These Kenwood Amps are a fantastic value..

Continuing the deal thread I just picked up 40' each of red and black 8 gauge THHN (stranded pure copper) for $28.48 including tax. The other local electrical supply was $35.xx for the same wire. It is pretty flexible and has worked well for my switch panel accessory circuit for the past three summers.

@Gavin carried the wire in. Hopefully he will be just as excited about installing it.

Well I wasted my time and fudged up @Bruce . Installed the 3004 today and hooked all the wires up to run my 4 speakers and sub. Sounded like crap. Was all distorted and kept cutting out. Wouldn't even turn up. THEN I look at the instructions to see I did not connect the speaker wires like I'm supposed to for my set up!!! I went old school how I used to back in the day when you just connected the grounds together and the positives.

Looking at the instructions, it only gives me the option to run 2 channel with a sub. I know there is a way around it, but I'm not gonna chance any further mishaps and wasted time. Just ordered the 3001 to run the sub by itself. Will be here in 2 days.

@ToddW850, I beleive you will be happier with two amps.

Wiring two speakers with the positives and grounds together is in parallel. When two identical speakers are in parallel the resistance halves. Two 4 ohm speakers in parallel are a 2 ohm load to the amplifier.

Wiring the negative of one speaker to the positive of the next is in series. In series the resistance would double. For two 4 ohm speakers the resistance would become 8 ohms.

Thanks @Bruce . I understand what you're saying about paralleling finally. That's what I ended up doing. And it was telling me to do the series one for my sub. I'm not up on what's good and bad with ohms though.

ToddW850 said:

I'm not up on what's good and bad with ohms though.

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The amplifier is rated for 2 to 8 ohm resistance. The wattage provided to 8 ohm resistance should be half that to 4 ohm. The lower the resistance the more wattage that will be supplied.

ToddW850 said:

@firecap797 I love the clean look. Where did you get the power distribution box?

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I picked that up via Amazon. I believe @Bruce has the same item. I liked his idea for power distribution. Even though I am currently only using 3 of the 6 spots, it's perfect for holding extra fuses and future expansion.

Here's the Amazon link.
Blue Sea Systems 5025 ST Blade Fuse Block - 6 Circuits with Negative Bus and Cover https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000THQ0CQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_PXAYjAed4AyPY

firecap797 said:

I picked that up via Amazon. I believe @Bruce has the same item. I liked his idea for power distribution. Even though I am currently only using 3 of the 6 spots, it's perfect for holding extra fuses and future expansion.

Here's the Amazon link.
Blue Sea Systems 5025 ST Blade Fuse Block - 6 Circuits with Negative Bus and Cover https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000THQ0CQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_PXAYjAed4AyPY

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Yeah I saw that, and I too had to place an emergency Amazon prime order. I am currently re-wiring some stuff. The "SeaChoice" fuse holder I already bought is a bit flimsy. I want something I can use as both a bus and a distribution panel. I've had a Blue Sea bus bar, so I trust the Blue Sea name much more than the Sea Choice. I couldn't get multiple terminals stacked onto the stud of the SeaChoice unit. Plus the stud was far from heavy duty so using it as a junction point was likely a bad idea anyway. I want to use that stud as the input for the 12v for the distribution/fuse panel but I also want to use it as a junction point for a few wires. I'm trying to simplify my equipment and not have a bunch stuff like distribution panels and bus bars everywhere. And only one set of cables leading to the battery. This Blue Sea dude looks like just what I need. Plus the added cover is a nice touch, as well.

Also, this whole project has led me to think of more stuff I need (and/or don't need!), so I've acquired a stack of crap I have been deciding not to use. I am pretty sure the actual amp is one thing I am not going to use anymore. I re-wired my head unit and speakers, and gave it a little more juice straight from the battery. The few modifications I made improved the sound quality quite a bit, so I think I am going to stick with my head unit as the sole provider/amplifier of output for the interior speakers. I have a bigger 4 channel amp I use for the towers and subs, so this leaves one of these Kenwoods (new in box, not an open-box) and another 4 channel marine amp (made by Rockville) from an old install in my garage collecting dust. I also have various other things I bought and decided I no longer needed - like light bars, LEDs, an extra tow point anchor light, 3M adhesive promoter, a roll of vinyl from overton's, extra seat cushions (wear and tear on the side edges only - completely out of sight when installed), a captains chair, two carpet sets, some Yamaha Yamalube oil change kits, the original stereo and transom remote, and I'm sure there's more. I think this stuff might have some value, and is likely usable by someone else. I'll start posting in the classifieds eventually, so keep your eyes peeled! If you are interested in anything now, send me a message. Unfortunately, I don't think I am going to give any of this stuff away for free, but there's typically always room for negotiation when I'm the seller!

Just doing my install now. My fusion head unit only has one pair of RCA outputs. How did you guys manage this assuming you want to keep a 4 channel set up.

Chillypilot said:

Just doing my install now. My fusion head unit only has one pair of RCA outputs. How did you guys manage this assuming you want to keep a 4 channel set up.

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RCA Splitters.

RCA splitter won't give me balance and fade.

Chillypilot said:

RCA splitter won't give me balance and fade.

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Same as before than? So Im guessing you will not loose any functionality, right?
I just did it and it turned out fine.

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Chillypilot said:

RCA splitter won't give me balance and fade.

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If you want to maintain balance and fade connect the speaker level outputs to the amplifier inputs. These amps are designed to work either way.

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_206KISL/Kicker-KISL.html

So I guess i need a couple of these To connect my speaker output from my head unit to my RCA input on the amp.

Chillypilot said:

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_206KISL/Kicker-KISL.html

So I guess i need a couple of these To connect my speaker output from my head unit to my RCA input on the amp.

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Those would work. Alternately you could buy RCA connectors and solder them on at a lower cost.

I got 4 sets of splitters and adaptors at my local Menards, one of the big box home improvement chains. I think I paid few dollars a piece.
But I still don't understand - if you have only one pair of RCA outputs that would just be left and right. Not sure how do you get front and rear (for fade) with that.

I'm not going to use the 2 RCA outputs on the head unit. Instead I'm going to use the 4 speaker outputs with RCA connectors added to the ends and plug them into the amp so that I will have the same functionality as I had with just the head unit.

I believe what you are referring to is a "line level adapter" setup. I think the speaker wires don't have enough voltage to be used as a preamp RCA for the amp. I could be wrong on this, though. Audiophiles, please chime in. Hate to be pessimistic, but I don't foresee good results with soldering RCAs onto the ends of speaker wires. I was under the assumption you need one of those (powered?) line level adapters. So your fusion alone didn't have enough ass to give you the sound you wanted from the interior speakers?

@VONCE this Kenwood amplifier is designed to handle low level (RCA) input or speaker level input through the RCA connections.