How to Wire Three Subs to a Mono Amp

Subwoofers are essentially large speakers.

It is possible to wire all three amps up to a single amplifier when installing subwoofers into a car audio system. While not all amplifiers are designed to provide power to three subwoofers, there are several higher end amplifiers on the market that can do this. Consult the manufacturer's recommendations to make sure that you are not installing too many subwoofers on your amplifier. The subwoofers must be wired in parallel for this method, which will reduce the impedance of the subwoofers.

Things You'll Need

• 4 sections, 2-foot, of speaker wire
• Wire stripper
• Screwdriver

Instructions

1. Separate three of the speaker wires. Speaker wire is composed of two individual wires within one sheath. Simply pull them apart to separate them.

2. Wire the terminals of the three subwoofers in parallel. Connect one speaker wire to the positive terminal of the subwoofer box terminal cup. Connect the other end of that wire to the positive terminal of Subwoofer 1. Connect a second length of wire from the positive terminal of Subwoofer 1 to the positive terminal of Subwoofer 2. Connect a third wire from the positive terminal of Subwoofer 2 to the positive terminal of Subwoofer 3. Connect a wire from the negative terminal of the terminal cup to the negative terminal of Subwoofer 1. Connect the remaining negative terminals exactly like the positive terminals.

3. Connect the backside of the subwoofer box terminal cup to the amplifier using the section of speaker wire that was not separated. Attach one of the wires to the positive terminal of both the subwoofer box and amplifier and the negative wire to the negative terminals. Amplifiers typically hold speaker wire in place with a screw, so you will need a screwdriver to loosen and tighten the terminals on the amplifier.

References

• Crutchfield: Subwoofers Frequently Asked Questions
• Termpro: Series vs. Parallel Wiring