function/form

So im installing a new headunit in the car.

I have read the FAQ for the FC and found the wiring information but it doesnt say which ones are positive and negative for the speakers.

It just has colors and their destinations. For example the front right colors i belive are green and green with yellow. Which is pos and which is neg?

Please help.

VAXHeadroom

In reality, it doesn't matter. Audio is AC, not DC, so as long as both speakers are the same, you won't get phase inversion and it won't matter.

Emory

Aaron Cake

iTrader: (1)

You should run new wires to the speakers. The stock wires are very thin gauge and also corroding by now.

misterstyx69

iTrader: (142)

That is Bull..and a Load of it!..Audio is In DC..that is why the Speakers have a positive and a Negative..they are meant to be hooked up that way..UNLESS,you decide to "invert the DC signal" which will then Pull the Speaker Cone inwards when the Bass hits..This is Done when you have a Speaker that is very Close to another one(like almost facing it Directly).Instead of Having the Speakers working against each other,and Battling Air,you can Hook it up,so that the Speaker on one side Pushes the cone out,and the other one,sucks the cone in.

VAXHeadroom

Well yeah - they have to be in phase - I said that in my post. But it'll work either way as long as the phase matches.

j0rd4n

multimeter it to find out which is + and which is - ?

misterstyx69

iTrader: (142)

Andrew..just make up a Harness yourself..use two lengths of Speaker wire For the Front Speakers,and two Longer ones for the Rear..you can Tuck the Wires along the Running Boards and under the carpet Piece at the Back,and take it right to the Speaker in the strut Tower NO problem....I wouldn't trust the Old Stock wiring for Today's NEW Stereos anyhow,as they put out More Power than the original 15 Watt Mega Death Stereo and EQ!..

function/form

Yeah I was pretty sure audio was DC.

I guess I will just go the route of re-wiring them straight from the deck. I was going to do it anyways with the rear cause 15 watt max is absolutely ludacris. We have come along way in 20 years!

One last question. What gauge of wire should I use. Something like a 16 gauge would be good right?

Thanks for all the input guys!

misterstyx69

iTrader: (142)

depends on How much power you intend to run to the speakers,Andrew..16-20 is ok..Just make sure that it isn't TOO big that you have a hard time Concealing the wires,If you are going a Tuck job..you don't want to Pinch the Wires because they are TOO big,,and you don't want the wires TOO Small that they don't allow the Speaker to Get Efficient Power from the Head unit.

Saavedro88

iTrader: (1)

This thread made me LOL...

There's a wiring "diagram" for the stereo in the FAQ that'll tell you which are neg. and pos. and yeah, you should hook 'em up right...

rubyg7631

The way to check the polarity is with a 1.5 V baterry if the cone moves foward the + of the baterry is the + of the speaker.

Icemark

No, you are wrong.

There are two things in a car that are AC. The alternator (in which the diodes rectify the output to just DC), and the audio system's output. If you put a o'scope on the wires you will see that both positive and negative parts of each cycle are displayed.

That given, you are correct in that Phase of the speakers is very important. Both rear speakers generally should be in phase to each other, as both front speakers should also be in phase together in most systems.

In phase is easy to check. If you have the most bass when the balance is dead centered between the two speakers (left and right front or Left and right rear), then you probably have the speakers in phase. If there is more bass when the balance is either left or right, but not when it is centered, then one speaker is out of phase to another.

Now I should mention, that on some higher end audio systems, you will want the speakers to be out of phase in some cases for staging, if there is no time alignment system or too compensate for a poorly designed crossover (X-over). However that conversation is really past most people here and will only confuse those that think they have a clue when they really don't and those that just don't understand audio systems at all.

But back to the question this thread went 10 posts with no real reply on:

For the factory wires; the speaker wires on the same side as the locking connector for the plug, are the negative or return wires for the speaker.

As far as running wires, as a general rule of thumb, the stock wires in the RX-7 are able to support up to about 50 watts (RMS- not Peak) without anyone every being able to tell that they were not high end 12 AWG monster cable. So if your amplifier puts out 50 watts RMS or less; the stock wires are more than able to handle the power with no sound degradation. Remember I am saying 50 watts RMS there, this should not be confused with a high power headunit or chip amp that boasts 50 or 75 watts PEAK power. In reality most of the chip amps and high power headunits that claim such power really only do about 15 to 20 watts RMS per channel.

function/form

Why are there people like this?

If your posting in a thread, why not make your post worthwhile. Instead of making yourself look like an idiot. My original post says I looked in the FAQ and got the wiring diagram, and it DOES NOT say which ones are neg. or pos. So please get your head out of your ***!

Thanks for coming out.

cmanns

Just replace the wires like said, the stock wires are very shitty and confusing, it's pretty easy to run new wires to the rear btw, remove the plastic on the drivers side and the carpet and you'll see a area with wires for the brake lights and such, just run the wires there.

function/form

ICEMARK there was an aftermarket stereo installed in the car when i had bought it. And the stereo was taken out by somebody else so i have no connector to base this on. I have hooked up many stereos before but all have had a common ground color. It is strange that no wires are the same.

So maybe another way of checking so I don't blow my expensive speakers. As well its n storage so there is no battery in the vehicle.

Icemark

Ah, then you probably are better off picking one and using it, as you need to replace the speakers anyway.

function/form

I already bought new speakers for the rear and will be picking up new ones for the front soon.

So I think i will be re-wiring it with 18 or 20 gauge. More thatn enough power from either of those two gauges than i will ever need. I just want a crisp sound.

Thanks for the help!

Icemark

the stock speaker wires are 16 awg

SpeedOfLife

iTrader: (16)

They don't have to be in phase, especially in a small vehicle where the sound bounces off tons of surfaces before reaching your ears. However, the speakers were designed to operate with the polarity set one way and not the other. You may never be able to hear a difference and they may last just as long either way, but there's pride in doing something right and there could be a difference in quality/longevity.

HAILERS

Actually if one would take a few moments out of their life, and look at the FSM wiring diagrams, it shows which wire is pos and which is neg on the speakers.

cmanns

Yeah you can get it done but the stock wires arnt really worth it, my wire stripper can hardly strip the stock wires their so tiny.

Icemark

The funny thing about people that didn't read my post on polarity and wire is that these are the same people that will waste 5 hours running wire that they will never ever be able to tell the difference between the new wire and the stock wire.

But hey, if you got 5 hours to waste...

cmanns

5 hours? I think it took me a hour to get wires to the rear lol.

Yeah for most it may be a waste but for myself no it was worth it to replace the wires.

Icemark

Ah, I guess you just shoved the wires in, and didn't take the interior panels out so that you could run the wires with the factory one.

Seriously... There are not too many that can tell the difference and most of the those are women (who generally don't care about audio anyway). Even I who spent my 20's as a CAN/IASCA audio judge most of the time can not tell.

But if it gives you a hard on, feel free to waste your time and money.

Saavedro88

iTrader: (1)

I apologize. I hadn't realize that you had (obviously) never installed a stereo before. The wires with the stripes (I.E. Lt. Green/Orange) are pretty much always the negative side. The solid colored wires (I.E. Lt. Green) are pretty much always positive.

Thanks for being so straightforward!