Boosting your sounds by connecting the RCA cables to an amplifier may seem so easy but you need to be careful as a wrong connection may damage your sound system. You will end up with a broken product without fully enjoying the amount you paid for. Don’t worry as our technical team will guide you on how to connect RCA cables to an amplifier.
Connecting to an Amplifier
An amplifier boosts low input and weak signals and amplifies to produce clearer and stronger sounds. Sometimes, the device and the amplifier are both RCA cable compatible so connecting them is easier.
To connect the devices, find the RCA output sockets from your device. For CD players and stereos, this is usually found at the back. Connect the cables based on their colors – red cable goes to the red socket, white cable goes to the white socket.
Connect the RCA cables into the amplifier input sockets, following the color of the cables. The red cable also goes into the red input socket of the amplifier.
Try to play a song to check if the cable connections between the two devices are secure.
Connecting to an Amplifier Without RCA Ports
Sometimes, the amplifier does not have RCA input sockets so the RCA cables cannot be directly connected to it. The reverse can also happen as the amplifier has RCA sockets but the device to be connected does not have. To solve this, our experts recommend using an adapter to integrate both of the devices.
Use an Adapter for RCA Cable
Adapters for RCA cables allow connecting two devices even if only one of them is RCA compatible.
If you are connecting two devices and one of them is RCA compatible while the other is AUX compatible, you can use a male to male stereo audio adapter. It connects the two RCA cables to a device and connects to another device with an AUX socket.
You can also use an RCA cable audio adapter which has a male RCA socket or plug to an AV screw terminal to connect two devices with incompatible RCA sockets.
Alternatives
#1: High-Level Inputs
You can also use the speaker wire leads at the back of the radio to connect to the special adapters with bare wires of the amplifier. This is called high-level inputs as you are using the speaker level inputs.
This method needs access to the speaker wiring which is usually located behind the radio system. Identify which wires go to each speaker, specifically the positive and negative wires.
Once identified, cut the wire and connect the end coming from the device and connect it to a new wire already connected to the amplifier’s input. This allows the speaker output as the amplifier’s input.
#2: Line Out Converter
An easier way is to use a line out converter [1]. This device converts the speaker-level signals, which are usually high, into a preamp level signal. This device is usually used to connect the car radio to an amplifier.
Our sound engineers found that the line output converter allows you to use the RCA cables to connect to the amplifier more easily.
(Wondering what the different colors of your cables mean? Well, we have a simple guide about the functions of red, white and yellow cable here)
FAQ
How do you hook up an RCA cable to an amp?
There are several ways you can do to hook up an RCA cable to an amp. If the amp has RCA sockets, then the colored RCA cables go to the respective colors in the amp. If the amp has no RCA cable sockets, then you can use adapters or line out converters to hook up the RCA cable to the amp.
Where do the RCA cables go in amp?
The RCA cables go in the amp’s RCA socket. The red cable of RCA goes to the amp’s red socket while the white cable goes to the white socket. The amp’s RCA sockets are usually found at the back of the device.
What do RCA cables do for an amp?
RCA cables do carry signals to an amp. RCA cables are able to carry audio signals from one device to another, but it usually carries these signals from the speaker to be boosted by the amp.
As amplifiers boost low-level signals, it is the RCA cables that carry these signals.
Conclusion
In order to boost signals from a device to the amplifier, a connection should be made. If one of the two devices to be connected doesn’t have RCA sockets, our sound team suggests using an adapter, high-level inputs, or a line out converter in order to connect these devices.
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