Wire gauge are another important factor in car audio systems. The wire gauge determine the amount of current that can flow through the wire. If the wire is too thin for the amount of current the audio component will require, then the wire will have high resistance.
High resistance within the wire will result in the loss of voltage and the creation of heat within the wire. It is important to choose the correct gauge for the wire to ensure that the electrical current reach the speakers without losing much of it’s power. In the American Wire Gauge system, the lower the number, the thicker the gauge of the wire.
Choose the Right Wire Size for Car Audio
Additionally, the higher the number for the gauge of the wire, the thinner the wire. Resistance within the wire will create heat within the wire and also will reduce the voltage that is delivered to the audio components. If an individual choose to use thin wire over a long distance within the car, the voltage will drop due to the resistance within the thin wire.
If the voltage drops too much, the speakers will not be able to recieve enough power from the cars power supply to the audio components. This will also affect the sound quality. If thin wire is used from the car’s battery to the speakers in the back of the car, the sound quality will be distorted.
Thin wire also overheats due to the resistance within the wire, the resistance creates heat that can melt the insulation on the wire. Another important factor to consider when choosing the gauge of the wire that will be used in a car audio system is the length of the wire run. The individual must measure the length of the wire run before the individual purchase the wire.
If the wire run will be short, such as from the car’s power supply to the audio components within the dashboard, thinner wire can be used. However, if the length of the wire run is going to be long, such as from the front of the car to the trunk, a person should purchase thicker wire. Thin wire over a long distance will create a greater voltage drop across the wire.
Greater voltage drop mean that the audio performance will be lower than it should of be. Impedance are another factor that will play a role in determining the wire gauge that should be used in the car audio system because the impedance will determine the amount of current that the speakers will draw from the car’s power supply. Standard 4-ohm speakers require the use of a wire with a certain gauge.
However, 2-ohm speakers require a thicker wire gauge because 2-ohm speakers require more current to operate. When a person wires multiple speakers in parallel, the impedance decrease and the current demand from the receiver increases. To handle this increased current, a thicker gauge wire is required.
Wiring multiple speakers in series will increase the impedance and decrease the current demand. Using this fact, a thinner gauge wire can be used in series wired speakers. Using a wire that is too thin for the impedance of the car speakers will cause voltage to sag from the speakers, resulting in a weak bass response from the speakers.
The material of the speaker wire is another factor to consider when wiring speakers into a car audio system. The material of the wire will determine the conductivity of the wire. Copper-clad aluminum (CCA) is an economical material used in budget car audio systems.
However, oxygen-free copper (OFC) is a better conductor of electricity than copper-clad aluminum. Additionally, OFC is more flexible than copper-clad aluminum. For high-power car audio systems, oxygen-free copper is the material of choice because it will minimize the loss of power in the speakers.
There are several common mistake to avoid in wiring a car audio system. Using a wire gauge that is too small for the power of the amplifier can result in the wire overheating and potentially causing a fire. Bare ends of wire touching the metal chassis of the car will create a short circuit in the car audio system.
All wire connections should be tight to avoid signal dropouts. Mixing different wire gauges in a car audio system will create a bottleneck in the speaker wire that limits the amount of current that can flow to the speakers.