power wire sizes

If both of your amps are fused at 50 amps, I'd run 4 gauge from the battery to a 100 amp fuse, then to a distribution block and split out 8 gauge to each amp.  And yes, I suggest your speaker wire should be no less than 16 AWG in any case.

I just wanted to add that with speaker wire, you don't have to go any larger than 16 awg either.  I can see it for cosmetics reasons, but 16 awg wire will be adaquate for even high powered subs.  I had the CEO of Adire Audio at my shop and I was discussing this with him.  I have a single sub with about 1200 watts going to it, and he said that the losses between the sub and amplifier will be so small as to not make any difference.

you could have one 4 gauge splitting into two 8 gauge or running two 4 gauge would be best but theres some options---- 1996 Chevy S10 ----

1 Lightning Audio S2.600.2 Amp

2 Lightning Audio 12" Subs

1 Lightning Audio 1 Farad Cap

thanks for the replies.  Can I just use 4 gauge to the block and 4 gauge to the amp? is it really necessary that the wire from the block to the amps be smaller than the wire from the battery to the block? thanks!

no its not necessary, if you have 4ga sitting around use it. other wise 8ga is cheaper to buy.Quad L Handyman services

No offence or disrespect to the shop owner or employee above, but the one sales ploy I was taught at the store I used to work at (the big box) was rather simple. Take two identical home audio speakers with 8" or 10" drivers and hook them up to the speaker A and B ouputs of a good quality amp (we used Harman Kardon). One set of speakers was wired with 16 gauge and the other was wired in 12 gauge. Guess how many people bought the speaker that sounded better because it had better bass response.  Imagine the customers surprise when we told them the speakers were the same model and the same price and the difference was a good speaker wire. I do not for one believe everything that I am told, I have never jumped off a bridge. You can't hook a garden hose up to a fire hydrant and expect to put out a fire now can you. Use a good gauge wire for all applications. Electricity is an algebra equation, what you do to one side you must do to the other. I would use a 4 gauge ground (especially with Rockford amps) and power direct from the battery to a distribution block like a Lightning Audio LL10db (add the cap here) and continue with 4 gauge to each amp for power and ground. !6 gauge wire is probably adequate for your front and rear speakers, make sure it is not the factory junk though. The higher the strand count in the wire the higher the current the wire can carry. Amplifiers need power to make power, if they can't get the current they need to do their job or the current is resricted on the way to the speaker, do not expect to get the level of excellence that the product was designed for. Yes I also said ground the amplifiers (especially Rockford) directly to the battery to prevent amplifier failure (resistance on a ground lead). Need info on this I'll be happy to share. The more people that continue to do things right, the better.Top Secret, I can tell you but then my wife will kill me.

forbidden, im not of any part of a shop i just speak from experience. i do understand that better quality wire(e.g. larger) is better but also there is the point when it just becomes a waste of money. its my belief that it should be up to the user when that point is. just like all the posts on the12volt.com are supposed to be suggestions even though some times they get kinda pushy towards a brand or type.Quad L Handyman services

I agree with you, I hate seeing people waste their hard earned money, that's how I got into this business, my hope was for even one person to try this experiment and find out for themselves. You are also correct that it is up to the user to make their own choice, this way the user can gain hands on knowledge. Yes there is a point where it is a waste of money (for the purchaser) but for me as a store owner, the little things I do for my customers (like grounding an amp properly - especially a Rockford) can directly relate into the customers investment working as it was designed to, instead of the amp heading into the service shop only to find out a grounding problem was the cause of the failure. Just because it is the assumed way of hooking something up does not mean it is the proper way of hooking something up. I learn new things and procedures every day in this business, the things I have learned and do know are passed on to my customers every day. Information is free, how it is used is up to the individual.Top Secret, I can tell you but then my wife will kill me.

forbidden wrote: Take two identical home audio speakers with 8" or 10" drivers and hook them up to the speaker A and B ouputs of a good quality amp (we used Harman Kardon). One set of speakers was wired with 16 gauge and the other was wired in 12 gauge. Guess how many people bought the speaker that sounded better because it had better bass response.  Imagine the customers surprise when we told them the speakers were the same model and the same price and the difference was a good speaker wire.

That difference MUST be caused by something else.  Do you know how much resistance is in 5 feet of 16 awg wire?  .02008 ohms.  Even at 1,000 watts, you are talking so little loss in power as to not be noticeable.

Now the fact that this was reproducable has me baffled.  But maybe you always hooked the larger awg wire to channel A, and there was a slight difference in power output between channel A and B (which is another sales trick).  Another possibility is that you always hooked up the same speaker to the larger awg wire and manufacturing tolerances between the speakers produced the audible difference.  But there is just not enough resistance in the wire to be caused by it AFAIK.

Interesting story though.