I have two amps that I will be using in my Chevelle. I have run 0 awg wire from the battery all the way back to the trunk into a junction block. I have proper fusing. Can I run 8 awg wire out of the junction block the last 8-12 inches to the amps? I hate to be a cheapskate, but I already have some 8 awg monstercable. Can I double up the 8awg wires? (assuming they will fit in the terminals)

Thanks in advance.

What is the current load of the amps? Disregard the advertized wattage: how big are the fuses in the amps? If they have 2-50 amp fuses, then they may need 100a service each. Most I've seen run about 50-60amps, which 8 gauge will handle fine.

The amp for the vocals has two 30 amp fuses and the sub amp has three 40 amp fuses.

8ga would be fine for the vocal amp. 8ga on the sub amp would probably work no farther than you have to run it, but I would step up to at least 4ga to be on the safe side. Just buy a little from your local car audio store. You should be able to get it for about $2/foot.

Your fuse at the battery should be no bigger than 200A. You could probably get away with a 150A fuse to be safe.

Thank you very much, I doubt if I will ever turn up the stereo loud enough to pull that kind of amperage, but you never know. :)

I think they must measure this differently than when I was young. Is this RMS, peak-peak, or peak power? Or more correctly, how is the power supposedly measured here? Just curious...

200A x 12V = 2.4KW
Are you looking to liquefy your brain? ;)

200A x 12V is around the power needed to spin the engine when starting if I recall correctly. That's a bunch of juice.

Be sure to make up some good cables and fuses/fusible links to keep from burning the house down...

Its not continuously drawn amps. Music fluctuates, and so does the draw of the amps. Turn it up, and the draw increases.

The RMS rating for the larger of these amps is 854w RMS X 1 channel @4 ohms and less than or equal to 1% THD + N or 1300 w RMS X 1 @ 2 ohms.
All ratings are based on 14.4 volt supply. They also list a "Dynamic Power" of 1516 w at 2 ohms.

Actually I worked in a retail environment where I was able to get 80% off, and my eyes grew a little large. Building the car's electrical to support this behemoth has been an eye opener. Expensive wire, expensive alternator, capacitor, etc. Not to mention weight. Hind sight is always 20/20.

For the record I listen at what I would call a reasonable volume level (I don't want to be deaf later) but what you find is that your music gains clarity with power even at lower volume levels assuming you have quality speakers. You might be surprised how different the songs you have been listening to for years sound like when cleanly reproduced. I bought the amps because I could for "cheap" but if I was on a budget I would spend my cash on speakers and a good head unit. Most speakers will distort the music 20 to 30 percent, which is why some speakers are very expensive, but don't necessarily have a high wattage rating. Most amps have a 1% or less total distortion rating. More gain can be had for the money with efficient low distortion speakers, and then you don't have the hassle of feeding a big 'ol amp.

Very true about the clarity and power level relation. I run a 900W RMS 4 channel amp on my mids and highs, with a head unit with 8v pre-outs. I don't care for loud music much anymore, and that is why the gain is way down on the amp.

I decided to start spending money on stereo systems when I heard a song that I had heard many times previously (a song that I considered ho-hum) on a high end system. It was actually a great song that only sounded that way when you could hear the subtle inflections in the singers performance. It made the song entertaining.

The downside was I also became aware of poor recordings. People clearing their throats in the background, sheet music turning, etc. Although some of that background noise was actually neat and made you feel like you were there...like when the guitarist drags a pick or finger on the body of the guitar. (which only sounds neat if you don't have the volume turned up higher than the sound would be in real life...no one wants to hear a guitar pick that sounds like someone is pounding on your door. :)) The real trick is reproducing it so you can hear it without turning it up.