Matching Subs & Amps

Ken Nail — May 25, 2008

Article contents
Page 1.   Subs and amps - what to choose?
Page 2.   One 4-ohm single voice coil sub
Page 3.   One 4-ohm dual voice coil sub
Page 4.   Two 4-ohm single voice coil subs
Page 5.   Two 4-ohm dual voice coil subs

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One 4-ohm dual voice coil sub

Advantages
Don't be confused about dual voice coil (DVC) subs — having two voice coils simply gives you more ways to hook them up. In addition to wiring flexibility, the advantages of using one dual voice coil sub are power handling (most dual voice coil subs are built for heavy-duty use) and compactness.

The right type of amp to use
This is a perfect situation for a mono sub amp. Why? Mono amps are built to provide the most power at lower impedances, typically around 2 ohms. By wiring the voice coils in parallel, we can present a 2-ohm impedance to the amp and get maximum power output. Check the diagram below for how to hook it up.