How to install house system sub in car...?

[Techie333]

Hey guys, I was just wondering if it is possible to put my household Aiwa subwoofer into my car and have the receiver play it. I am going to buy a new receiver for my 96 camry and play cds on it......I found a plug converter that turns my lighter plug into 2 350watt household electric sockets. So this gave me an idea....since I don't use my household subwoofer......is it possible to buy a receiver that I can just plug the subwoofer into? what kind of receiver should i buy.....and how should i do the wiring.......the sub is obviously going to be in the trunk....i can put the converter under my drivers seat and just run the plug through the carpet and the side of the door lining and put it into my trunk since my seats fold back. But how would I run the wire from the back of the receiver to the trunk? If such receivers even exist.........any help would be appreciated.

 

[Barnaby W. Füi]

your sub should have RCA inputs, and your deck should have RCA outputs. connect the dots

if your sub has speaker level inputs, then you would have to get an amp that supplies the same amount of power that your aiwa system does to the sub.

 

[Mucman]

Keep in mind that most home audio speakers are 8 ohm... Thus halving the power you would get to a normal 4 ohm car audio sub.

 

[Techie333]

my sub has an input.......what are speaker level inputs......what does an RCA input look like......so all decks come with RCA outputs.....?? Also after it says input...it says on the sub "from super woofer terminal"........will this be a problem....also how may RMS watts does the average factory receiver have?

 

[Techie333]

Mucman....will impedance be a problem......is a normal 4 ohm car audio sub a bad thing.....how will it be different from when i use it at home?

 

[Mucman]

Techie333 - Speaker level inputs would look be where you would connect speaker wire to the terminals (dunno if that is the proper term) on the sub. RCAs are largers and have a ground wire (sometimes). I am not sure how to describe it... I am guessing pics would be a lot of help here

Does the sub box have an internal amp? If so then it probably receives RCA inputs.. if not then it is probably speaker level inputs.

I am not sure how home audio systems handle a 4 ohm load, but car audio are designed for 4 ohm loads and some can handle 2 ohm loads. I would
chec the specs on your home audio receiver before attempting to attach a 4ohm car audio sub to it.

Factory decks probably supply 4x8Watts RMS... Higher end decks will be around 4x20Watts RMS.

Wait for some of the car audio gurus here... They will be a lot more helpful than my vague answers

 

[Techie333]

thanx for your help Macman.......im pretty sure that it does have a built in amp with RCA input now that i looked at some manuals. The home aiwa receiver says that it will only take built in amp powered subs so i guess thats what it is. The specs on the sub are as follows:
Input terminals: INPUT jack
Input sensitivity/impedance: INPUT: .8 V/50 kilo ohms
Power output: FTC RULE, 50 watts, Min. RMS at 8 ohms, from 45 Hz to 150 Hz, with no more than 1 % Total Harmonic Distortion, 50W (8 ohms, T.H.D. 1% at 60 Hz), 60W (8 ohms, T.H.D. 10% at 60Hz)
Frequency respons: 35 Hz - 200 Hz
Speaker type: Bass reflex type
Speaker unit: 20cm (8in.) (Magnetically shielded type)
Power consumption: 41 W
Supplied accesotries: Connecting cord with RCA phone plugs (1)
then it give dimensions and weight

So what does all this mean.........and what type of receiver will I need? I believe that a receiver with 1 pair of preamp outputs will suffice right.......my car has 4 stock speakers by the way....

 

[tops2]

my friend just bought an inverter and ran a cable from the lighter plug to the inverter to his sub in his trunk...
he didn't mount the sub or whatever, so he just had to drive real careful

 

[Techie333]

yhea that part i get......but how did he do the wiring from the back of the receiver to his trunk...?

 

[ThaGrandCow]

Isn't it bad to put a home sub in a car? Something to do with different power levels or something.

 

[Thegonagle]

Sure it's a powered sub with RCA inputs, right? What's the harm in trying it out (besides potentially banging up the cabinet of the home sub)?

I wouldn't consider it a permanent solution though.

 

[Techie333]

wtf are you guys talking about..............a subs a sub........why does it matter if its in a car or a house.....

someone please answer questions above