Hello, I wanted a decent car stereo in my 2008 Toyota 4runner for a while now. I just got 2 Boston Acoustics 10.LF and a McIntosh MC431 4 Channels x 100watts Amplifier. I wanted to install these in my car asap but I know nothing about car audio and don't want to spend tons of money by going to car audio shop for the install. I do have a aftermarket headunit, eclipse avn6000. Below is a picture of the amp and subs :] Any advice or tips will be awesome! Thanks http://i874.photobucket.com/albums/ab301/man03999/image.jpg I don't have any kind of wiring kit to set this up, please tell me what kind of wires i need in order to install both amp and subs. Thanks!
Well you are going to need a Amp Wiring kit. Considering its a McIntosh I have always assumed that they were pretty pricey, you might want to get a decent wiring kit probably $100 give or take. If you dont know what you are doing I would just have Best Buy run your wiring for you. I wouldnt think that they would charge more than $100, plus they are going to hide the wires better than you would, and mount the amp.
Is there any decent kit out there ? (Walmart , best buy.. etc) Can I wire my speakers and subs to this amp without any problem? Or I have to do one way or the other?
i would not let best buy into my car. well at least the one near me. if you don't know what your doing then do some research on the subject. as far as install kits go. look for one that has at least 4 gauge wiring. real 4 gauge, not the thick insulation kind of wire with what looks like 8 gauge inside. find out where you wish to mount the amp. under a seat or in the hatch on the seat back. or even behind a panel if it fits and has breathing room. you'll want 4 rca jacks, a remote wire, a fuse holder for under the hood, and a battery terminal. when you know where your amp will fit you can determine how long your power and ground wires will need to be. i should note that not all stereo shops are rip off artists. look around your town and ask questions and ask to see install photos and demos of their work. a decent shop may give you a deal if you have them make an enclosure for you. also a good shop should give you a guaranty on the install.
Any recommendation on the wiring kit? For the location i would like to mount it under my passenger seat but if that doesn't fit then it goes into the cargo in the back.\ Edit: Since the McIntosh is a 4 channel amp should i get a 4channel amp wiring kit? If so what are the best kit out there within a reasonable price?
If you are looking to get the most out of that amp, you are going to want to look at getting a set of image dynamics components or focal polyglass. Depending on what your music taste is, if it is rock and stuff like that look at the focals if you want smooth good sound for many different types of music look at the image dynamics cxs. There tweeters are more laid back and smoother. Next you are going to want to run new speaker wire from the amp to your new speakers any 16 gauge will work fine. As stated you are going to want a good power wire kit. I like kicker hyperflex. But my recommendation would be, run your new speakers off the amp and buy a new amp like a rockford fosgate amp for those subs. That amp is more for speakers than subs. If you do decide to do what I am telling you get the kicker 4 gauge dual amp wiring kit. Wiring harness and all can be bought at a lot of places but if you want easy instructions go with crutchfield and buy the dash kit antenna adapter if needed and wiring harness there. They include instructions on how to install your head unit. Make sure to run rca wires to your amp ir amps and select a good set of rear speakers as well. If you need more help please contact me directly. Another idea is to sell me that amp lol. Been looking for a nice SQ amp and audison amps have been hard to come by.
The running of new speaker wire to each location is NOT a required objective. the difference in audio quality between stock wire and aftermarket is negligble at best (especially in lower powered low cost sytsems) . As far as speakers go, which was not the intent of this thread, I can only say this as I always have..dont let anyone tell you what to buy...let your OWN ears tell you what sounds best. As for amp wiring... If you you want to keep it simple 6-8 ga wiring for the power and ground will be more than sufficient. the run of speaker wire from the amp to the speakers...cheap 18 ga. will do fine with no problems. remote wire...18 ga. interconnects...uses a decent quality set...they dont have to be costly.. check out the upgrades you should do in the automotive electrical section of this site...they will only help as a source of this wire, you may try and fo to an aufio shop and buy it in bulk...off the reel so to speak...alot of times cheaper than a kit, but not always...shop around
I disagree on running 100 watts a channel threw stock 18 gauge wire. 6-8 gauge? for power wire on a nice amp like that you need at least 8 if not 4 if you are running dual amps. and using small gauge wire like that for subs? No way 14 gauge min.
Hello thanks for all the input! So i ran by my local audio shop and bought 4 gauge wiring kit and Line out converter. Install in couples hours with help of 2 friends. Everything was working fine, bass wasn't loud at all but at least it worked. Went to apple bees for dinner after the installation and now the amp is in protection mode. I'm not sure why.. any help? I almost have a problem with the remote wire, the amp stays on even when the car is off. I think i tap the wrong wire. Is there an wire i can tap thats not a constant 12v? Oh btw the amp have 2 fans and both are not working for some reason :[ Here is a picture! http://i874.photobucket.com/albums/ab301/man03999/image.jpg
i think you may have wired the amps remote to the wrong wire. your head unit should have a remote out labeled either remote out, or power antenna. not to a constant 12v out. why would you need an LOC? if you have an aftermarket head it should have at least 1 or 2 sets of rca out puts.
Yea but all the harness are plug and play from factory so there is not label for any of them. Eclipse does have a RCA input but you have to buy a harness for it. Since they are out of business i can't find any harness for them, so i have no choice but to get a LOC.
That last quote confused me. If the Eclipse HU has an RCA output, that is what gets attached to the Amp via Patch Cables. The Speaker wires from the HU aren't used. As for the harness, those are vehicle specific, not HU specific, so finding an aftermarket harness for your four runner should be quite easy. As for the wiring kit, I agree with Viking. Install shops around me(private ones) sell the wire by the foot(with a little markup for themselves), but at least you are getting quality wire and its usually significantly cheaper than buying a kit especially if you have connectors and fuses already.
the idea behind this installation was to do it on the cheap the way I understand it from the original post. The wire I recommended falls within YOUR range of suggestions. 6 Ga. is larger than 8Ga. As for speaker wire...the audio quality from an 18 ga conductor is fine...to run new wire from the amp to the speakers locations will do what? Nothing really... I have done A/B comparisons with wire..interconnects...head units..amps...etc, etc.... IT DOES NOT make a significant difference in the automotive enviorment...period.....as for sub wiring....sure a bit bigger wire will help with things...more current is involved...with highs at even 100 watts...how much current is involved? lets say at 250Hz on up.....care to answer that? what I am getting at is the fact that overall sound quality and response of a system is far more dependant on quality drivers and electronics and INSTALLATION ....Not the wire that transfers the signals... copper is copper...and gold is like putting a resistor in your path...period....
he might mean it has pig tails with the rca's on them. my current head unit is like that. if i lost the pig tails id have to look around for them. so i guess hes stuck with just speaker outs.
Either way...you can "only go so big" with power wire. If you want....go with 1/0 gauge to a distribution block and then downsize to the appropriate gauge size wire for the amp. As for speaker wire gauge size....its not too much of a concern compared to power and ground wire. Just my 2 cents.
