Connecting a subwoofer 2 X 2
Low-frequency systems with two loudspeakers are often installed in cars. They provide great power, deep and rich bass. The connection diagram for a 2 X 2 subwoofer may differ from other options. This design can be made in the form of a closed box or work with a bass reflex. Connecting a 2 X 2 subwoofer can be done in two simple ways. This is a series or parallel connection of loudspeaker voice coils. In order to calculate the resulting resistance, a simple formula is used. The voice coil winding is a low-resistance resistor. When two 2 Ohm coils are connected in series, the total resistance is 4 Ohms, based on the formula R total = R1 + R2 or 2 Ω + 2 Ω = 4 Ω.
The connection diagram for a 2 X 2 subwoofer at 4 Ohms does not cause any difficulties, since almost all low-frequency amplifiers operate with such a load. The formula for parallel connection of resistances looks a little different. Here the resulting resistance of several resistors will be less than the smallest resistance of the parallel circuit. According to the formula Rtotal=R1*R2/R1+R2, the resistance of two 2 Ω coils connected in parallel will be equal to 1 Ω. Connecting a 2 X 2 in 1 subwoofer is associated with some difficulties, since not all models of low-frequency amplifiers can work correctly with such a load impedance. Each connection has its own specifics. If in the subwoofer connection diagram there are 2 X 2, the windings of the voice coils are connected in series, then the power will decrease by about half. Since one speaker with an impedance of 2 provides a nominal power of 500 watts, connecting a second speaker in parallel with the same impedance will reduce the system output power to 350 watts.
How to connect a 1 ohm subwoofer
The subwoofer connection diagram in 1 ensures maximum power from the low-frequency unit and the highest volume level. However, the quality of bass reproduction will not be the best. Low frequencies will be “smeared out”. As the load resistance of the amplifier increases, the power will decrease, but the quality of low-frequency reproduction will noticeably increase. The blurriness of the sound will disappear, and the bass will become clear and deep. You cannot connect a 1 Ω subwoofer to every amplifier model. The description of some low-frequency units specifically stipulates the minimum permissible load resistance. Loudspeakers with a 1 Ω coil are rare, so this resistance is usually obtained by connecting two 2 speakers in parallel. Connecting a 2 X 2 in 1 Ohm subwoofer can be done by using one speaker with two 2 Ω windings. They always indicate the polarity. In order for the speaker system to work correctly, you need to connect the speaker contacts correctly.
The pros and cons of the voice coils are interconnected and connected to the corresponding contacts of the low-frequency amplifier.
How to properly connect a subwoofer: general information
- A special linear output of the amplifier or receiver is connected to the linear input of the built-in RCA subwoofer amplifier (tulip). This input may be "stereo". Inside the subwoofer, the signals from these inputs are usually mixed or sent to 2 different amplifiers. Some subwoofers have a double-coil speaker with the coil itself having two windings. A separate amplifier is connected to each winding. If your receiver has one RCA connector for connecting a subwoofer, then the receiver (amplifier) is connected with the double end of a Y-shaped cable (1 RCA to 2 RCA) to the two line inputs of the subwoofer (its inputs are paralleled).
- A stereo power amplifier or receiver without a special linear output to the subwoofer is used, then the connection occurs through the terminals on the subwoofer - its inputs (bypassing the built-in amplifier). The left and right terminals of the amplifier are connected with an acoustic cable to the terminals of the subwoofer - its inputs, parallel to the front speakers.
How to connect a 4 ohm sub
Connecting a subwoofer at 4 is considered the most common, since most dynamic heads have such resistance, and all types of low-frequency amplifiers allow the use of such speakers as a load. You can organize a 4 ohm load using two 2 ohm speakers connected in series, when the plus of one speaker is connected to the minus of the other. The connection diagram for a subwoofer in 4 can be obtained using a two-winding speaker. Depending on their resistance, the connection configuration depends. Two coils of 8 connected in parallel will give, as a result, the required 4 Ohms. The same resistance is obtained if two voice coils with a resistance of 2 ohms are connected in series.
In the connection diagram for a subwoofer in 4, the minus of one voice coil is connected to the plus of the other winding, and the remaining free contacts are connected to the output of the low-frequency amplifier, observing polarity. Connecting two subwoofers of 4 is carried out in parallel or in series. Connecting a subwoofer 4 4 in 2 will provide increased power almost twice. The series resistance of the windings will be 8 Ω. The power will be reduced, but the bass performance will be bright and clear.
How to connect a subwoofer to an amplifier
Single channel connection
Connecting a subwoofer to an amplifier is not difficult; just connect the amplifier's audio output jack to the subwoofer coil or coils using speaker wires.
The wires should not be thin. In most cases, choose copper wiring with a cross-section of 4 mm and there will be no problems.
Connecting speaker wires
This subwoofer connection diagram is suitable for one channel of an amplifier or monoblock.
Monoblock is a single-channel amplifier designed specifically for subwoofers.
Connecting to a subwoofer via terminal block
How to connect a two-coil subwoofer
Connection diagrams for a two-coil subwoofer are limited to the following several options:
- Parallel connection
- Serial connection
- Separate connection
Most often, the resistance of the windings of low-frequency speakers is 2 or 4 ohms. With a parallel connection, the total resistance will be half the resistance of each winding. It will be 1 or 2 respectively. A series connection will give a resistance of 4 or 8 Ω. By reducing the output power, the best sound quality is achieved at low frequencies. In addition, you can connect a subwoofer with two coils without connecting them, but by using each winding for a separate channel of the low-frequency amplifier. Connecting 2 coil subwoofers must be done with strict observance of polarity. It would be undesirable for an amplifier to connect a 2 Ohm subwoofer in a bridge connection.
Each amplifier channel will operate at 1 Ω, and this is a dangerous load for some models of low-frequency equipment. The power will increase, but at the same time the current will increase and nonlinear distortion will increase. The ULF output stages will operate in a critical mode and may fail. Separate connections are allowed only if absolutely the same signal is supplied to both channels of the amplifier.
How to connect 2 coil sub
Independent connection of a subwoofer with two coils implies the use of two low-frequency amplifiers. For such a connection, an amplifier with several channels is used. Each sound winding is connected to its own channel. When connecting a subwoofer with 2 coils, an important rule must be observed. You cannot use only one winding without connecting the second. In this case, there will be a loss of sound pressure and the sound quality will be very poor. Many people are interested in how to connect a 2 ohm sub. This resistance of audio inductance allows you to get maximum output power, but some car enthusiasts connect two subwoofer windings in parallel.
As a result, the resistance is equal to 1 Ohm. This is a very dangerous limit, since with such resistance the damping coefficient is greatly reduced and distortion increases. In addition, the lower the resistance of the speaker system, the more the semiconductor elements of the amplifier's output stage will heat up. Some low quality amplifiers that do not have effective protection circuits may fail when driven into a 1 ohm load.
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Standard car speaker systems usually reproduce an insufficiently wide range of sound frequencies, especially at the low end. You can correct the situation by installing a subwoofer, which helps increase the expressiveness of the sound of bass instruments.
After purchasing the subwoofer you like, you need to properly connect it to the on-board network and car radio. This procedure may seem complicated, but in fact, almost anyone can perform it, even if they are not familiar with the basics of electrical engineering.
So, let's try to understand this issue in order to avoid mistakes and avoid some pitfalls.
How to connect a 2 to 2 sub
The connection diagram for a 2 Ohm subwoofer is carried out according to the classical scheme, when the speaker coil is connected to a low-frequency amplifier. It is better to connect a 2 Ω subwoofer, consisting of one loudspeaker, to a separate ULF channel, since when bridged, the low resistance of the coil can damage the system. In addition to a subwoofer with one speaker, a system of two separate 2 Ohm loudspeakers or a two-winding dynamic head can be used as a ULF load. By combining the connection of the voice coils you can connect a 2 2 in 4 ohm subwoofer. To do this, they need to be connected in series. Connecting 2 x subwoofers 2 2 is carried out with a large-section multi-core acoustic cable to avoid power losses due to heating of the connections. In order to connect two 1 ohm subwoofers, the 2 ohm voice coils must be connected in parallel.
Subwoofer connection 1 1
The 1 Ohm subwoofer connection circuit is not used often, since, despite the high output power, this mode does not provide good quality reproduction of low frequencies. Some models of low-frequency car amplifiers do not allow the connection of such a small load at all. Connecting two 1 Ohm subwoofers is only allowed when the windings are connected in series. A resistance of 0.5 Ω, which is obtained with a parallel connection, can destroy the amplifier. A bridge switching circuit will reduce this value by another factor of two. When connecting a 1 Ohm subwoofer, you need to remember that as the resistance decreases, the current increases, so all connecting cables must have the appropriate cross-section. Do not use single-core wires or cables intended for electrical wiring to connect high-power speaker systems.
Correct connection of the subwoofer
Any amplifier/receiver is usually equipped with a special RCA output, which is designed for connecting subwoofers. Some of them have two outputs (for example, the Pioneer VSX-420 receiver described in this article). However, they usually use one output, since the second one is most often designed so that a second subwoofer can be connected. To connect the subwoofer, you need an RCA cable to connect it to one RCA input available on the receiver (audio cables are described here).
How to connect two subwoofers to one monoblock
An acoustic low-frequency system can consist of one or two speakers. Columns in which a larger number of loudspeakers are installed are used extremely rarely due to their large dimensions. The following amplification systems can be used to organize a low-frequency channel:
- Monoblock
- Two channel amplifier
- Four-channel ULF
A monoblock is a separate amplifier that works only on the low-frequency channel. The connection diagram for two subwoofers to a monoblock depends on the resistance of the voice coil winding. If it is equal to 4 Ohms, then both parallel and series connections of windings are allowed. As a result, the total resistance of the speaker system can be 2 Ohms or 8 Ohms. Connecting a subwoofer 8 Provides the highest quality bass reproduction with a minimum of non-linear distortion. This configuration is the safest for a low-frequency unit, since the currents in the amplifier circuits will be small and the elements of the output stages will not overheat. You can connect 2 subwoofers with speakers of 2 Ohms each to the monoblock. In this option, only a serial connection is allowed if the car uses an AB class amplifier. If the basis of the low-frequency system is ULF class D, then parallel connection of loudspeakers with a total resistance of 1 ohm is allowed.
In addition to speaker systems with two speakers, speakers with two windings are often used in low-frequency channels. Typically, such heads have a winding resistance of 2, 4 or 8 ohms. You can connect a two-coil subwoofer to a monoblock, as well as separate speakers, in several ways. Since there are two coils, their separate connection to the monoblock is impossible. To do this, you need to use a two-channel or four-channel amplifier. The connection diagram for a 2 X 2 Omak monoblock subwoofer allows parallel connection of windings for ULF class D and only serial connection for other classes of amplifier equipment. The most common mistake when connecting a 2 X 2 sub is using only one winding. Some people believe that there is only one channel in a monoblock and it is enough to connect only one winding. Testing of speakers with two coils and different connection schemes showed that when only one coil is connected to the output of a low-frequency amplifier, the sensitivity of the speaker system decreases by approximately 3 dB. Therefore, you can connect a subwoofer to a monoblock only by connecting both windings.
