Connecting speaker wire correctly to a car amp takes only a few minutes with a screwdriver and a pair of wire strippers. While the connections are simple, doing the job the right way is important to prevent burning out the amp, speaker or both. Additionally, a wiring mistake can cross the stereo signal and result in inferior sound.
Instructions
1. Disconnect the amplifier from the car battery by detaching the cable attached to the amp or by removing the negative cable and clamp from the battery's negative post. The negative cable is usually black. Look for the minus (-) sign on the top of the battery next to the negative post.
2. Strip 1/2-inch of insulation from the speaker wires. You'll need two lengths of wire, each containing two attached wires, to connect a pair of stereo speakers in your car.
3. Loosen the terminals on the back of your amplifier with a screwdriver.
4. Wrap the bare speaker wires around the terminal posts on the amplifier by connecting the red wires to the positive (+) terminals and the black wires to the negative (-) terminals on the left and right channel connections on back of the amp. If your wire insulation is a different color, just make sure to connect the same wire colors to the positive terminals and the same wire colors to the negative terminals on the amp and your speakers.
5. Tighten the wire terminals on the amp with a screwdriver.
6. Run the wires for the left channel to the left stereo speaker, and the other pair of wires to the right speaker.
7. Reconnect the amp to the battery or the negative clamp to the battery post.
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