so my head unit has 6 rca outputs, 4 for the speakers, one sub and one center speaker, now my question is i hooked up a rca cable to the sub out, but don't i need two cables? so will i need a y adapter, and can i y adapt it in the trunk, or does it need to be to the head unit?

 

well, i'm assuming that it's a DVD head unit?

subs are monaural, there is no need for a right and a left. the amps just have that because most of the head units do.

you can use a Y adapter, or you can just hook into one of them, doesn't really matter.

 

okay, well then do i just plug the rca connect into one of the slots?

 

It all depends on if your amp is mono or stereo (1 or 2 chan) mine is 2 so I have a y adapter right at the headunit cuz I need both the left and right in order to run it stereo. If I were to bridge it and run it mono I would only need the left (I think)
Just Buy the Y adapter, you are talking about using a set of RCA's and just leaving 1 side of it un used. Its not a bad idea but it still could do damage if that 1 rca comes into contact with any other part of your equiptment, best case a little distortion, worst case you short something out

 

even if its mono you want to use both of them otherwise the amp will only see half a signal and you wont get full output

 

alright i guess im buying a y thanks guys

 

Not trying to complicate things but just trying to understand a bit better. On the DVD decks like the one he has and myself as well that only have 1 rca out for the subwoofer, are they not putting out full power to that output. If your just splitting the source then you should be getting the same amount of power, right?

Now on the JBL amp you need both left and right to make it work proper, but i have an old school Orion Red HCCA 225r that in order to run it true bridged mono you should only run the left RCA, now on most decks I would have just put a Y adapter just before the amp and that was that, but on the DVD decks in therory could i not just one 1 rca from the single output on the back of the deck into the left input on the amp and save myself having to run one Y adapter at the HU and one Y adapter at the amp, I was always a believer in the less times you have to put connections on a RCA the better

Once again not trying to be a ***** just wanted to know if it would work or not.

Note: To the OG poster, you have to run a Y adapter on your setup what I was talking about is something different, if you want to put it at the HU or the amp well thats your call but it sounds like you have a set of RCA's already and don't want to have to buy more, in this case run it at the Hu , thats 1 male and 2 females

 

wait that big red one with the silver/chrome removable handles? lol

in ur case spun it would depend 100% on if it only needs that single RCA. If its that red one im thinking of (tested one in my car once) then its constructed a lil differently then most amps. BUT most mono amps have the two rca signals tied together so using only one wouldnt get full potential.

 

okay, RCAs are line level, so, having one or two or ten doesn't mean that it would output any less.

if you look at a home theatre sub, for example, you can use one or two RCAs. they actually perform better with one.

i'd use the Y adapter just so that i know that there is less likelyhood that i'll make a mistake, but there is no real need for it.

 

That answers my question, Thank You

 

lol i guarantee using both will be louder on 98% of the amps out there. but what do i know

 

I'm not disagreeing with you, on the JBL amps and even my Fosgate (which is an older model) you need both. Only some of the older Kenwoods and the Orion have I seen the left channel for mono only, but with the Orion theres a whole list of things you have to do to get it to run mono, (stand on one foot, tap your head, rub your belly, ect...) Keep in mind these are all stereo amps not single channel. I don't believe i have ever seen a mono (1 channel) amp that had a single RCA input, the reason they put two inputs is b/c there needed.
I'm almost sorry I opened up this can of worms so to speak, but thanks for answering the question never the less.

 

lol thats cool