A car amp is the core of a vehicle’s sound system. Often, getting the best speakers is not enough to get your favorite music’s full experience. You also need to get the right amp to take your sound system to the next level.
But what should you do with a car amp that you’re not using? Do you throw it in the garage or sell it? No.
Have you ever imagined using it in your home sound system? Do you know how to connect a car amp to a wall plug? Setting up is really not complicated, and we’re going to explain how to do it.
Is it Possible to Directly Connect a Car Amp to a Wall Plug?
No, you can’t directly plug a vehicle amp into the wall connector and expect it to work. If you did, the amp would explode. This is because vehicle amplifiers use direct current (DC) while in-home electrical outlets use alternating current (AC).
In addition, a remote turn-on-wire is used in car amps to automatically turn the amp on and off with the vehicle. This will have to be modified as well.
Equipment Needed to Connect a Car Amp to a Wall Plug
- An AC to DC power inverter that can convert a 110-volt AC power to 12 volts DC
- A screwdriver and a wire stripper
- 10-gauge red wire
- 10-gauge black wire
- A 16-gauge wire having white or yellow insulation
How to Connect a Car Amp to a Wall Plug
You can enjoy the crystal-clear, concert-level listening experience right at home as long as you know how to connect a car amp to a wall plug.
Car amps work at voltages between 12-14V DC power supply, and electrical wall outlets offer 110V AC supply. As a result, you need to change the given AC supply into the expected DC voltage to operate your vehicle amp through a wall plug. This section will walk you through the steps.
Decide the Amperage Rating of Your Car Amplifier
Find out the amperage rating of your car amplifier. You can do that by taking a look at the power specifications referenced in the client manual of the amp. On the off chance that the manual is not accessible, then you can look it up online.
Procure an AC to DC Power Inverter
Get an AC to DC power inverter that can convert 110V AC voltage into a 12V constant DC supply. While selecting the inverter, ensure it exhibits the amperage rating in the range that suits the amperage draw of your car amp.
Insert the Wires into the Amplifier
Use your wire stripper to remove a half-inch of insulation from each terminal of the wires. The terminals are located behind the amplifier. The terminals are positive (marked “+”), negative (marked “-“), and REM. Using a screwdriver, loosen these terminals.
Then insert the metal edges of the wires into the terminals and fasten the screws to ensure the wires are securely connected to the terminals. The red wire should go into the positive terminal, the black wire into the negative terminal, and the 16-gauge wire should be inserted into the REM terminal.
Connect the Amplifier with the Power Inverter
A screwdriver probably won’t be the most ideal tool for loosening the terminals of the inverter. The appropriate tool is dependent on the brand and kind of the inverter.
When the terminals are released, put the opposite end of the 10-gauge black wire into the negative terminal and fasten it.
What you do with the 10-gauge red wire and the 16-gauge wire is different. You need to join the metal ends of both these wires together. As soon as they are tied together, put them into the positive terminal and fasten the screw.
Plug the Inverter
Cross-check every connection to ensure they are secure. Having done that, insert the inverter plug into one of the electrical outlets in your home.
Switch on the wall socket, and power will flow from the wall socket through the inverter into the car amp. Put the inverter on and enjoy listening to good music from your car amp.
Connecting Car Amp to a House Stereo
There are a few ways of attaching a vehicle amp to a home sound system. Each one depends on your amplifier’s components and whether your home sound system has RCA jacks or if the outputs are just speaker level.
Amp Featuring Inputs That Are Speaker Level and Sound System Without RCA Jacks
When your amplifier features inputs that are speaker level and your home sound system is missing RCA jacks, you can connect the amp’s inputs which are speaker level, to the sound system’s speaker outputs.
For this situation, the amp’s inputs (speaker level) will downsize the speaker’s signal to a low-level one the amp requires.
Amp With RCA Inputs and Home Stereo Without RCA Jacks
Connecting home stereos without RCA jacks to amps with RCA jacks is only possible using a line output converter.
Amps With RCA Inputs and Home Stereo With RCA Jacks
The least demanding method for connecting a home stereo directly to a car amp is if the home sound system features RCA output jacks.
Blessing Your Car Amp With the Best Power Supply Unit
Providing the proper power supply unit for your amp depends on the amount of amperage or electrical current your car amp will pull and how hard you plan to push the amp.
That is why the power supply should deliver around 12-volt DC. You’ll want the amperage rating of the power supply unit to match the predetermined rating of the amp.
This usually depends on two conditions:
If You Do Not Want to Push Your Amplifier Too Hard
In this case, you will need a power supply unit that can produce just enough electrical current and voltage to run your car amp. This type of power supply unit is ideal for every-day listening.
When You Want Huge Amp Power
Here, you’ll want to maximize your amplifier’s current draw according to its power rating.
Generally, a car amp functions in a voltage range between 12 volts to 14.4 volts, although 12 volts is the standard.
To utilize your car amp at home, you will have to put resources into a power supply unit capable of producing DC voltage of 12V to 13.8V. The reality is that most power supply units available for purchase are 12V.
It’s important to note that a drop in voltage to about 11V can damage your car amplifier or cause it to enter into the protect mode. As a result, always ensure that a minimum of 12V voltage is produced.
How Much Power Should Be Supplied
The proper power supplier must be able to provide the correct amount of wattage. Otherwise, you risk your amplifier malfunctioning. When your amplifier doesn’t get a decent power supply, it becomes difficult to use your audio subwoofers or speakers as expected.
In addition, it can cause some damages such as cutting out, overheating, entering protect-mode when pushed too hard, and causing the fuse box to explode.
When buying a power supply unit for your amp, a vital specification you need to consider is the amperage rating (a measure of the amount of power supplied).
Usually, standard wall adapters are 1A or 2A, which is inadequate for car amps. Instead, use 5A, 10A, or 15A if you are on a budget. They are affordable, and they get the job done.
On the other hand, a desktop computer power supply comes in a variety of power ratings within 150W to 500W and can offer about 30A or more, making it the perfect option.
Final Thoughts
As established earlier, you can use your car amp for your home stereo, and setting it up is not as difficult as many people might think. All you need to do is get the details right and always double-check your connections for proper output.
In this article, we’ve broken down all you need to know about how to connect a car amp to a wall plug so you can enjoy evergreen music experiences right in your living room. Just follow the instructions accordingly, and you’ll be having your own personal concert in no time.