How To Wire A Bass Control Knob?

How To Wire A Bass Control Knob? If you are a heavy bass lover, you might want to increase it without interfering with the volume of the music. But at times, your music might have a heavy bass, but you want to reduce it by making high frequencies more audible.

The adequate means to modify the bass is to control its level promptly from the dash, but how to wire a bass control knob in the car, let’s look into it. 

In common with the wire, a bass knob in the car, grab an RCA output connector of the bass knob and connect it to the RCA input connectors of your amp. Secondly, connect the RCA input connectors of the bass knob to the RCA output connectors of the vehicle head unit. 

Let’s move on to how to wire a bass control knob. 

How To Wire a Bass Control Knob in My Car? 

Installation of the bass knob relies on its category. In common, for the outstanding bass knob design, just the RCA wires expect to be connected with the RCA wires between the head unit and the amp. Yet, you require a bass knob that needs a different means of connection if the bass knob to wield has additional working for the car battery. 

Follow these steps to connect your knob: 

● Connect the positive red wire of the bass knob with the positive end of your car battery. 

● Connect the black negative wire to your battery’s negative terminal.

● At last, connect the remote turn-on wire of your car head unit to the orange wire of your bass control knob. 

The bass knob regulates the frequency blend level in the lower part of the sound range. The subwoofer knob controls the Gain of the signal that runs into the amp. So, decreasing the bass only alters how the treble and bass frequencies associate. 

Increasing or Decreasing Frequency

Depending upon the type and genre of your music, most probably, you will only need to increase or decrease the low frequencies without any interference with the high frequencies of your amplifier settings.

This is significantly helpful in 99% of car stereos installation. Where the amp is placed in the trunk, you will not be able to change its configuration while driving. 

Location 

You can easily install a bass knob in a vacant switch panel, inside the center cubby, or in the center console near the gear shift knob. But the installation in these locations depends on the type of your car and the accessories installed in it. 

Choosing a Compatible Bass Knob 

While knowing how to wire a bass control knob, it is also necessary to choose a compatible bass knob for your vehicle.

There are various types of knobs available in the market, and the main difference is how they connect to the amplifier. 

As you know, car amps come with different connection kinds, and you should look for a bass knob that resembles the connection kind of the amp, i.e., some use RCA cables. On the other hand, others are universal knobs that can connect directly to the amplifier. 

Connecting RCA Connectors 

An RCA is an Electrical Connector. Its major function is to transmit video and audio signals. Although, it can also be used for the functioning of a DC power connector, an RF connector, or as a connector for loudspeaker wiring. 

RCA Signals

They are often color-coded like: red works for the right audio channel, yellow works for composite video, orange for the digital audio, green for the center audio channel, and white or black works for the left audio channel.

Length of RCA Connectors

Generally, the bass control knobs arrive with short RCA connectors, and you may feel you can increase the length of the wire by hooking up an additional RCA cable, particularly in case it is at the trunk. 

Quality of RCA Connectors

Keeping in mind that you are using RCA to connect the bass control knob, the quality and thickness of the RCA cables also play a significant part in the sensitivity of the bass control knob. e.g., RCA cables should be properly shielded to avoid any sound distortion. 

Attaching RCA Cables

Now, when you have the correct RCA wires in your hands. It’s time to attach the (blue & white) signal outputs to the amplifier and next to the RCA (red & green) signal inputs to your car head unit. 

NOTE: The color coding mentioned above can vary on the BRAND (may be different), But generally, bass control knobs have a label on the output and input connectors. 

Connecting The Remote Turn-on-Cable 

A remote wire fixed behind the head unit is called a turn-on-cable. In most car stereos, a blue and white cable comes out of the back of the stereo harness. After turning on the car, this cable gives the amplifier a signal on when to turn it. 

If you connect this cable to any other wire in the car with a constant voltage, the amp will stay on even if you turn the engine off. So, it is essential to remember that it should be connected only to the car radio.

If you turn off the car’s ignition, the remote wire stops transmitting current. Consequently, the amplifier switches off. 

You have to HOOK UP the remote turn-on-cable behind the stereo towards the orange wire in your bass control knob and then connect the blue wire to your amp. 

Setting the Head Unit & Amplifier Bass to Medium

Note that you will adjust the bass of your car radio by utilizing the bass control knob and not the amplifier or head unit other than volume. You should set the bass to medium.

Yet, to enjoy the best bass experience, it is always recommended to eliminate the sound distortion from the stereo system. 

Volume Settings

First of all, minimize the Gain in the amp by increasing the volume of your head unit until there is any sound distortion. You can minimize it simply by turning the knob in the counterclockwise direction and maximize it by turning the knob in the clockwise direction. 

Can You Use Any Bass Control Knob for Your Amp? 

The bass control knobs are universal devices that can work with almost any amp available on the market. Some come with a multimeter to guide you about using the power of cars’ electrical systems. Hence, they function in the best direction when they are from the same brand as the amplifiers. 

Knobs and amps may not work properly if they are of different brands. The reason is that some use standard phone jack plugs while others use standard plugs. And also, their signals and circuitry are usually distinct, with fluctuating current needs and voltage levels. 

Installing a Remote Bass Knob

Conclusion 

I hope this guide helps you understand how to wire a bass control knob properly. 

When you have a high-end aftermarket car head unit, premium quality amplifiers, and subwoofers, you will want an effective way to control the bass of your stereo.

The most feasible option is installing a bass control knob between the amp and head unit in your car. You can follow the instructions to sort out how to wire a bass control knob.

Reference(s)

• https://www.instructables.com/