How to Hook Up a DVC Subwoofer

DVC subwoofers have an advantage over regular subwoofers: they can be wired to different impedance levels (meaured in ohms). The resistance of the subwoofer is vital when you're connecting the sub to an amp, since amplifiers have different parameters of power output depending on what resistance the load is. There are two ways to hook up DVC subwoofer; one drops the resistance in half (parallel wiring), and the other doubles it (series wiring).

Things You'll Need

• Speaker wire
• Amplifier
• Wire cutters/strippers
• Screwdriver

Instructions

Wiring in Series

1. 

   Find the positive and negative terminals of the subwoofer and amplifier. The terminals on the subwoofer will be in two pairs, and in each pair there will be one marked "+" (positive) and another marked "-" (negative). These are often color-coded: red for positive, black for negative. The outputs of the amplifier will be marked in a similar fashion.

2. 

   Cut a piece of speaker wire long enough to connect between the amplifier terminals and the first subwoofer. Strip insulation from the end of the wire so that 3/8 to 1/2 inch of bare wire is visible, then connect the speaker wire between the negative terminal of the first pair of sub terminals and the positive terminal of the second set of sub terminals. To connect to the amplifier terminals, loosen the set screws with a screwdriver, insert the bare end of the wire and tighten. For the subwoofer, push in on the terminals until a small hole appears in the post. Insert the wire and release the terminal to clamp the wire in place.

3. Connect a length of speaker wire from the positive terminal of the amp to the positive terminal of the first pair of sub terminals.

4. 

   Connect a piece of speaker wire between the negative terminal of the second pair of sub terminals and the negative terminal of the amplifier. This completes the circuit, and wires the sub to twice the resistance of the sub's voice coil.

Wiring in Parallel

1. 

   Find the positive and negative terminals of the subwoofer and amplifier. The terminals on the subwoofer will be in two pairs, and in each pair there will be one marked "+" (positive) and another marked "-" (negative). These are often color-coded: red for positive, black for negative. The outputs of the amplifier will be marked in a similar fashion.

2. 

   Cut a piece of speaker wire long enough to connect between the amplifier terminals and the first subwoofer. Strip insulation from the end of the wire so that 3/8 to 1/2 inch of bare wire is visible, then connect the speaker wire from the negative terminal of the amp to the negative terminal of the first pair of sub terminals. Hook another piece between the negative terminal of the first pair of sub terminals and the negative terminal of the second set of sub terminals. To connect to the amplifier terminals, loosen the set screws with a screwdriver, insert the bare end of the wire and tighten. For the subwoofer, push in on the terminals until a small hole appears in the post. Insert the wire and release the terminal to clamp the wire in place.

3. 

   Hook a length of speaker wire from the positive terminal of the amp to the positive terminal of the first pair of sub terminals. Hook another piece between the positive terminal of the first pair of sub terminals and the positive terminal of the second set of sub terminals. This completes the circuit and wires the sub to half the resistance of the sub's voice coil.