How Do I Run a DVC Speaker at 4 Ohms?

You can wire a dual voice coil subwoofer to run at 4 ohms.

Most car audio amplifiers are designed with a 4-ohm speaker load in mind. For this reason, you will find most car audio speakers and subwoofers hovering around this level of impedance. Wiring a dual voice coil, or DVC, subwoofer to operate at this impedance requires the right amplifier and subwoofer combination and the right wiring scheme. Voice coils are the wires inside a speaker that transfer amplifier power and cause the speaker to move in and out. Dual voice coil subwoofers have increased wiring options over single coil configurations, allowing for a wider range of amplifiers and installation options.

Things You'll Need

• Two channel bridgeable amplifier
• 2 ohm dual voice coil subwoofer
• Speaker wire
• Wire snips
• Wire strippers
• Screwdrivers (Philips, Allen, Torx)

Instructions

1. Flip the subwoofer over, revealing the two sets of positive and negative speaker terminals.

2. Snip a length of speaker wire long enough to span the distance from the amplifier to the subwoofer. Strip 1/2 inch of insulation from both ends of the wire.

3. Loosen the left positive and right negative terminals on the amplifier with the appropriate screwdriver. These terminals correspond to bridged operation on most two-channel car audio amplifiers.

4. Slide one of the wires into the positive speaker wire terminal on the amp. Slide the other into the negative. It doesn't matter which, as long as the polarity matches at the subwoofer. Tighten the screws back down to secure the wires.

5. Insert the positive speaker wire into the positive terminal on the first set of binding posts on the subwoofer. Slip the negative wire into the negative terminal on the second set of posts.

6. Cut another short length of wire to jump the negative terminal on the first set of binding posts to the positive terminal on the second set. You are now operating the subwoofer system at 4 ohm mono.

Tips & Warnings

• Never make speaker connections with the stereo system turned on.

References

• Crutchfield: 4 Ohm Mono Wiring Diagram
• The 12 Volt: Subwoofer Wiring Diagrams