How do I wire a dual voice coil subwoofer?

A dual voice coil subwoofer, often called DVC (Dual Voice Coil), has two separate voice coils that can be wired in different ways.

This lets you match the subwoofer’s total impedance to the amplifier.

The most common options are series and parallel wiring.

What does series wiring mean?
With series wiring, the voice coils are connected one after the other.

Their impedances are added together.
Example:

A subwoofer with two 2-ohm voice coils (2 × 2 ohms) has a total impedance of 4 ohms when wired in series.

What does parallel wiring mean?
With parallel wiring, the voice coils’ positive terminals are connected together, as are their negative terminals.

The total impedance is then lower.

Example:
A subwoofer with two 2-ohm voice coils (2 × 2 ohms) has a total impedance of 1 ohm when wired in parallel.

Common wiring options

Subwoofer	Series wiring	Parallel wiring
Dual 2 ohms (2 × 2 Ω)	4 Ω	1 Ω
Dual 4 ohms (2 × 4 Ω)	8 Ω	2 Ω

The table applies to one subwoofer with two voice coils of the same nominal impedance.

Which wiring option should I choose?
This depends on the impedance the amplifier is designed to handle and the load at which it delivers suitable RMS power.

For example, if the amplifier is stable at 1 ohm, a subwoofer with dual 2-ohm voice coils can be wired in parallel to 1 ohm.

However, if the amplifier only supports 2 ohms or higher, do not connect a 1-ohm load.

Can I connect just one voice coil?
This is generally not recommended if the subwoofer is designed for both voice coils to be used.

Always follow the manufacturer’s wiring instructions.

Need help wiring your subwoofer? Contact our customer service team with the model numbers of your subwoofer and amplifier.