Subwoofer wiring diagrams

Which wiring option will work best for you?

There are many ways to wire subwoofers and amplifiers together. The ideal setup is when subs and amps match their impedance and power capabilities to optimize performance. In this article, we'll help you find the best subwoofer wiring diagram for hooking up your system.

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Just click on the "AMP" or "SUB" box below, answer a few questions, and you'll be presented with the wiring diagrams relevant to your search. You can find a glossary of terms below the interactive module.

Glossary of subwoofer terms

SVC

A Single Voice Coil subwoofer (or svc sub) has two wiring terminal posts, one marked positive and the other marked negative.

DVC

A Dual Voice Coil subwoofer (or dvc sub) has four wiring terminal posts, two positve terminals and two negative terminals. The extra terminals give you more options for wiring the speaker.

Ohms

The impedance of a subwoofer coil is expressed in ohms. Impedance is the amount of electrical resistance, or load, a sub puts up against an amplifier's output. Subwoofer voice coils usually come in 2-ohm, 4-ohm, or 8-ohm impedances. The value is often found printed on the magnet, if you're unsure of what you have.

Series wiring and parallel wiring

These terms refer to two ways of routing the speaker wires to your subs to properly manage the overall impedance load. Whether you need to use a series wiring configuration, parallel wiring, or a mix of both, our diagrams will show you exactly the best way to wire your speakers.

Note: When you wire dual voice coils and multiple subs together, the resulting total impedance is not always simple to figure out or practical to use.

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Amplifier output

An amplifier will put out more power through a low-impedance sub than it will through a high-impedance sub. But a lower impedance also means more stress on the amp. Some amplifiers can even drive a 1-ohm load safely, and achieve maximum output. Refer to your amp manufacturer or owner's manual to determine whether or not yours can handle a low-impedance load.

Bridged mode

Bridging an amp combines two amplifier channels into one, to get more power. The disadvantage of bridging is that bridged channels can't drive impedance loads as low as they can when unbridged. How to bridge the amp is usually indicated at the amp's speaker wire terminals.

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Wire

All the wires depicted in the Subwoofer Wiring Diagrams are speaker wires. For wiring subwoofers, we recommend using wires of 12- to 16-gauge in size.

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Start building your bass system today

Now that you've seen how to wire subwoofers and amplifiers together, you can knowledgeably shop Crutchfield's extensive selection of subwoofers and amplifiers. We also carry amp wiring kits, speaker wire, RCA cables, capacitors, and much more.

Contact us by phone, chat, or email and an Advisor will help you get what you need. If you want to learn more about amplifier systems, check out our Amplifier Installation Guide.

Last updated 7/20/2021

Daniel Selby from San Antonio

Posted on 12/2/2021

With a 2 channel 1 ohm stable amp and 2 single coil 4 ohm subs, does the parallel wiring for the second sub have to come directly from the 1st subs terminals? Couldn't you just take both speaker leads to one positive and one negative on the amp?

Buck Pomerantz from Crutchfield

on 12/2/2021

Daniel, Yes you can. Some mono 1-channel amps even feature two sets of output terminals for just such a hook-up.
Chris Husband from Glendale

Posted on 11/30/2021

What about a JL 13w7 and 12w7 to a JL HD1200. I can't find a dual and single coil wired together.

Buck Pomerantz from Crutchfield

on 11/30/2021

Chris, Usually you shouldn't wire different impedance subwoofers together to the same amplifier, but you can with these two, because one can be wired to match the impedance of the other and they both have similar sensitivities. Start by wiring the two coils of the DVC 1.5-ohm sub together in series, like the sub in this diagram (ignoring the marked impedance values and the amp). Then, wire the two subs to your amp in parallel like this diagram, ignoring the marked impedance values.
steve from Peoria AZ

Posted on 11/29/2021

Hello...so i just purchased a set of the JL Audio 12TW3-D4....I plan on purchasing the Rockford Fosgate R2-750X1 to power these subs in a ported box within the specs for these subs. My question is what will be the best way to wire these subs and get the most out of the amp? I am a bit confused as to this amp being a mono block amp but has the connections as a 2ch amp would. Pls excuse my lack of knowledge as I am learning from past mistakes on junk gear! Money is a little tight and this amp seems to fit the budget. I have a 4ch rockford amp that is powering my door speakers, so this will be a second amp for the subs alone. Do I need a bigger amp for these subs? I have read that they can be wired to 1ohm, but i'm no expert. Any advice is helpful. Thanks in advance. Steve

Buck Pomerantz from Crutchfield

on 11/30/2021

Steve, If by "set" you mean a pair, two subs, you should wire them to that amp like this diagram. Your mono, 1-channel amp has 2 sets of speaker output terminals, wired together inside the amp, for convenience, and if you hook a speaker to each terminal it would result in the two speakers being wired in parallel, cutting the total impedance in half. For your set-up, that's exactly what you can do: wire each sub to a set of terminals (with each sub's voice coils wired like the diagram). It's electrically the same as in the diagram.
Joseph foree from Eminence Kentucky

Posted on 11/12/2021

I have 2003 Ford ranger ext cab. I have a speaker box with two 12 inch fosgate R2's and 1600 watt amp. The box is made to fit truck and a friend tells me my speakers should be facing the floor. The speaker box seems to fit that way but my bass isn't carrying. Should my speakers be facing another direction? Thanks!

Buck Pomerantz from Crutchfield

on 11/15/2021

Joseph, You should put your subwoofer in the position that sounds best to you, not what other people say.
Aizak from Troutman

Posted on 11/11/2021

Do you guys have these diagrams but for regular speakers and not subs?

Buck Pomerantz from Crutchfield

on 11/12/2021

Aizak, For speakers, use the wiring diagrams for SVC 4-ohm subs, as almost all aftermarket speakers are single voice coil 4-ohm devices.
Mike O'Neill from Spokane

Posted on 11/7/2021

Have a Alpine MRX v70 4 channel+mono power. Wanting to just run sub power connection using amp. Possible?

Buck Pomerantz from Crutchfield

on 11/9/2021

Mike, You can use one channel of a 5-channel amp for your bass and leave the other four channels unused.
Jesus I Ramirez from Ukiah

Posted on 11/2/2021

Hi! I have a JL HD/750 amp with 2 12tw3-d4 subs. I'm having issues where the amp is going in to protect mode to early. Like I just burn it up a little get going and then it will just intermittently cut out. I'm wondering if this is because I have it wired incorrectly? How should I wire these subs to be proper? Thanks!

Buck Pomerantz from Crutchfield

on 11/2/2021

Jesus, Those subs should get wired to that amplifier like this diagram.
Jesus from Amarillo Tx

Posted on 10/28/2021

Hi there am looking for a amplifier that can handle my four 8s they are nemesis the NA-8h V.3 they are rms900/4 ohm any recommendations?If I need two amplifier what will be my best option? Thanks in advance

Buck Pomerantz from Crutchfield

on 10/29/2021

Jesus, You can power four DVC 4-ohm subs rated for 900 watts RMS each with a single amplifier that can put out up to 3600 watts RMS at 2 ohms, like a Rockford Fosgate T2500-1bdCP, or two amps that can each put out up to 1800 watts RMS at one ohm, like two Kicker CXA1800.1Ts. Give us a call and talk to one of our Advisors, so together we can help you choose the right amps and give you the right advice on how to install them.
Kaiden Wayne Monroe from Cushing

Posted on 10/27/2021

Hey guys! I'm wanting to hookup 4 12's as well as 2 8's in the bed of my truck, any advice on the best amplifier sub setups I can use? I have the Jenson CAR70V headunit with all around kicker 6 3/4" speakers. I want to build a custom bed rail that slants up to be flush with the roof of my truck and mount the amplifier(s) (2 if needed) to the front panel of my bed to protect it from weather. I know exactly how I'm going to do it I just need some help, any help would be greatly appreciated.

Buck Pomerantz from Crutchfield

on 10/27/2021

Kaiden, With questions like this, it's always better to have a conversation with a real live human. Give us a call and talk to one of our Advisors. We can help you choose the right gear and give you the right advice on how to install it.
Ryan from Groton

Posted on 10/8/2021

Hi there, thanks for the article and diagrams. I understand I need to wire my subs like this - [diagram 2DVC_2-ohm_mono] I have a question... my enclosure has two connections, one for each sub. Would I be able to run a positive/negative wire to each terminal and then bridge each subs +/-, or do the two subwoofers need to be connected + to + and - to -?

Buck Pomerantz from Crutchfield

on 10/12/2021

Ryan, It depends on how each sub is wired inside its box. If they're each wire as a 4-ohm load, like in the diagram, then you'd wire both subs' positive terminals together or separately to the amp's positive terminal, and the negative terminals the same way. If each sub is wired as a 1-ohm load, then you'd wire the boxes in series: amp positive to sub 1 positive, then sub 1 negative to sub 2 positive, and sub 2 negative to the amp's negative terminal.