Do You Know How Many Speakers Can You Connect to a Head Unit Safely?

Here’s how many speakers can you connect to your HUD!

For an average chump the head unit and the stock speakers deliver good enough sound quality and can’t tell much difference between good audio and bad audio.

However you are different. By reading this “How to Connect Multiple Speakers to Your Head Unit” article it tells me that you love your music and you want to make your car audio sound as good as it possibly can.

Look:

When customizing your car audio, one of the first things that people look to purchase is a new head unit. They are cool and give your car a high-tech feel. Why wouldn’t you want to upgrade your head unit?

The problem comes when it’s time to wire up your new head unit to your speakers, but you haven’t got a clue whether or not the head unit that you have purchased is compatible with a number of speakers in your car.

How do you know how many speakers a head unit can power? Is it possible to power more speakers than the head unit user manual said? We created this article to answer these questions and more, so let’s jump straight in.

Let’s get to it!

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How Many Speakers Can I Connect to My Head Unit?

Sadly there’s no clear cut answer because it all depends on your system.

The number of speakers that a head unit can power is different for each head unit. While the vast majority of head units will be able to power just 4 speakers, but some can power more and some, less, so in order for us to give you an answer to this question, we would need to know the model of head unit and the car that you are wanting to install it in.

We know this isn’t the answer you are looking for, but it’s the truth. The only way to know how many speakers you can connect to your head unit is to ask the manufacturer or read the owner’s manual. As we mentioned before, the vast majority of head units will be able to power four channels (2 front, 2 back) so chances are, your head unit is the same, but it’s always worth double checking.

How many speakers do you have?

How to Connect Extra Speakers to Stereo?

There are two ways of adding extra speakers. One you can use extra stuff like an amp or two when you simply hack into the speaker wire.

How to Connect Extra Speakers to an Amplifier?

If your amp has free holes then it’s super easy. All you have to do is plug your speaker wire into the free holes.

If there aren’t any free holes then you have to become a bit creative. The safest and easiest solution is using the daisy chain method.

Wire a two core speaker cable from the amplifier out to the first pair of speakers, then wire from the first pair of speakers out to the second pair of speakers.

How to Connect Multiple Speakers

It’s quite simple really. All you have to do is look for a head unit that has support for more speakers than your current one. Also make sure that you get the right size.

Yes, you will have to change your head unit and it’s all worth it if you want to enjoy that pristine music.

Is It Possible to Power More Speakers Than the Manufacturer Recommends?

The built-in amplifiers inside most head units are good enough to power some small speakers with decent power output, but they are nowhere near powerful enough to give you the booming ultrasound that you are probably looking for.

The number of speakers that you can connect to your head unit is final, unfortunately. There is simply no “life hack” to get around the fact that your head unit’s built-in amplifier does not have the capability to power additional new speakers.

However, that statement only holds true for the head unit’s built-in amplifier. Purchasing an external amplifier is another story completely. If you want to add additional speakers to your car, as well as a subwoofer, you will need to purchase an external amplifier to do so.

External amplifiers are considerably more powerful than stock amplifiers inside of a head unit, and they also tend to give you more flexibility and options when setting up your system. It’s not possible to sufficiently power a subwoofer with a built-in amplifier, so if you want to install a sub you are going to need an external amplifier anyway, but in addition to that, if you want to add more than the standard 4 speakers that most head units will allow, you are going to need to shell out the extra money for an external amp.

Is an External Amp a Necessity?

Not at all.

Like we said at the beginning of this article, the built-in amplifier that you will find in all stock head units is more than sufficient for most people. You can power a simple 2-front, 2-back system with a head unit’s amplifier and the sound that it can produce is decent.

With that being said, if you want to take your system to the next level, either by adding more speakers or by adding a subwoofer, you are going to need an external amplifier. There is no doubt about it.

Luckily, a good-quality amplifier is not too expensive. Of course, as with most pieces of technology, there is a huge range of products to choose from which suit almost any budget, but for the most part, a good quality amplifier won’t break the bank.

Even though you don’t need one, an amplifier will help in getting better sound

Closing Thoughts on adding speakers to car without amp

Hopefully, this article has not dissuaded you too much. You may have searched for this content with hopes of reading that there is a simple way to increase the number of speakers or adding extra speakers to your car that you can connect to your car stereo, but as you know now, that’s just not the case.

If you are serious about improving your car audio system and sound quality, we would strongly suggest that you spend that extra money to purchase a good external amplifier. Not only will an amplifier improve the quality of the entire system, it will also give you the flexibility to add or remove speakers and subwoofers to your system as you get more and more comfortable with car audio technology.

Building sound systems is an addictive hobby, so having the flexibility to build, improve and downgrade systems whenever you feel the need is a great option to have.

Frequently Asked Questions:

How to add more speaker to the stereo?

You have a choice to make do you want to use a stereo amplifier (stereo amp) to connect extra speakers or not? When you’re connecting speakers (one speaker or multiple speakers) you need to check the speaker impedance to match it up with your surround sound. Now, connect multiple speakers (speaker terminals) isn’t hard. You need to run the speaker wires (speaker wire) and speaker cables (speaker cable) to the speaker selector switch to get good audio output and volume control then run the rca cables. When you want to connect extra speakers or just one speaker you can wire them in series or parallel. How the speakers connected influences the sound output. Before starting up the system check if everything is snug from the speaker terminals to speaker wires (speaker cable). All in all this how you connect extra speakers to your current audio system.

How to add speakers to a car?

The easiest way to add speakers to a car is to need an external amplifier to get more speakers in your car. Since amps are not something that come standard on any new cars, you will have to purchase one separately. Once you have installed it in your vehicle, all you need to do is connect the wires from your head unit to the amp and then connect the new speaker wires from your amp to the new speakers.

How to connect extra speakers to stereo?

If you have a factory stereo and want to connect any additional speakers, you should use an external amplifier. External amplifiers are available in different models so you can select one according to your requirements. If you have a 4-channel amp, for example, it will allow you to power four individual speakers.

How to connect extra speakers to car stereo?

You can connect extra speaker to your car stereo either by using an amp or you can get a factory stereo with more speakers. If you want to add extra speakers without purchasing a complete new system, utilize an external amp and wire the speakers in series or parallel. Parallel is what you will want if your current head unit has low output power, while series is for those that have higher output power. You can also wire the speakers as a subwoofer system as well.

How to add more speakers to a stereo?

All vehicles are equipped with an onboard amp, but some vehicles have additional amps on the rear of the vehicle. If this is the case, you can easily connect one speaker per channel to your sound system for extra speakers. If you need to install multiple speakers in different parts of your car (not just the trunk), it is best to wire them using the subwoofer wiring method. This is because it will allow you to control each speaker independently of one another (i.e. volume) which not only gives you more sound but also allows for a better sounding system overall.

How to add extra (more) speakers to a car?

The easiest way to do this is by purchasing an external amplifier. Generally, these will come with either four channels or eight channels. You can then power up to four speakers or eight speakers – it depends on the model you purchase.

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Last Updated on April 7, 2024 by Brian Beasley