speakers off amp and headunit

[snomaker321]

would it be possible to run my main speakers off of an amp and then say add a few speakers in a box in the bed that could be removed and run them off of the headunit still? This would just be used for like tailgating and stuff, but i dont see why it wouldnt work.

 

[7.5L_STX]

i dont see why not.

 

[Jay FX4]

I'm curious as to how that would be wired up. That would be sweet if it works.

 

[snomaker321]

Im still learning here, but to my knowledge when you get an amp you run new speaker wire so the old wire would just stay connected to the headunit and in the walls, powering nothing. what a waste. So i dont see why you couldnt just extend the wire so it can run out the rear window and into my cap, where i could have some speakers to hook up. Then, when i dont need them, just disconnect the wires and leave them in the cab.

My original idea was to somehow put a switch on the speakers so you could switch between the ones in the cab and the ones in the bed, but this seemed too complicated and i didnt want to mess anything up, then today i figured, if im getting an amp anyway, why not just use the headunit to run some more speakers. Once i get an amp I should be able to try this out with my old stock speakers.

 

[Jay FX4]

Well if your HU has RCA's then you'd connect the amp that way w/o dealing with the speaker wires. You have RCA's?

 

[snomaker321]

i think so, but i though you still needed to run speaker wire from the amp... like i said im still trying to figure this all out

looking at the installation instructions for my headunit, it shows an example using 2 2 channel amps and still running 4 speakers off the headunit, so this should work.

 

[alaskan155]

i know my pioneer deck deh-4000ub you have the normal speaker wires, then 3 sets of RCA 1 for the front speakers 1 for the rear speakers and 1 for for the amp, so thats 8 speakers total plus an amp, but that is assuming the head unit has enough power to power the speakers and f it will or will not disable the other speaker as soon as you hook it up to the RCAs.
i only plan on running 4 speakers so i dont think ill have a problem, but this should give you an idea assuming your deck is similar to mine

 

[snomaker321]

dont the RCAs just send the signal to the amp, then you run speaker wire from the amp to the speakers. The only speakers you can run directly off of the headunit are the 4, anything else either needs to be an active speaker or needs an amp pushing them.

 

[Jay FX4]

dont the RCAs just send the signal to the amp, then you run speaker wire from the amp to the speakers.

No. When powering the standard four speakers, it's one or the other, not both. Having RCA's on the HU is the ideal method, since it's MUCH easier to hook an amp up simply by plugging RCAs into the amp/HU than it is to tap into each speaker wire. The best HU's will have 3 sets of RCA's. Some have two or just one. The ideal way to connect a 4 channel amp is to use two sets of 2 RCA's (four total). you can connect a 4 channel amp with one set of RCA's, but you would lose your fader control. It would have to stay in the middle at all times. The typical thing to do with a HU with 3 sets of RCA's is to use 2 sets for a 4 channel amp to power the speakers, with one extra set of RCA's left to power a subwoofer amp or whatever else.

 

[snomaker321]

this told me otherwise...
http://http://www.crutchfield.com/learn/learningcenter/car/amplifiers_movie.html

 

[Jay FX4]

I'm confused now....
I'll just shut up. Sorry.

 

[snomaker321]

dont worry about it, im just trying to figure out how this all works. better to hear from contradicting sources than one wrong one. we'll figure it out yet.

 

[Slim]

Run out of the two pair of RCAs to the amp. Run out of the amp to the speakers the way you would ordinarily. Use the fader control to select whether you're listening to the front pair or rear pair. No need to get fancy with relays and such for little reason.

As for your questions "dont the RCAs just send the signal to the amp, then you run speaker wire from the amp to the speakers. The only speakers you can run directly off of the headunit are the 4, anything else either needs to be an active speaker or needs an amp pushing them." .....

- yes, RCAs carry the signal to the amp. The amp amplifies the signal and sends it to the speakers through conventional wire

- yes, you can run 4 speakers from the wires from a deck (or sometimes bridge the rear channels in some instances ..... yes, really). Anything else needs to be amplified (obviously through RCAs).


BTW, that movie - DO NOT remove only the negative cable from your battery. Remove them both. Leaving the + hooked up can be a recipe for disaster. I'm shocked (pun not intended) they'd have that poor advice in there.

 

[Jay FX4]

So the speakers get wired directly to the amp, not to the wires that run to the head unit, correct?

 

[Slim]

So the speakers get wired directly to the amp, not to the wires that run to the head unit, correct?

Yup. Forget the h/u. The amplification circuitry in the amp will usually provide a less distorted signal. He wants an amp then he should use it and it alone.

There's no need to concern one's self with "front or rear" because it's the same sound coming out of either ..... unless the unit has a 5.1 surround or better coming out of it, but I doubt it. So hooking everything up "normally" will work fine, at least if I understand what he wants properly.