I've always run them on different sides of the car, if you have to cross RCA's and power mains then cross them at a 90° angle.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

 

1. What is the consensus on the distance needed between the power lead and above listed wires?

I'm not sure there's a consensus, but the general thought is to keep them as far away from each other as possible


2. Should the rca's be kept separate from the speaker wires?

No. There is no induced noise between the two.

3. Is there a method/process (rubber, insulation etc..) which allows everything to be run together?

Zip ties and wire loom/techflex. I have never had a problem running power lines near signal lines. Maybe I've just been lucky, but I've literally had them all pooled in a pile together without a trace of noise. That's not to say I totally ignore the suggestion. I'd say go ahead and run them all down the center but do your best to keep the power line (s) away from the RCAs.

 

I've also ran power wires right next to RCA cables with zero noticeable effect, but I really don't try to do it on purpose.

 

The only two times I've had wiring induced issues was with a really cheap rca cable that came with one of my Minidsp 2x4's. Pulling it away from a wiring bundle under the seat got rid of the ground noise. Other time was with an rca cable that was run but not hooked to anything but was summing noise. I wouldn't worry too much as long as the cables are of at least decent quality.

 

The reason I want to run everything down the center of the truck is simplification. I'm looking at something "rubber like" (tubing) to shield any possible interference.
Is there a preferred location to mount the dsp (front, back, etc)?

 

..... I'm looking at something "rubber like" (tubing) to shield any possible interference. ....

Just to that point (and I'm by no means an expert) ...

• IF you're going to have a noise problem due to proximity of cables it'll be due to the Electro-Magnetic Field (EMF) that's set-up surrounding some cables which may alter the signal or induce noise in adjacent cables.
• Rubber, plastic, etc does nothing meaningful to 'block', 'shield', or 'contain' EMF, though just by virtue of dimensional thickness it may play a role in forcing the fractionally small distance separation between conductors that may prevent a problem (the 'range' of a problematic EMF may often be very small).

I'm in agreement with the basic rules suggested in previous posts which are consistent with 'best practices' for the matter from many sources ..

• Avoid harnessing / bundling power wires with all others (i.e. 'signal' wires) to the extent practicable
• Take advantage of available space to separate power wires from all others to the extent practicable
• When necessary to cross a power wire with another, make it 'quick', go for 90degrees and minimize parallel runs in close proximity to the extent practicable
• There's little in the way of 'hard-and-fast' rules or dimensions of separation but EMF is generally pretty darned short-range when dealing with the current values and conductors encountered in car audio interface wiring.

"Power wires" of course including both + and - legs of a DC circuit.

 

Basically, RCA's and power wires are the only 2 that are relevant. The RCA's can pick up noise from the power wires. Speaker wires don't matter at all, they won't pickup, or induce noise. Having said that, even if you run the power wire and RCAs right next to each other, you won't likely have any issues, it's good practice to keep the separate, but most likely it won't matter.

 

My understanding of transformers is contrary to ^This^.

A pure DC draw in a power line would produce a magnetic field, and wire on the other side only produces a current in the presence of a changing field.

The speaker cable carry a high current which is alternating, so it is an ideal signal for a transformer.
The RCAs usually have a high impedance, so the combination of a speaker wire next to an RCA make a transformer possible.
The fact that one or both of the RCAs and speakers wires can be "twisted pairs" helps a lot.

But we agree that a single bundle rarely matters.


I would theoretically run the speaker wires next to the body, and the RCAs on the top of a bundle.

Rubber is not a magnetic insulator... magnetic fields imprenate through rubber. So putting them in a rubber hose, will neither help, nor hose the signals.

 

You can always redo it if you have issues.

 

Never have run wires the way they say. Just bundled all together and never had a problem.
Use good RCA cables appropriate for the input/output you have ( ground ref vs differential) and you shouldn't have an issue

Sent from my LGLS992 using Tapatalk

 

I got real lucky with my Dodge Magnum. Since the battery is in the back, I didn't need to run a power cable from the engine bay. I choose to run my RCA's down the middle of the car, but the power wires and RCA's are only near each other in the amp rack, but in my last setup I had the power wire near the RCA's with no effect.

 

Usually alt noise is ground loops

Sent from my LGLS992 using Tapatalk