Subwoofer wiring diagrams
How to hook up your subs for powerful bass
In this article, we'll help you find the best way to connect your subs to your amp. We begin with some basic – and important – subwoofer and amplifier terms. But if you want, you can skip straight to the wiring diagrams.
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.
Power with care
The diagrams show wiring configurations for amplifiers and subwoofers that have already been matched for power capabilities. You should never connect subs to an amp that could give them more power than their total watts RMS power ratings. Doing so could damage the subs or the amp. See How to match subs and amps for further guidance.
Here's an example diagram for connecting two 4-ohm DVC subs to a mono-channel amplifier:

Wiring terms you need to know
The diagrams are below, but first let's explain a few important terms.
SVC
A single voice coil sub with two wiring terminal posts, one marked positive and the other marked negative.
DVC
A dual voice coil sub with four wiring terminal posts, two positive terminals and two negative terminals. This gives you more options for wiring the sub in different situations.
Ohms
The impedance load, or resistance against the amplifier's output signal, of a subwoofer coil. 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 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, without using confusing technical terms.
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. In the example diagram above, the voice coils of each sub are wired together in series, while the two subs themselves are wired together in parallel.
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 (marked “low-imp” in the links below) 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. The proper way to bridge the amp is usually indicated at the amp's speaker wire terminals. For more information, read our How to bridge an amplifier article.
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.

Find the right wiring diagram
Now, let's get those subs hooked up! All of our wiring diagrams are listed below. Select the diagram for the number and type of subs you have. Depending on your gear, there might be more than one way to safely wire the subs.
- 2 SVC 2-ohm subs, 2ch amp: 2 x 2 ohms
- 2 SVC 4-ohm subs, 2ch amp: 2 x 4 ohms
- 2 SVC 4-ohm subs, 2ch low-imp amp: 2 ohms
- 2 SVC 8-ohm subs, 2ch amp: 4 ohms
- 2 DVC 2-ohm subs, 2ch amp: 2 x 4 ohms
- 2 DVC 2-ohm subs, 2ch low-imp amp: 2 ohms
- 2 DVC 4-ohm subs, 2ch amp: 2 x 2 ohms
- 2 DVC 4-ohm subs, bridged 2ch amp: 4 ohms
A note about multi-channel amplifiers
5-channel amplifiers are a popular way to get "full system" power in one box — four channels to drive your four speakers, plus a fifth, higher-powered channel for your subwoofer. 6- and 8-channel amps are similar and offer even more flexibility. When it comes to connecting subwoofers to these amps, keep it simple:
- If you're connecting your sub(s) to the subwoofer channel, treat it like a mono-channel amplifier.
- If you're bridging two channels of your amp, simply treat it as a bridged 2-channel amp.
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.
Anders from South Bend
Posted on 5/2/2025
If I were to wire 2 2 ohm subs to a monoblock 1 ohm amplifier as in the diagram, would it still be just as powerful? Would the 2000 watts just split as 1000 watts at 2 ohms, or would it lose power since it's higher ohms?
Buck Pomerantz from Crutchfield
on 5/5/2025
Andrew
Posted on 4/14/2025
I have two DVC 4 Ohm skar ix 12's. How would I wire them to a alpine mrv m500 2 ohm stable
Buck Pomerantz from Crutchfield
on 4/15/2025
Freddy from MENDOTA
Posted on 3/24/2025
Have the old MB Quart DA-1800.1 amp. What subwoofers do you recommend for the best bang. Also have an empty 12" dual q bomb box that I wanna use.
Buck Pomerantz from Crutchfield
on 3/25/2025
Juan from Logan
Posted on 1/9/2025
Have 2 12 rockford T1 and wanting to know from how to wire 2ohms and stay at 2ohms thanks
Buck Pomerantz from Crutchfield
on 1/11/2025
steve from needville tx
Posted on 11/30/2024
ive been trying to figure out if i can somehow get a single coil 4 ohm subwoofer to play at 1 ohm is that attainable?
Buck Pomerantz from Crutchfield
on 11/30/2024
Root from Weeki Wachee
Posted on 11/3/2024
can i run 1 4 ohm dvc sub wired to 2 ohm output on a 1 ohm stable monoblock? sub is rated at 1200 rms 2400 peak and amp is rated 1k rms 3k peak
Buck Pomerantz from Crutchfield
on 11/7/2024
Jon from Akron
Posted on 10/3/2024
You literally don't have the one wiring diagram on this page that I need I have a P2 12-in Rockford Fosgate dual voice coil 4 ohm sub with a 4-ohm amp but the amp keeps going into protection and it doesn't show me the proper wiring for that it shows all the other setups but not that what is it can somebody tell me please something is wrong the amp runs fine on other subs and it keeps cutting out when I hook up this one
Buck Pomerantz from Crutchfield
on 10/4/2024
Kerry tuhey from Springfield
Posted on 8/19/2024
To Buck Pomerantz. Thank you sir for all the effort of answering these questions over the years. No questions just a simple thank you.
Randy
Posted on 5/31/2024
Your diagram for wiring two 4-Ohm DVC woofers to a bridged 2-Channel amp is in error: [link to 2 DVC-4 subs to bridged 2-ch amp] The load at the amp, in this diagram, would be 2 Ohms. A bridged amp will operate at 1/2 the speaker load.
Buck Pomerantz from Crutchfield
on 6/1/2024
Andreas from Los Angeles
Posted on 1/1/2024
Hello and I have 2 dvc 4ohm kicker comp vx at 750 rms each hooked up in parallel to a kicker 1800.1 amp with a 2ohm minimum impedance. Each subwoofer has a 2 ohm load because they are wired in parallel so it's a 4ohm load that my amp is taking do you think this is the best set up for my subwoofers and amp? I know my amp has 300watts extra power but how many watts are my subwoofers really taking and will they get ruined? Thank you!
Buck Pomerantz from Crutchfield
on 1/2/2024