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Puny OEM Door Speaker Wires

M

merex

Registered Member
Joined
7 March 2001
Messages
97
Location
Baton Rouge, LA
I am installing some pretty beefy components in the doors, and from a previous install the tech just tapped into the OEM speaker wires. This seems to be a less than ideal setup, or am I wrong?

The SOS audiophile kit's instructions also tap into these wires. I can understand why because it looks to me like a time consuming job to route the wires from the door through the rubber thing and into the cabin.

What are the benefits of bypassing the stock wires and running high quality wires back to the amp? Is it worth the extra effort? I will be running about 160W at each door. Could I possibly burn up the OEM wires?

Thanks
 
160W is 13.3 amps at 12 volts. I think you will destroy your hearing long before you cook the wires. You could also use the power wires in parallel with the signal wires to add to the capacity.

Edit, Fix spelling errors.
 
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Fairly useless reply. Thanks for wasting server resources. First, don't forget to spell check :)

Second, you neglected to account for the resistance in your calculation. Plus, and I am not entirely sure what you mean by running power and signal in parallel, but I know that best practices dictates that the power wires and signal wires should be separated by as much distance as possible because of distortion.
 
merex said:
Fairly useless reply. Thanks for wasting server resources. First, don't forget to spell check :)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the heads up on the spelling I thought I ran it through the spell checker like I normally do.

Since you don't seem to know much about how the NSX stock wiring is configured or for that mater electronics and you may have just poisoned your chances of getting other opinions with your snotty reply.

Have a good day !:wink:
 
Ummmm, Brian knows knows his stuff. You can use 18ga wire for 10 feet if its pulling 15 amps. The stock wires are plenty good for this.
 
merex said:
Fairly useless reply. Thanks for wasting server resources. First, don't forget to spell check :)

Second, you neglected to account for the resistance in your calculation. Plus, and I am not entirely sure what you mean by running power and signal in parallel, but I know that best practices dictates that the power wires and signal wires should be separated by as much distance as possible because of distortion.
Click to expand...

Actually BrianK is quite knowledable on electronics and was trying to be helpful, so I am not sure why you gave such an asinine reply. The point he was trying to make was that by switching to lower gauge wire you probably won't be able to tell the difference...a la...golden ears or get the wire hot enough that it matters regardless of how loud you turn your speakers up. If you are not building a competition system I am not sure its worth the effort to pull the doors apart and install aftermarket wire. However if I had my doors apart for some other reason I might switch the wire.

Do a search on this it has been done and I believe even the guru's said it was a royal pain in the....
 
I may be of some help

I did the SOS Stage 1 install myself about 18 mo ago

There are 2 sets of wires going to each door speaker assembly

One set that is smaller in guage originate at the head unit and sends the signals to the speakers

The other larger quage set originates at a multi plug just inside the quarter panels that send current to the bose amps in each door

I did my install per the SOS directions: and I spliced into this larger guage set of wires. This was extremely difficult to do as there is little room to work with on the passenger side and al lot less on the drivers side as that plug is located above & behind the fuse panel left of the footwell.

Decosse's write up recommends tapping into the signal wires behind the head unit. If I had known that I would have done so and would advise anyone else to do the same. (I think Decosse is always right about everything that involves the NSX)

Good luck, PM me if I can be of further help
 
I apologize for my flippant comment. I was a bit out of line. Based on the content of his post, and not knowing his rep. here on prime I discounted his reply for a variety of reasons (spelling, match). I don't claim to be an electronics expert, not even a novice, and as for NSX wiring, no clue.

Anyway, I am sorry Brian. Here is some advice from me. I use Mozilla, and just like MS Word, it catches and highlights typos/misspellings as you type. Nice feature.
 
Nifty little application.

Based on the detailed and cogent responses I will NOT pull the door. I guess the Amp's wire taps into the OEM somewhere near the head unit, so I am really only using 1-3 ft of thin OEM.

Thanks
 
merex said:
Nifty little application.

Based on the detailed and cogent responses I will NOT pull the door. I guess the Amp's wire taps into the OEM somewhere near the head unit, so I am really only using 1-3 ft of thin OEM.

Thanks
Click to expand...

I think what they are telling you is there are additional wires you can use that are already routed through the door. the stock speakers have an amp built into them. they have a larger gauge power and ground wire. Tap into those if you want larger gauge wire.

160w on a 4 ohm speaker would be more around 7 amps. Typical amplifier output voltage of 30V. That would be the max swing RMS current would be much lower.
 
merex said:
I apologize for my flippant comment. I was a bit out of line. Based on the content of his post, and not knowing his rep. here on prime I discounted his reply for a variety of reasons (spelling, match). I don't claim to be an electronics expert, not even a novice, and as for NSX wiring, no clue.

Anyway, I am sorry Brian. Here is some advice from me. I use Mozilla, and just like MS Word, it catches and highlights typos/misspellings as you type. Nice feature.
Click to expand...

Actually, you were way out of line.

Briank suggested a very good way of making use of the factory wiring if you are worried about excessive resistance with the small wires. Use the power wires AND the signal wires. That would give you plenty of capacity. You do know how to wire these in parallel don't you?

Thanks for a great idea, Brian!!!
 
Are there any pictures on where these wires are that we can tap in to? I'm about to do my stereo as well and this would make the door install a lot easier.

Thanks
 
HYPERTUNE said:
Actually, you were way out of line.

Briank suggested a very good way of making use of the factory wiring if you are worried about excessive resistance with the small wires. Use the power wires AND the signal wires. That would give you plenty of capacity. You do know how to wire these in parallel don't you?

Thanks for a great idea, Brian!!!
Click to expand...

+1

Be nice merex.

http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/showthread.php?t=78750

Henry.
 
Geez. I apologized to Brian here, and I sent him an email as well. If you guys want to chip in I will send him some flowers as well :)

I only read the first post in the thread you mentioned Henry, and I have been a, lurking, member here for a very long time.
 
:smile:

merex said:
Geez. I apologized to Brian here, and I sent him an email as well. If you guys want to chip in I will send him some flowers as well :)

I only read the first post in the thread you mentioned Henry, and I have been a, lurking, member here for a very long time.
Click to expand...
 
I am running an Audison VRx 4.300 bridged (350 Watts 2-4Ohm) into Focal K2 Power 165 KPS components using the stock wire as described above. I would like bigger wire, just cause it feels right. I can tell you that if I am not carefull, my ears ring when I get out of the car and there is no hint of distortion. I have a $50k home audio system, so I know what high-end sounds like and I can tell you that my car sounds great with the stock wires on such a short run.......Steve
 
merex said:
Second, you neglected to account for the resistance in your calculation.
Click to expand...

Obviously you never completed Electronics 101 if you think you need resistance to calculate power. P=IE last time I checked:rolleyes:

It's called Ohms Law.

Sorry just another "useless" reply.

LarryB
 
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Malibu Rapper said:
It would be better if you used a thicker gauge cable of course. Here's a useful tool to calculate power loss:

http://www.streetwires.com/Flash/speakerwire.html
Click to expand...

I think they are trying to convince everyone that if your not running there wires you are running cheap wires. This is simpley not the caes. I believe that calculator is strictly a marketing gimmick.

Any mil-spec wire will exceed there wire. (Speaker wire is still just wire).

Here is an example of spec's posted on mil-spec wire: http://wireandcable.thermaxcdt.com/...dium-wall-extruded-ptfe-insulation?&forward=1

It's funny but I couldn't find any spec's like these on Streetwires web site.

In fact you could pobably get away with runnnig smaller mil-spec wires than you could if you ran streetwires brand if your worried about "MAX" power getting to the speakers. ( Like your ears will really care if there is a .13 ohm resistance in a 13ft wire run using 16 ga wire ).:rolleyes:

Of course its probably how you terminate the wires that is the most important thing!:biggrin:

One more thing that I've often wondered about, When does a wire stop being called a wire and starts being called a cable?
 
whats the point asking a question, then dissing the replys...??? anyway, power is a function of volts and current ( I have a degree in electronics) so 160 watts is 160 watts whatever you do with it.

However is that RMS, PEAK, or the speaker manufacturers theoretical maximimum power... and have you noticed the thin wire speaker manufacturers supply with 200W, 400W speakers... it's the same stuff!!! even you household speakers have thin wire... by their very nature, speakers are not doing a whole lot most of the time!

manufacturers have a habit of working our what wattage their speakers will practically melt at, and advertising that as their headline figure!
 

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