Couple questions on hooking up another amp?

Question

Okay im looking to add a 4 channel amp to my system. On the back of my deck there are 3 sets of RCA ports. One says Bus audio IN, one says audio out rear, and the other says audio out front. How do I set up both amps because I thought I needed 2 sets of RCA for the 4 channel and another set for the subwoofer amp?

Also, How would I go about hooking up the power wire? I have a 4 gauge wire going through my car already so could i just hook up a distribution block and hook up an 8 or 10 gauge wire also without pulling too much power?

Thanks for any help provided

Answer 1

Sounds like you have a Sony head unit.  Are you certain there's not a third set of RCA's for the subwoofer?  Usually Sony puts them on a "pigtail" instead of building them into the deck chassis.

If yours isn't equipped with them, there are two possibilities.  Your 4-channel amplifier may have a set of RCA outputs for just this type of situation.  If so, you can connect front and rear RCA's from the head unit to the 4-channel amp, then run a shorter RCA from the 4-channel amp's output to the sub amp.

Otherwise you'll have to use RCA splitters on the front or rear output, to add an additional RCA cable for the sub amp.

You can use a distribution block for your power wire, provided that the 4-gauge wire has enough capacity to supply both amplifiers with enough current.  Be sure to use a distribution block with built-in fuses if you're reducing the size of the power wire coming out of it.