen free,100% copper .
Probably the same as all the others but more expensive.
It is nice and flexible though so once it stops raining I shall run the wires as I still have to wire up my drivers seat so both in one go.
Simon...I have used vehicle wiring products before and found them very useful,helpful and quick delivery.
I would definitely recommend them to anyone needing Electrical equipment

Stan