How can I find out if my radio input to my subwoofers is working?

I recently installed subwoofers in my truck but can’t get them to play off of my radio. I can plug an ipod to the amp and the Subwoofers will play off of the ipod. But if I connect the rca jacks from my amp to the radio deck input, the subwoofers wont play. Need help please.

Side Note: My radio works, just need help with the input and output

Connecting the amp inputs to a radio deck input won’t work. You have to connect a preamp OUTPUT from the radio deck to the amp inputs.

Most aftermarket head units include at least one set of RCA preamp outputs. Stock receivers don’t usually have preamp outputs. The solution is to "tap" the speaker outputs (most often rear speakers) and connect them to a line output converter (LOC) and use RCA cables from the LOC to your amp inputs.

Here’s an excellent 2-channel LOC with amp remote turn-on:

http://www.davidnavone.com/cart.asp?14&pid=362

This entry was posted on Friday, June 25th, 2010 at 10:26 am and is filed under radio. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

2 Responses to “How can I find out if my radio input to my subwoofers is working?”

PimpMyRide on June 25th, 2010 at 4:03 pm

Connecting the amp inputs to a radio deck input won’t work. You have to connect a preamp OUTPUT from the radio deck to the amp inputs.

Most aftermarket head units include at least one set of RCA preamp outputs. Stock receivers don’t usually have preamp outputs. The solution is to "tap" the speaker outputs (most often rear speakers) and connect them to a line output converter (LOC) and use RCA cables from the LOC to your amp inputs.

Here’s an excellent 2-channel LOC with amp remote turn-on:

http://www.davidnavone.com/cart.asp?14&pid=362
References :
Ryan M on June 25th, 2010 at 4:46 pm

Agreed, the RCA cables to the amp need to be connected to the preamp OUTPUTS from the head unit. Also, depending on what kind of head unit you have, you might need to enable those outputs. Some fancier models have output specifically for subs, which might need to be enabled/turned on, or you could just use the rear outputs. Consult the manual for your head unit to determine (1) which set of RCA plugs to use and (2) if you need to enable those outputs.

If you don’t have the manual, visit the manufacturer’s website, oftentimes owner’s manuals will be posted online in PDF format.
References :

Radio Gig