RCA Inputs? What are they? How many do I need?

[Wfs0801 10+ year member]

My system will consist of 2 amps. 1 of which is going to the subs in the trunk, the other is going to the 4 speakers inside the car.

After a quick conversation with a co-worker, he told me basically that I would need a head unit with 3 RCA inputs, 1 for the subs amp, and 2 for the inside speakers amp (believe he said front stage and rear stage?).

So now I'd like to get some info on exactly what RCA Inputs are, and how I can tell how many a head unit has, and how many I need. I'm looking at crutchfield head units and nowhere in the details does it mention RCA Inputs so now I'm lost.

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[Below20hzonly 10+ year member]

you only need 2 sets of pre outs, one for each amp. look behind your Headunit to see how many preouts it has

 

[blobb454 10+ year member]

Please done take this the wrong way op, do you know what rca's are first off? Just making sure we're not assuming anything here.

 

[Wfs0801 10+ year member]

No I don't. That's why I asked what they were and what they did.

 

[mylows10 5,000+ posts]

you need a deck that has 3 sets of rca out puts not inputs .frt rear and sub out .most better quality decks have 3 sets and are 4 volt pre out as well ,this is what you are looking for .if you need some suggestions for deck i can help ,but would need to know your budget first

 

[momax_powers 10+ year member]

The inputs are on the amp.... The headunit has outputs .... They are the red and white component jacks that are found on the back of tvs, stereos, home theatre recievers etc an are used to send or recieve audio signals.... Each set has a right and left usually (red and white/black). On aftermarket car stereo decks they are called pre-outs and usually have a voltage rating attached to them (e.g 3 sets of 4v pre-outs...front rear and sub) cheaper decks may only have a single set or two sets at lower voltage

All of this can be found very easily and more details with a quick google search as with 95% of basic car audio info

 

[Wfs0801 10+ year member]

What would the RCA output be labeled as when looking at the specs for the HU? I was looking at crutchfield and in the details section about the HU's nowhere did it say anything about RCA inputs or outputs. I saw they said 'pre-amp output' and 'pre-amp voltage'. Are these the technical terms of the plugins that I should be looking for? I've found several HU I'd like to buy, now I'm just trying to make sure they have all the capabilities that I require for my system.

 

[blobb454 10+ year member]

Anyone able to post specific pics for op? I don't have access to a computer right now just my phone...

 

[Knowmadic 10+ year member]

[quote name='Wfs0801']What would the RCA output be labeled as when looking at the specs for the HU? I was looking at crutchfield and in the details section about the HU's nowhere did it say anything about RCA inputs or outputs. I saw they said 'pre-amp output' and 'pre-amp voltage'. Are these the technical terms of the plugins that I should be looking for? I've found several HU I'd like to buy, now I'm just trying to make sure they have all the capabilities that I require for my system.[/QUOTE]

On Crutchfield in the pictures it shows multiple angles of the headunits, look for one of the ones that are looking at the rear of the headunit.

You can see how it has 3 pairs of RCA outputs. I'd recommend going through @mylows10 He'll set you up with some nice gear and work with your budget.

 

[blobb454 10+ year member]

Thank you @Knowmadic; for posting pic! Op red line circling rca's!

 

[Wfs0801 10+ year member]

[quote name='Knowmadic']On Crutchfield in the pictures it shows multiple angles of the headunits, look for one of the ones that are looking at the rear of the headunit.

You can see how it has 3 pairs of RCA outputs. I'd recommend going through @mylows10 He'll set you up with some nice gear and work with your budget.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the pic and reference. I'm now looking at other HU, some of which do not have the rear view pic, but in the details section it lists '5 channel' pre amp output. Does that mean 5 sets of the red&white plugs or what exactly?

Also, when it says '4 voltage' does that mean that I need to find an amp that matches that 4 voltage? Or what does that mean when it comes to looking for equipment to plug into it.

 

[40oz 10+ year member]

5 channel would be 3 pre outs. 2 channels for the front, 2 channels for the rear and 1 channel for the subwoofer

 

[alexn09 10+ year member]

As far as voltage is concerned, most amps will have a voltage input range listed on their specifications. Some will say .5V-5V for example. The knob marked "gain" is used to match the input voltage coming from your headunit output.

So if your head outputs .5 volts than you would need to turn the amp gain up pretty high. If the head unit sends out 4V signals than you could keep the amp gain fairly low.

 

[Wfs0801 10+ year member]

As far as voltage is concerned, most amps will have a voltage input range listed on their specifications. Some will say .5V-5V for example. The knob marked "gain" is used to match the input voltage coming from your headunit output.
So if your head outputs .5 volts than you would need to turn the amp gain up pretty high. If the head unit sends out 4V signals than you could keep the amp gain fairly low.

Ok now I get how the channels work, thanks a lot @40oz. @alexn09, This question may be answered by looking at my amp, but how do I now if the gain knob is matching when the HU is putting out? thanks for the explanation of the voltage, other than that question it seems pretty simple. Also, I love the grill you have in your sig. I have the Coupe also, but it's silver.

 

[alexn09 10+ year member]

There are many many explanations about how to set gains and ill be honest I'm still learning a lot too so I don't know the perfect way to do it. A lot of people will set gains with a digital multimeter and some will set gains with an occilloscope (idk how to spell that). If you google, "how to set amp gains," you'll run into a lot of results.

That is actually my stock grill, they come on all 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013 models. I just took a roll of black vinyl tape and blacked out the top bar and the circle on the Nissan logo. I think it looks a lot better too. Are you a member over at Nicoclub.com? NICO (Nissan and Infiniti car owners)