Dual voice coil wiring

[Ender2664]

I have a Solobaric L7 in my car now. I ordered a Subthumb driverside box for it. The problem is it only comes with one of the little cups for wiring it and it is dual voice coil. Can someone enlighten me on how i should be wiring this bad boy so that both the coils are working? I have done it before and i think i remember, but i really don't want to ruin my new sub playing around.

[Razzer]

Either wire it in Series or Parallel on the inside depending on the load you want for your amp. If your amp is mono stable @ 2ohms then wire them in parallel if not then wire it in series. Parallel is + to + for 1 wire and - to - for the other wire that links to the boxes wiring cups. Series is + to - for one wire then wire your cup to the remaining post for the correct polarity. If you get me the specs of the L7 and you amp I will tell you the optimal way to wire it up.

[96firebird311]

http://www.jlaudio.com/tutorials/wiring/index.html
That link, and others like it, is in our FAQ section

[Ender2664]

Thanks that is how i remember doing it, how do i know if i want to do it in series or parallel? Or is it preferance?

[Ender2664]

BTW i just attached it series way and it sounds sick, so unless i am told that i should really be playing it as parallel, i guess i will just be keeping it series.

[96firebird311]

Originally posted by Ender2664:
Thanks that is how i remember doing it, how do i know if i want to do it in series or parallel? Or is it preferance?

You want the lowest possible load that your amp is stable at. So if your amp is stable to 2 ohms, you want to run at 2 ohms to get the most power out.

Post up the EXACT model number of the sub and amp. We'll help you out. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Ender2664]

Amp is a performance Techniques ICBM-772 and the Sub is a kicker 10inch L7.
They both say that they are stable running at 2ohm load, so i assume that means that i would be better wiring my system the other way right?
And the other thing is i was looking at the specs, and my sub can run 600 rms and my amp even in MONO is on able to run 375 so would it be a good idea to run a stronger amp, cause i really would like to have my sub hitting harder than it is right now, but is that wattage going to make a good size difference?

[ July 11, 2005, 12:05 AM: Message edited by: Ender2664 ]

[96firebird311]

We need to know if your subwoofer is dual 2 ohm or dual 4 ohm. As you said, your amp has the following specs:
# Power Output @ 2 Ohms: 175W x 2CH
# Power Output @ 4 Ohms: 125W x 2CH
# Power Output Bridged: 350W x 1CH
So hopefully you have the dual 2 ohm version. You could then wire them in series (like you have it) and bridge the amp's two channels into a single more powerful channel. 350WRMS to a single 10" L7 isin't too bad. If you were to give it the rated 600WRMS you would notice a difference without a doubt. Nothing huge obviously, but noticable. But more importantly, make sure you know what your buying. Know exactly which model subwoofer you have and how you plan to wire it to the amp. Post either dual 2 ohm or 4 ohm on here and I'll double check the wiring you have now, or help you find another amp if you wish. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Ender2664]

How can i find out if it is the 4ohm or the 2ohm again? Is it just on the back of the sub? I don't want to take it out of the case if i don't have to. Thanks for all the help by the way.

[bret_xi]

i have a proformance tecknique amp... whats ya'lls opinion on them?

sorry for the post whorin ender

[96firebird311]

Originally posted by Ender2664:
How can i find out if it is the 4ohm or the 2ohm again? Is it just on the back of the sub? I don't want to take it out of the case if i don't have to. Thanks for all the help by the way.

Yes, it is on the rear on the sub. If it doesn't spell it out, it will have a more specific model number. Such as S10L7D4 or something. It is also on the box it came in....if you still have it. Worse comes to worse, you can use a multimeter and touch a probe to each + and -. Set the meter to the little "Omega" symbol and lemme know what you get. lol Chances are it will be like 15-20% lower then their nominal rating of 2 or 4 ohms. As far as it being worth taking out of the box, I say it is critical to know what sub you are running. More then worth the work.

Bret, don't have a whole lot of experience with them. But I would rate them along side companies like Awia or Jenson. Just below mid range. About a 3-4 on the 1-10 scale. Not total complete junk (Pyramid,Baja,Rockwood) and nowhere near the best. (anyone else ;) )

[bret_xi]

yea.. i've never been really happy with mine.. and lately its been goin in diagnostic mode or whatever... where the red light comes on... but it will just do that for a few seconds

[Ender2664]

Okay so i opened up the booklet to the sub and it says that when you wire up the 4ohm dual voice coil sub in parallel it is running a 2 ohm load and when you run it in a series mode it is running a 8 ohm load. So i assume that means since my amp can run a 2 ohm load i should run it parallel. It says to run it parallel that i should run a wire from the negitive amp to negitive coil two to negitive coil one. Then run another wire from positive coil two to positive coil one. And this should set my sub up to run a 2 ohm load.
So i am going to go ahead and do that tonight and see how it works...good times. Can someone tell me why they would make it so tha the 2ohm can't run a 2ohm load and the 4ohm can't a 4ohm load? I didn't do my research and i am just lucky that i am able to run 2 ohms with my sub and amp, and that it is working out well.

[96firebird311]

Actually, that's what we're trying to avoid. You have a two channel amp. Yes, your amp is two ohm stable.....into each channel. In bridged, it's only 4 ohm stable. So you will be using half of what your amp is really capable of. Idealy, you would have the dual 2 ohm version subwoofer and wire it in series for a 4 ohm load. Then bridge the amp into a single channel netting you the full 350W RMS vs. the 175W RMS you will be getting now.

Now then. You now have it wired for 8 ohms and connected to a single channel on the amp, correct? Rather then taking the subwoofer out of the box again, you can just move the wire out of the + terminal on the amp and into the OTHER + terminal on the opposite channel. This will bridge your amp. There by giving you 175WRMS (you now have 87WRMS) which is the same thing as re-wiring into parallel and using a singel channel. Just saves you from removing the sub from the box.

[Ender2664]

So that would be the same as running the amp in mono mode and setting it up as 2ohm?
Where does it say that it is only 2ohm stable out of one channel, and what happens if i run it 2 ohms mono mode?