A powered subwoofer in your car audio system will make your system sound better than ever. One of the crucial steps in letting your powered subwoofer do its thing is connecting the head unit, or the in-dash stereo, to the powered subwoofer. Learn the two crucial steps involved in connecting a powered car subwoofer to your head unit.
Instructions
1. Remove your head unit from the dash so that you have access to the back panel. Examine the back panel for RCA preamp outputs. Head units will typically have from one to three pairs. If you have multiple pairs of preamp outputs, find the set labeled "Rear" or "Subwoofer." Subwoofer is preferable if your head unit has it.
2. Find a blue and white striped wire coming out of the back of your head unit. This is the "turn-on lead" that triggers external devices--like your powered subwoofer--to turn on when the head unit is powered up.
3. Connect your RCA cables to the preamp outputs of your head unit. Connect the other end to the RCA inputs of your powered subwoofer.
4. Connect the turn-on lead of the head unit to the turn-on lead of the powered subwoofer. Most powered subwoofers will come with a long length of wire for the turn-on lead. If they do not, a length of 18-gauge wire will be appropriate.
Tags: head unit, powered subwoofer, your head, your head unit, turn-on lead