Wire Guage question

[bbobb123 10+ year member]

This one got double posted sry

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[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

The process for determining this is fairly simple.

amps = watts / volts.

Knowing exact voltage (averaged over time) will be difficult. I go with (almost) worst case scenario and use batt voltage, 12.8v, and do the math.

Watts will need to be adjusted to factor in for amplifier efficiency. A good general efficiency to use is 80%. So 600 watts x 1.2 = 720 watts.

So amps = 720 / 12.8, 56.25 amps. Round that up to 60 amps to account for possible (slight) clipping, and consult a 12v wire sizing chart.

Knowing your max amperage we just calculated, and the run length in feet, the chart will tell you the recommended wire size in AWG.

With a max of around 60 amps of current pull, a wire sizing chart suggests with a run of 3 to 5 feet you could run as small as 12 or 14 gauge iirc. A 10 gauge amp wire kit would be fine, but Im anal about wiring and Id probably just use the more standard 8ga wire.