Q about power cable to amp.... Deos it really matter?

[C-Dawg 10+ year member]

I am in the process of setting up 2 amps in the car. The first amp has been installed to power 2x10" subs which was installed by a "pro-shop" but when I showed the setup to my friend, he said that the power wire was about half the thickness that it should be to power such a big amp. My Question is this: Will changing the old power wire for one with a bigger gage make a difference in sound or anything else for that matter? I have access to free power wire from a friend up to 4 gage. Should I go for it?

Thanks in advance/

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[mykeys 10+ year member]

here is a way to find out what you should use. http://linearpower.com/html/index2.html

It helps to know what the current draw from your amps when running at nominal vlumes as well.. You can alsp divide that into 4 colums say 0-200 watts, 200-500watts,500-1000watts, and 1000+ approximately and will be fairly accurate. Phoenix Gold also has a graph like that but not sure if it was in a publication or on the website..

Mike

 

[Larrydehp920r]

I would go by one simple rule of thumb if I were you. If you have 2 amps going I would definitely run 4 gauge. What it does is helps your amps run cooler, which makes them run more efficeintly and most important, last LONGER. If you notice any audible differences it will be in the tightness of your bass. Bass is the hardest frequencies to reproduce for an amp. Therefore when your amp needs to come up with 14 to 16 volt burst to reproduce a big bass drum thump it will not get it from smaller power cable. So your bass will be tighter and more accurate. And, if you plan on adding a 3rd amp in the future I would think ahead and run 2 or 1/O gauge. THat you don't have to ever replace your power cable run again.

Larry