How to Connect Sub Woofers To an Amp
Building a car stereo system is nothing if not an exercise in wisdom, primarily since neophyte builders often don't know what they don't know. Put another way, there's a whole level of complexity behind building a sound system that most people don't even know exists. This sort of naivete, however well-intentioned, is a sure path to disaster when you're talking about a subject as complex as electrical wiring. The solutions to most problems in the area are far simpler than the theories behind their execution.
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Instructions
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Consult with your amp and speaker manufacturer to determine the amp's minimum stable impedance in ohms in two-channel (stereo) mode. The lower impedance an amp can handle the more power it can channel and the louder the music ends up; however, lower resistance will also fry your amp. The most extreme case would be a metal bar with a resistance of 0.00 ohms, also known as a short circuit; that short circuit would quickly overheat the amp's circuitry and fry it. Smaller speakers tend to have greater resistance, and larger speakers tend to have lower resistance.
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Compare your speaker resistance to the amp resistance to determine the wiring scheme you'll need. If your amp is rated at 2 ohms and the speaker at 4, everything's fine. Wire another speaker into the system in a series circuit and resistance is now 8 ohms. Plan on a series circuit if your speaker ohm rating is lower than that of the amp. For instance, you'll need to wire two 1-ohm speakers in series to create the 2 ohms of resistance necessary for a 2-ohm rated amp.
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Plan on a parallel circuit if your individual speakers' impedance is no lower than the amp's minimum stable impedance. A parallel arrangement will work if your amp's minimum impedance is 2 ohms and your speaker impedance is 2 ohms or higher, but wiring 1-ohm speakers in a parallel circuit on a 2-ohm amp will kill the amp. This is the optimal arrangement for maximum power, provided that the speaker ohms are the same or higher than the amp's.
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Strip the ends of your colored speaker wire and wire the system. For a series circuit, connect the positive red wire from the amp to the positive terminal on speaker 1. Connect the negative terminal on speaker 1 to the positive terminal on speaker 2. Connect the negative terminal on speaker 2 to the negative terminal on your amp. For a parallel circuit, insert two red wires into the positive terminal on your amp and two black wires into the negative terminal. Connect the red wires to your speakers' positive terminals and the black wires to the negative terminals.
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