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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Christopher Clay from Griffin
Posted on 4/14/2022
I have 2 kicker comp r subs.. 1000 watt max and 500rms each. I have an 800 watt amp powering them right now. But wanting more power. Can't really find a reasonably priced 1000 watt amp. My question is could I use a 1200 watt amp?
Buck Pomerantz from Crutchfield
on 4/14/2022
Nicholas from Bar Harbor, Maine
Posted on 4/12/2022
Hello! i recently acquired two old school JL audio subs and one is a 4 ohm and the other is a 6 ohm. They are 12w3v2-d4 and 12w3v2-d6 subs. Would i somehow be able to use these together? thanks in advance
Buck Pomerantz from Crutchfield
on 4/12/2022
Daniel
Posted on 3/30/2022
Hi There! I have an Targa TA 4100.4 amp and want to match it with a MBQ PB12 150W DVC-2 8" Active Subwoofer. Will it work? Kind regards
Buck Pomerantz from Crutchfield
on 3/30/2022
Jonathan Palomino from Manteca Ca
Posted on 3/23/2022
Love what you guys do here longtime customer! My question is could a Kicker 46CXA1200.1 power up two solo baric Kicker 44TL7S102 in their respective boxes? Of course the big three would be needed
Buck Pomerantz from Crutchfield
on 3/25/2022
Rich S from Tacoma
Posted on 3/22/2022
Hello! Since I see others are asking about specific scenarios, I will too! What would be my best wiring option for my 2-2ohm dvc subs & monoblock amp combo... 2011 Mercedes c300 Sealed dual 12" box 2-Rockford Fosgate 12" P2D212 1- Memphis 16-PRD1000.1 Also what size inline fuse should be used with this setup? I have a 100A & a 200A & not sure which is appropriate.
Buck Pomerantz from Crutchfield
on 3/23/2022
Chris from Lebanon
Posted on 3/21/2022
Hey Buck, Afternoon and hope you and yours are all safe. I have 2 Scar SVR-D4s and I have a few amps that I can wire to them. To you, for best, most crisp sound, would you wire them to an amp at 1200w RMS at 4 ohms and have them wired to match that impedance, or keep current configuration and have them wired at 1 ohm, connected to 600w at 1 ohm. 1200w is A/B and 600 is D. Thank you in advance.
Buck Pomerantz from Crutchfield
on 3/21/2022
Nathan from Mukilteo
Posted on 3/12/2022
I have 2 mojo7 12" subs that can handle 1 and 2 ohms. 1500rms 3000peak. If I obtain a 1 ohm stable amp, but I want to wire the subs up as 2 ohms, how can I do that? Or is that possible. Specs say its a triple voice coil, but all i can find diagrams for are dvc. Heard 2 ohm loads are cleaner sound. So would i also need to look for a 4500w amp 1 ohm stable to fully power those two subs?
Buck Pomerantz from Crutchfield
on 3/14/2022
Mika from Telemark, Norway
Posted on 3/9/2022
I plan to buy 2 gas gpp250D1 i have a 3kw Stetsom monoblock 1ohm, how could i wire this?
Buck Pomerantz from Crutchfield
on 3/11/2022
nick from eau Claire
Posted on 3/8/2022
I have a phenix gold rx2 1000.1 amp and 3 4ohm svc kickers how would I run them at their full potential amp rated 1156watt at 1ohm
Buck Pomerantz from Crutchfield
on 3/9/2022
Greg from Bend OR
Posted on 2/22/2022
Thank you I really love the information appreciate the input.