Older systems tend to deteriorate in audio quality over time due to multiple factors. Even at their peak performance, they lack the power and clarity of most other commercial speaker systems.
For these reasons, many people consider replacing their car’s pre-installed systems.
When attempting to replace a car audio system with a new one, the speaker wires are an important factor to consider.
So, Do Car Speakers Come With Cables?
In most cases, factory-installed car speakers do come with pre-connected wires, and finding a wireless factory-installed audio system is extremely rare. When buying new speakers for your car, you must carefully assess whether the issue lies within the wiring or with the speakers. New wires for your system can be bought just like you can buy new speakers. While some speakers include the wiring, others do not and require you to purchase the wires separately.
- So, Do Car Speakers Come With Cables?
- Can I Reuse Existing Car Speaker Wires For New Speaker Installation?
- How Do I Test Whether My Car Speakers Are Working or Not?
- Is The Car Speaker Wireless?
- How Can I Find Speaker Wires In My Car?
- How Do I Choose The Right Speaker Wires?
- Can You Repair The Speaker Wires Instead Of Replacing Them?
- Summing Up
- Sources
If you wish to ensure a long-lasting audio system, purchase new and compatible wiring along with the new speakers.
Related:
- Do Car Speakers Go Bad & Diagnosis? (Must Read)
- Do Car Speakers Have Polarity? (Might Surprise You)
- Why Are Rear Car Speakers Necessary? (Might Surprise You)
Can I Reuse Existing Car Speaker Wires For New Speaker Installation?
Absolutely! If the car speaker wires are relatively new and working fine, then there is no need to replace them.
You can simply perform an independent speaker replacement, keeping the speaker’s power and compatibility in mind.
In the same way, if your speakers are working fine but there is a fault in the wiring, you can replace the wiring while retaining the existing audio system, speaker, and its components.
Speaker wires especially the older ones are prone to breakages due to heat so it is always good practice to check your wires during any audio system maintenance or replacements.
Generally, wires are way cheaper than any other components in your car’s audio system, so if you are replacing a speaker or any other component and have an opportunity to replace part of the full wiring, we recommend you go ahead and do so.
How Do I Test Whether My Car Speakers Are Working or Not?
A simple technique to rule out poor wiring and test the speakers is to simply run new temporary wires to each speaker. This is a temporary solution but you will need access to the speakers, but you will not have to route the new wiring through the car’s body which is usually extremely difficult.
If the speakers function with the temporary new wiring just installed then the fault is in the existing old wiring and installing new permanent wiring through the car’s body will solve the problem.
Unplug the wiring harness from the head unit or amp and connect the correct polarity to the speaker’s positive and negative wires.
Here is a great article on how to diagnose which car speaker is faulty within your audio system.
Is The Car Speaker Wireless?
Factory-installed car speakers are wired through the car’s body in the doors as it is the most reliable method, cheaper, and prevents degradation in sound quality.
However, you can choose to replace these speakers with wireless ones.
This may require replacing the head unit as well to make wireless speakers work and function.
How Can I Find Speaker Wires In My Car?
The wires connecting your car speakers to each other and the parent audio system run through your car’s doors and paneling.
To access them, you must remove the speaker and any car component or paneling that encloses it. This could include removing the glove box, the panels around your windshield, door frames, etc.
The most important thing you must identify in the replacement process is the positive and negative polarity of the wires. To test which is which, you can make use of a multimeter.
Learn here about car speaker polarity and diagnosis.
How Do I Choose The Right Speaker Wires?
The automobile audio system is just as good as its weakest connection, and you don’t want speaker cords to be the bottleneck.
Weak or faulty wiring can compromise the sound quality produced by your high-end speakers.
Speaker wires connect speakers to amplifiers and radios. They are in charge of transmitting energy to the speakers, and while they do not produce sound, they substantially impact their performance.
Depending on the speakers’ power, the best automobile speaker cables range from 16AWG to 12AWG.
Furthermore, the best speaker cables are constructed of oxygen-free copper (OFC).
Can You Repair The Speaker Wires Instead Of Replacing Them?
The good news is that the speaker wire can usually be repaired or lengthened.
Most of the time, replacing a complete length of speaker wire is unnecessary, and doing so will only lead to a waste of time, money, and effort.
However, before choosing to repair, you should make a note of the following points:
- Speaker wire that is too thin or of poor quality may not be worth repairing or is extremely difficult to deal with. In that scenario, replacing it with something of an equivalent or higher quality is occasionally preferable. This is especially true for junk wire sold with incorrect gauge – you end up with a lot of insulation but only a handful of thin, fragile wire strands that break easily and are a headache to work with.
- Non-standard speaker wires, such as telephone cables, audio signal wiring, or household/pure aluminum wires, are frequently too difficult to deal with. Crimp connectors might be used in that circumstance but are not recommended.
- You don’t have to use the same gauge of speaker wire. For example, if you need to repair a 16 gauge speaker wire, you can utilize a different size of higher gauge that you have on hand.
Summing Up
Car audio systems growing faulty so quickly is a frustrating problem.
The wiring of your car speakers is as important to your audio system as synapses are to your brain. Their quality and strength play a huge part in the longevity of the system and the listening experience.
Knowing how your wiring is arranged and how the system works can put your mind at ease and save you a ton of money on the huge repair costs.
We hope this article has helped you better understand your car’s wiring system and served as a start to your journey of revamping your car audio experience.
Sources
How To Fix Speaker Wire In Your Car Like A Pro
What Is the Best Speaker Wire for Car Audio?
Car Stereo Wiring Diagram | Car Stereo Wire Color Guide
What Size Speaker Wire Is Right? The Right Gauge, Type, And More
