I was on the phone with crutchfield the other day and they're trying to persuade me to drop $185 on a dual amplifier wiring kit

I know my wiring job can be done for much cheaper but am a noob when it comes to figuring out all the wires/fuseholder/distribution blocks/etc to hook everything up.. I'm a visual learner so once I have all the materials in front of me I can usually put together what goes where.

I'm buying a for my front speakers and a for the alpine 1043d 10 inch sub in my trunk.

I believe the 4 channel amp requires 10 gauge wiring is has a 30 amp fuse rating. The mono amp accepts 4 gauge wiring with an 80 amp fuse rating (I think* on the 4 gauge wiring.. I don't have the product in front of me but that's what I was able to pull up online). I plan on tucking both amps under the front seats, so I would probably need around 15ft. of cord for either amp.

Could someone help me find the wiring for these suckers to connect them to my aftermarket head unit? Thank you in advance for reading!

 

You've got two options. The first is to use two separate wiring kits, one that is 10 awg for the 4 channel and one that is 4 awg for the mono amp. This is simple and can be done without much extra cost.

The next option is one wiring kit that is at least 4 awg with a distribution block to split the large wire so that you can feed both amps. This can be quite daunting due to the number of options that you encounter. Some companies will offer a kit that includes all of the goodies. Stinger, PG, RF, as well as many others will sell you a kit that fits your needs. I would stop by a local specialty shop and have them walk you through all of the options that they have.

Basically you will need a fuse holder for under the hood, a grommet to get the wire though the firewall, and a distro block. The ground wires can be simply grounded to the same spot.

 

If I went the route with two wiring kits.. does that mean I need two fuseboxes with fuses (one a 30 amp fuse for the 4 channel amp and the other 80 to 100 amp fuse for the sub amp)?

The thing I'm having a difficult time with is what wiring kits to go with. There's a lot on the market - ebay for instance; if I look up 4 gauge amp wiring kit I can find anything from a $9 wiring kit to a $50+ kit. And I know the kits online are going to be different than what is being sold in a specialty shop.

I don't really know what is considered a 'good' brand to buy wires from and what would equate to money wasted on lousy wires. Like I mentioned in my previous post, Crutchfield tried to sell me a dual wiring kit for $185 which is almost the amount I paid for both of my amps combined! I have a feeling that if I went into a specialty shop they'd take me for a ride because I'm asking about the most basic part of assembly. Would much rather buy online.. any recommendations/links would be much appreciated!

-VS

 

Yep! Two fuse holders, and two ground wires to and from each amp.

Wiring is alot like tires. They are both round and look similar but the details are what matter. Strand quantity and quality will be obvious when you pull the jacket off. Most cheaper wire will have more jacket than wire, will be CCA (copper clad aluminum) which doesn't conduct as well as solid copper, and will tend to be more rigid. I would stick with generally accepted quality brands like Rockford, Phoenix Gold, Stinger, Kicker, Audison, JL and Knuconceptz.

I don't recommend Crutchfield for various reasons, as well as big box stores for alot of the same reasons but you might be suprised by what you find as a specialty shop. If you do your own research (not just the cheapest you can find x brand off ebay) and know what gauge wire that you need as well as the accessories you want you may be suprised. The dual amp kit from Crutchfield may also include distribution blocks, RCA's as well as connectors so it may not be as over priced as you think. I found in this hobby you will get what you pay for and taking care of a local business will generally pay you back in the long run. The shops that I worked for I would guarantee that I could beat any reasonably priced equivalent from a competitor or the net. I could also help out someone who is genuinely interested versus someone just looking for the cheapest thing (wire in this case). I would stop by and let them know that you would like to see the difference between cheap wire and expensive wire, it's something that is easily seen, and felt.