Audio question regarding amp wiring

Hi - I am in the process of planning an audio upgrade for my 2019 Ram Classic with the 6 speaker base system. I will be using the following:

Uconnect 8.4 stock head unit
iDatalink HRN-DSP-CH3 to interface the stock head unit with a Rockford DSR1
DSR1 > AudioControl LC-6.1200

Speakers will be Kenwood Excelon KFC-XP6903C 6"x9" component speaker system (these are already installed using the stock wiring)


I have been researching and getting all sort of different opinions... my question is: Can I use a 9 wire conductor as in the diagram below to come from the amp to the stock speaker wiring or would the recommendation be that I install new speaker wires from the amp directly to the speakers?



Will the stock 18 gauge wiring handle the power from the amp to the speakers without issue?

Thank you!

yes you can use 9 wire. stock wire will handle any speaker you plan to put in there. only time you will ever need to increase speaker wire is for super high wattage speakers, 150rms+ per channel. you must remember, you may have 100w rms speakes, but they will very rarely ever see anywhere near that wattage and even then only for a few seconds at a time.
btw, nice planned system, very good choice of speakers.

have you watched any 5star care stereo on Youube? Dean and Frenando have a nice vid of those exact speakers going in a 4th gen ram.

canadiankodiak700 said:

yes you can use 9 wire. stock wire will handle any speaker you plan to put in there. only time you will ever need to increase speaker wire is for super high wattage speakers, 150rms+ per channel. you must remember, you may have 100w rms speakes, but they will very rarely ever see anywhere near that wattage and even then only for a few seconds at a time.
btw, nice planned system, very good choice of speakers.

have you watched any 5star care stereo on Youube? Dean and Frenando have a nice vid of those exact speakers going in a 4th gen ram.

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Thank you so much for the reply! I have seen that 5star video with the Kenwood speakers and was a big influence on my speaker choice.

Based on the information you provided regarding the wattage, I will use some 9 wire to go back to the iDatalink HRN-DSP-CH3 and then run new wires to the dash for the 3.5" speakers. That will definitely be easier than running new wires to the doors.

Speakers don’t dictate the wire size, the amp does. If your pushing 10-50w rms the 18 gauge will likely be fine. The speakers rating just tells you how many watts you can safely push through the speaker. It’s also a good base for what you want to send to the speaker. If your speakers rms rating is 100w you should try to push close to that rating to get the optimum performance from the speaker. Pushing 30w through a 100w speaker will still work but your under powering the speaker. Just like you can put 200w through a 800w subwoofer but it won’t bump nearly as hard if you were pushing 800w through it. Btw 50W+rms is a good bit of juice for speakers. OEM or aftermarket are usually around 25-50w max per channel or 15-25w rms and you can see how loud they can get.

blackbetty14 said:

Speakers don’t dictate the wire size, the amp does. If your pushing 10-50w rms the 18 gauge will likely be fine. The speakers rating just tells you how many watts you can safely push through the speaker. It’s also a good base for what you want to send to the speaker. If your speakers rms rating is 100w you should try to push close to that rating to get the optimum performance from the speaker. Pushing 30w through a 100w speaker will still work but your under powering the speaker. Just like you can put 200w through a 800w subwoofer but it won’t bump nearly as hard if you were pushing 800w through it. Btw 50W+rms is a good bit of juice for speakers. OEM or aftermarket are usually around 25-50w max per channel or 15-25w rms and you can see how loud they can get.

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Ok - so given the amp I will be using (AudioControl LC6-1200) I could push 100 watts RMS to the speakers I have. Would that be pushing the limit of the 18 gauge stock wiring?

Appears I have 2 options here:
1) limit the amount of gain that is coming out of the amp to say, 50ish watts to avoid the pain of running new wires to the doors through the door jam and door loom
OR
2) run new wires (say 14 gauge) from the amp to the speakers to get the full potential out of the amp and speakers?

That is pretty much the question I had from the original post and was looking for some concrete answers. Upon researching, answers are all over the place. Yes, stock wiring can handle that much power and NO - upgrade the wiring.

For those that have installed a similar system, what did you do? Stay with the stock wiring or upgrade the wiring to a bigger gauge wire?

Thank you!

danocoyote said:

Ok - so given the amp I will be using (AudioControl LC6-1200) I could push 100 watts RMS to the speakers I have. Would that be pushing the limit of the 18 gauge stock wiring?

Appears I have 2 options here:
1) limit the amount of gain that is coming out of the amp to say, 50ish watts to avoid the pain of running new wires to the doors through the door jam and door loom
OR
2) run new wires (say 14 gauge) from the amp to the speakers to get the full potential out of the amp and speakers?

That is pretty much the question I had from the original post and was looking for some concrete answers. Upon researching, answers are all over the place. Yes, stock wiring can handle that much power and NO - upgrade the wiring.

For those that have installed a similar system, what did you do? Stay with the stock wiring or upgrade the wiring to a bigger gauge wire?

Thank you!

Click to expand...

you have zero reason to run new wire to the speakers in the door, the factory wire is more than big enough. the amp may say it is 100w rms, but you are not sending that much power to the speaker all the time. that is the max wattage at max volume at a given frequancy range.
on top of that, trying to get wires through the molex connector in the door is a pia. not worth the effort.
watch more 5star for an explaination on not needing to upgrade speaker wire size.

as for your gains, you adjust them to just below clipping. you don't adjust them to try to set a given wattage output. again, watch 5star for a good video on setting amp gains.

set that audio control amp gains properly and don't worry about your stock wire. 18ga wire will handle 100w rms at 4ohm with the under 20ft lengths in a car or truck with no issue. Also remember, you aren't listening to your stereo at 75 to 100% volume either so you are not getting anywhere near that max wattage.

Just run it stock.

Just throwing this out there in case you’ve not purchased your speakers yet. Research skar audio speakers….

@danocoyote Thread bump.
Did you get this done buddy? I'm just putting together a similar setup and wondered how you like it?

Bingo said:

@danocoyote Thread bump.
Did you get this done buddy? I'm just putting together a similar setup and wondered how you like it?

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I did get this installed but ended up deleting the DSR1. I still used the harness to eliminate cutting stock wiring. I did use a 9 wire conductor from the amp back to the harness. the Kenwood Excelon KFC-XP6903C 6"x9" component speaker system really shines when you put some power behind them.

Kenwood Excelon Series components are fantastic.
This is what I had installed in my 19' Classic about six months or so ago, and the improvements are huge.
My truck is my second home as I'm in it a lot for my career in Project Management, and I wanted my music to be detailed, crisp, and have clear loud volume with some bump.
Enjoy your upgrades!

CanuckRam1313 said:

Kenwood Excelon Series components are fantastic.
This is what I had installed in my 19' Classic about six months or so ago, and the improvements are huge.
My truck is my second home as I'm in it a lot for my career in Project Management, and I wanted my music to be detailed, crisp, and have clear loud volume with some bump.
Enjoy your upgrades!

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I just install my excelons Components and 6x9 4 way in the rear, sounds amazing with stock radio. I was shocked. Cant wait till I add the amps and sub in a few days.

Darrylba said:

I just install my excelons Components and 6x9 4 way in the rear, sounds amazing with stock radio. I was shocked. Cant wait till I add the amps and sub in a few days.

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I started with just the stock head unit and upgraded all six speakers (2 x dash/2 x front doors/2 x rear doors) and it was a fantastic improvement, too.

Wait until you replace the other speakers (if you've not already) and add an amp to the system, and then tune it properly. It's going to be a whole new level of great.

I'd recommend at least 1 x 10" sub as well to give it some kick.

The Audiomobile EVO 2410 sub I have is phenomenal, and specifically designed to fit into small enclosed boxes, and still pound. Just stuff the box with polyfill as it tricks the sub into working like it's in a bigger box, thus getting more drive out of the sub.