With multi-driver sub systems, which often feature dual voice coils (DVC) on each driver, the level of wiring complexity can be enough to turn-off even the most adventurous of car audio do-it-yourselfers. Fear not though, for we have compiled wiring diagrams of several configurations for dual voice coil (DVC) drivers.
Please note that when wiring multiple drivers it is recommended that series connections between drivers be avoided at all costs. This does not include series connections made between voice coils on the same driver. For more information, please consult our dual voice coil tutorial.
Additionally, if you have an idea for a wiring configuration and you do not see it here, chances are you should re-think its implementation (in other words, don’t do it). You will more than likely find that the results will be less than optimal.
1 DVC driver with Voice Coils in Series
Connecting the two voice coils of the driver in series (+ to -) will result in the following impedances:
Dual-6 Ohm Subwoofer: 12 Ohms
Dual-4 Ohm Subwoofer: 8 Ohms
Dual-2 Ohm Subwoofer: 4 Ohms
Dual-1.5 Ohm Subwoofer: 3 Ohms
1 DVC driver with Voice Coils in Parallel
Connecting the two voice coils of the driver in parallel (+ to +, – to -) will result in the following impedances:
Dual-6 Ohm Subwoofer: 3 Ohms
Dual-4 Ohm Subwoofer: 2 Ohms
Dual-2 Ohm Subwoofer: 1 Ohms
Dual-1.5 Ohm Subwoofer: 0.75 Ohm
2 DVC drivers with Voice Coils in Series / Parallel
Connecting the two voice coils of each driver in series (+ to -) and the drivers themselves in parallel (+ to +, etc.) will result in the following impedances:
Dual-6 Ohm Subwoofers: 6 Ohms
Dual-4 Ohm Subwoofer: 4 Ohms
Dual-2 Ohm Subwoofer: 2 Ohms
Dual-1.5 Ohm Subwoofer: 1.5 Ohms
2 DVC drivers with Voice Coils in Parallel / Parallel
Connecting the voice coils of each driver in parallel (+ to +, – to -) and the drivers themselves in parallel (+ to +, etc.) will result in the following impedances:
Dual-6 Ohm Subwoofers: 1.5 Ohms
Dual-4 Ohm Subwoofers: 1 Ohm
Dual-2 Ohm Subwoofers: 0.5 Ohm
Dual-1.5 Ohm Subwoofer: 0.38 Ohms
3 DVC drivers with Voice Coils in Series / Parallel
Connecting the two voice coils of each driver in series (+ to -) and the drivers themselves in parallel (+ to +, etc.) will result in the following impedances:
Dual-6 Ohm Subwoofers: 4 Ohms
Dual-4 Ohm Subwoofers: 2.67 Ohms
Dual-2 Ohm Subwoofers: 1.33 Ohms
Dual-1.5 Ohm Subwoofer: 1 Ohm
3 DVC drivers with Voice Coils in Parallel / Parallel
Connecting the two voice coils of each driver in parallel (+ to +, – to -) and the drivers themselves in parallel will result in the following impedances:
Dual-6 Ohm Subwoofers: 1 Ohm
Dual-4 Ohm Subwoofers: 0.67 Ohm
Dual-2 Ohm Subwoofers: 0.33 Ohm
Dual-1.5 Ohm Subwoofer: 0.25 Ohm
4 DVC drivers with Voice Coils in Series / Parallel
Connecting the two voice coils of each driver in series (+ to -) and the drivers themselves in parallel (+ to +, etc.) will result in the following impedances:
Dual-6 Ohm Subwoofers: 3 Ohms
Dual-4 Ohm Subwoofers: 2 Ohms
Dual-2 Ohm Subwoofers: 1 Ohm
Dual-1.5 Ohm Subwoofers: 0.75 Ohm
4 DVC drivers with Voice Coils in Parallel / Parallel
Connecting the two voice coils of each driver in parallel (+ to +, – to -) and the drivers themselves in parallel (+ to +, etc.) will result in the following impedances:
Dual-6 Ohm Subwoofers: 0.75 Ohm
Dual-4 Ohm Subwoofers: 0.5 Ohm
Dual-2 Ohm Subwoofers: 0.25 Ohm
Dual-1.5 Ohm Subwoofer: 0.19 Ohm
5 DVC drivers with Voice Coils in Series / Parallel
Connecting the two voice coils of each driver in series (+ to -) and the drivers themselves in parallel (+ to +, etc.) will result in the following impedances:
Dual-6 Ohm Subwoofers: 2.4 Ohms
Dual-4 Ohm Subwoofers: 1.6 Ohms
Dual-2 Ohm Subwoofers: 0.8 Ohm
Dual-1.5 Ohm Subwoofer: 0.6 Ohm
5 DVC drivers with Voice Coils in Parallel / Parallel
Connecting the two voice coils of each driver in parallel (+ to +, – to -) and the drivers themselves in parallel will result in the following impedances:
Dual-6 Ohm Subwoofers: 0.6 Ohm
Dual-4 Ohm Subwoofers: 0.4 Ohm
Dual-2 Ohm Subwoofers: 0.2 Ohm
Dual-1.5 Ohm Subwoofer: 0.15 Ohm
6 DVC drivers with Voice Coils in Series / Parallel
Connecting the two voice coils of each driver in series (+ to -) and the drivers themselves in parallel (+ to +, etc.) will result in the following impedances:
Dual-6 Ohm Subwoofers: 2 Ohms
Dual-4 Ohm Subwoofers: 1.3 Ohms
Dual-2 Ohm Subwoofers: 0.7 Ohms
Dual-1.5 Ohm Subwoofer: 0.5 Ohms
6 DVC drivers with Voice Coils in Parallel / Parallel
Connecting the two voice coils of each driver in parallel (+ to +, – to -) and the drivers themselves in parallel will result in the following impedances:
Dual-6 Ohm Subwoofers: 0.5 Ohm
Dual-4 Ohm Subwoofers: 0.33 Ohm
Dual-2 Ohm Subwoofers: 0.167 Ohm
Dual-1.5 Ohm Subwoofer: 0.125 Ohm
I WANT TO KNOW HOW I CAN WIRE TWO 4 OHM (DVC) SUBWOOFERS TO HAVE AN 2OHM LOAD TO MY AMP.
MY AMP IS 2 OHM STABLE
Is it possible for me to wire…
2 Alpine 12″ Type-R SWR-1242D Dual Voice Coil Subwoofer (dual 4 ohms, 1500W max and 500W RMS per sub)
too a…
Bazooka BA1900D Class D Mono Amplifier (800W RMS at 2 ohms x1, 500W RMS at 4ohms x1, 1200W Max)
please email me at… jer_sinclair@Hotmail.com
Wow, these diagrams are very helpful. Explained this way anyone could understand the best way to wire there subs. Many people do know that wiring your subs the wrong way can ruin the subs and the amplifier. But wiring them the correct way can increase performance exponentially. Most Subs nowadays are dual voice coil, so wiring them correctly is crucial.
how can i wire 5 4 hom wofers my amp is two hom stable
how can i wire 5 4 hom single coil woofers to my 2 hom stable monoblok amp
since seeing your page I will be trying to wire 6 dvc 4ohm subs. I want to know if my amp puts out 1600w rms at 1 ohm ,how many watts will I see running 1.3 ohm’s in series/parallel?
by multi drivers you mean(many Amp’s?)
hello i have 2 12″ Power Acoustik mofo’s dual coil 2 ohm subs, how do i wire them to 2 ohm at my amp?
@Walter: Wire both subs in parallel, and then wire them in series to the amplifier. This will net you a 4Ohm load going into the amplifier. As long as you weren’t going to be pushing the amp with a 2Ohm load you should be fine. It will certainly limit the maximum output of the amp, but it will be plenty loud, and the extra resistance will add to the clarity of your Subs.
@Jeremy: Wire both subs for parallel/parallel, this will net you an 8Ohm load, but unless you needed to fill a club or large hall there is still plenty of power for you to get what you need done.
@ed Garcia: wire two sets of them in series, creating 8Ohms each, then wire those in parallel with each other. We should be down to a 4Ohm system plus the last sub. Wire the system and the last sub in parallel to the amp. This should net you (roughly) a 2Ohm load into the amplifier.
@Richard: minimally less, somewhere around 1500 Watts.
@Serafin: Drivers refer to the part of a speaker that actually creates the noise. Speakers are comprised of Drivers, a cabinet, andn sometimes some extra parts like crossovers, L-pads, etc.
I hope this was helpful for all of you.