To increase the power of your car’s audio system, you can always hook it to a car amp. There are many ways to do this but be careful as you may experience distortion which could indicate poor connection. For seamless integration, our experts listed the surefire methods on how to connect an amp without RCA jacks.
Determining the Compatibility of Amp
If you want to boost a low-level audio signal, you can install an additional amplifier to your factory head unit. A car audio system usually has an RCA plug but some stereo system units lack RCA jacks.
Don’t worry as you can still install an amp without using RCA cables. You just have to make sure that the factory radio can accept speaker-level inputs or line-level connections.
Aside from that, also check the root means square power or RMS power of the amp. It is not synonymous with peak power, which is the maximum power a speaker or amplifier can reach but cannot be sustained.
The RMS power of the amp should be less than or very close to the factory speaker. Otherwise, it will damage the running speakers.
Placement of Amp in the Car
Before identifying the different ways on how to hook up an amp without RCA jacks to your audio system, you must decide where to place the amp in the car. You can put it below the seat or behind the subwoofer box. Our experts suggest placing it somewhere where cool air passes to prevent it from overheating.
Remember not to place amp near any loose item as it can be damaged when the car is moving. Likewise, don’t forget to disconnect the negative terminal of the battery to avoid electrocution.
Three Ways to Connect Your Amp Without RCA Jacks
Method #1: RCA Adapter
This method will still use RCA signals delivered by the RCA cable. Here, you will need two RCA plugs where the speaker wires will be connected.
Check first if your amplifier can accommodate high-level input from RCAs. If it can, you can use the cables and connect it to adapters. In this method, the rear speakers will be used to connect to the RCA output.
Then, connect the adapter to the rear speaker wires while hook the other end of the cable to the RCA outputs.
Method #2: High-Level Inputs
This second method is also called the speaker-level input. Here, there is an additional power as the voltage is higher than the normal RCA input.
To do this, you need to run the red power wire from your factory amp through your vehicle’s firewall. Connect it to the battery, up unto the fuse holder. Make sure to secure the connections in order to prevent short circuits.
After ensuring all the connections, you may now start working on your left speaker wire. Strip back a small part of your wire, then splice in the wire leading to your amplifier. You may solder, crimp, or use an electrical tape to secure this connection. Do the same process to your right speaker wire.
It is best to route the red blue positive wire under the carpet, door panels, or seats to avoid any tripping hazards.
Method #3: Line Output Converter (LOC)
A Line-output Converter is used if you don’t want to change any setup in your stock radio factory system but just want to add another amplifier or speakers. LOC is usually used for a two-way or a monoblock amplifier.
Before starting, find first the leads connecting your amplifier and factory speakers. Then, remove one inch of the wires’ insulation. This will allow the right channel of the LOC to be attached to right speakers and left channel to the left speakers.
Then, ensure the connection of the converter’s wires to the speaker’s wires. This may be done by crimping, soldering [1], using tapes, or using the heat and shrink method. Insert the RCA wires connected to your amp into the LOC.
After that, test the connection by listening to a song and adjusting the amplifier’s gains until you get your listening preferences. Once everything is to your liking, go back to the old head unit and turn up the volume to make sure that you don’t hear any distortion.
Conclusion
To enhance the car stereo’s speaker outputs, you can hook an amplifier to the speaker. There are a lot of methods to do this even without the use of RCA jacks. Our experts suggest different ways on how to hook up an amp without RCA jacks including the use of an adapter, LOC, and high-level input.
