Subwoofer Wiring Wizard

Subwoofer Impedance and amplifier output

Wiring subwoofers can be a tricky business if you've never done it before or if you haven't done the research to fully grasp the concept. There has always been a lot of confusion specifically surrounding watts, amps and impedance, which all relate directly to ohms law and hence, subwoofer wiring.

There are two very important characteristics to every subwoofer that determine how you will wire it and what kind of load you'll get; the load being the final impedance or ohms, which must match your amplifier's impedance capabilities. The first thing we must know is how many voice coils your subwoofers have? The next thing we must know is are the subwoofers single or dual voice coil? Once you have gathered that information then we can figure out the optimal load and maximum power output for your amplifier.

Amplifiers have a maximum load that is measure in ohms. Typically you will see output ratings in the instruction manual and there will be a load figure represented in ohms. It's critically important to know what that maximum is and to not exceed that rating.

The following diagrams should be helpful in determining which wiring option will work best for you to maximize your amplifier power output while maintaining the correct impedance.