How to Wire Subs in a Box

When installing subwoofers into a subwoofer box, it's vital that you wire the subs correctly to the subwoofer box's input terminals. Failure to do so will affect the sound quality of your system and could, at worst, damage your subs. Follow a few guidelines, and your subs will sound great in their new box.

Things You'll Need

• Subwoofers Sub box Speaker wire

Instructions

1. Strip the ends on two pieces of speaker wire so that 1/2 inch of bare wire is exposed on each wire.

2. 

   Connect the positive terminal of the first sub to the positive terminal of the second sub with your first piece of speaker wire. Then connect the negative terminal of the first sub to the negative terminal of the second sub. Terminal types vary, but most terminals are of the "push and insert" variety--you simply push down on the terminal and a hole will open up, and you insert the wire and then release the terminal (see Tips below).

3. 

   Connect the positive terminal of the second sub to the back of the box's terminal cup positive terminal with the second piece of speaker wire. The terminal cup will have metal strips with set screws on the back for connecting to the speaker wire. Loosen the set screws, insert the bare wire underneath, and tighten the screws down until the wire is secure. Connect the negative terminal of the second sub to the back of the box's terminal cup negative terminal with the second piece of speaker wire the same way you did the positive terminals.

4. Mount the subwoofers into the box. Line up the subwoofers with the cutouts in the box, slide each subwoofer in, and then screw them into the box using wood screws. The outer rim of the subwoofers will already have screw holes; use these as your guide for where to put the screws in.

5. 

   Connect your amplifier to the box's terminals and test the sub box. The wires leading from the amp will be inserted into the terminal cup's terminals. Unscrew the terminals, insert the wire and screw down until the wire is tight.

Tips & Warnings

• You may have different terminal types on your subwoofer. The most common type is the "push and insert" variety, but you may also see "binding posts." With binding posts, unscrew the top of the post until a hole appears, insert the wire, and screw down the top of the post until the wire is tight.