How to Bridge a 4 Ohm Subwoofer

Sub-woofers provide amazing bass to any car audio system. They come in various sizes, allowing you to find one that will meet your specific needs. If you are trying to build a system with the purpose of creating maximum volume, bridging your amplifier is the most common way of getting the most out of your components. This only works, however, if your sub-woofer is set up to properly handle the load.

Things You'll Need

• 4 Ohm dual voice coil sub-woofer
• 4 Ohm x 2 two channel amplifier
• Screwdriver
• Speaker wire
• Wire stripper

Instructions

1. Begin by cutting two lengths of speaker wire long enough to reach from the amplifier to the sub-woofer. Strip one eighth to one quarter of an inch of the plastic casing from the ends of the wires.

2. Connect one wire end to one of the positive terminals on the amplifier. Tighten the terminal screw with a screw driver to secure the wire. Connect one end from the other wire to the negative terminal of the other channel of the amplifier.

3. Connect the other end of the wire coming from the positive terminal of the amplifier to the positive terminal on one of the voice coils of the sub-woofer. If it is not a push button terminal, tighten using screwdriver or Allen wrench. Connect the other end of the wire coming from the amplifier's negative terminal to the negative terminal of the same voice coil as the positive wire on the sub-woofer.

4. Cut two lengths of speaker wire long enough to reach from the terminals on one voice coil to the terminals on the other voice coil. Strip one eighth of an inch of the plastic casing from the ends of the wires.

5. Connect one end of one of the wires you just cut to the same terminal on the sub-woofer, as the positive wire coming from the amplifier. Connect the other end of that wire to the positive terminal on the other voice coil of the sub-woofer.

6. Connect one end of the remaining wire to the same terminal, as the wire coming from the negative terminal of the amplifier. Connect the other end to the negative terminal on the other voice coil.

Tips & Warnings

• This setup will allow both the sub-woofer and amplifier to function at 2 ohms. Make sure that the power ratings on your sub-woofer and amplifier are similar so that one isn't being forced to work too hard.

• This setup is only intended to work with a 4 ohm x 2 DVC sub-woofer and 4 ohm x 2 two channel amplifier.