The relationship between ohms and power is determined by the amount of wattage in the amplifier. A 4-ohm speaker generates twice as much resistance to this power as a 2-ohm speaker, resulting in half as much energy passing through the speaker in the form of sound. The higher the wattage and associated ohm count. As a result, you see amplifiers that are rated to deliver 100 watts at 8 ohms impedance or 150 or 200 watts at 4 ohms impedance. The lower the impedance, the more easily electricity (the signal or music) flows through the speaker.
What is an ohm? How does a 2 ohm load effect an amp? How does a 1 ohm load effect an amp? Or 4 ohm load? The ohm load effects power output in amplifiers as well as sound quality.Subwoofers can measure 2 ohm, 4 ohm or 1 ohm. 2 ohm, 4 ohm and 1 ohm impedance’s will make the same amplifier put our different amounts of power and can greatly affect the way your car stereo system sounds and performs.All speakers have a measurement of resistance, called impedance which is measured in ohms.
Car stereo speakers are typically 4 ohm. You will find car stereo subwoofers in a variety of configurations like single voice coil 2 ohm, dual voice coil 2 ohm, single voice coil 4 ohm, and dual voice coil 4 ohm.Dual voice coil means the subwoofer has two positives and two negatives, which give you the flexibility of wiring the subwoofer two different ways giving you two options for final impedance.
![]()
These variations do not make one speaker more powerful than another despite what many consumers may think. However, the varying impedance will make a difference in what type of output an amplifier will have.As the ohms drop, the amplifier will unleash more power, but with less control. This is an important aspect to remember. Failing to understand this concept is probably the main cause of self installed amplifiers shutting down and going into protection mode.You will notice, when you buy an amplifier, or are looking at the specifications of an amplifier, you will typically find 2 or more ratings. One output at 4 ohms, and another output at 2 ohms. The output at 2 ohms is always higher because when the resistance is lower, you allow more output. All mono amplifiers are stable at 2 ohms, very few are stable at 1 ohm.So what kind of speakers can we hook up to a mono amplifier?
Let’s use an Alpine MRP-M500 mono amplifier as an example. This amp is rated at 300 watts at 4 ohms and 500 watts at 2 ohms.
In order for us to get maximum output out this amplifier, using only one subwoofer, we would have to use either a single voice coil 2 ohm subwoofer or a dual voice coil 4 ohm subwoofer wired in parallel.If we had two subwoofers, we would need each subwoofer to be a single voice coil 4 ohm wired in parallel to the amplifier. Or we could have two dual voice coil 2 ohm subwoofers with each woofer’s voice coil wired in series, then paralled to the amplifier. Let’s use this JL Audio 10W6, which is a Dual Voice Coil 4 ohm subwoofer, as an example for the different wiring schematics on Series and Parallel:Parallel is when you tie two positive and negative terminals together wiring them positive to positive, negative to negative, and then wire that straight into the positive and negative terminal of the amplifier. When you wire speakers in parallel, you are cutting the impedance in half. So a dual voice coil 4 ohm subwoofer wired in parallel is now measuring a 2 ohm load. To understand Series, visualize a dual 4 ohm voice coil.
You have two terminals side by side: Positive and Negative for voice coil #1 and then Positive and Negative for voice coil #2. To series this subwoofer, you would have to connect positive from voice coil #1 to the amplifier, then connect negative from voice coil #1 to the positive of voice coil #2, and then connect negative from voice coil #2 to the amplifier.
This doubles the impedance. If we do this to a dual voice coil 4 ohm subwoofer, the impedance will be 8 ohms.The problem that many people run into, is running an amplifier with the incorrect impedance. Let’s say we were to use that same dual voice coil 4 ohm subwoofer with a 2 channel amp bridged.
When you bridge a 2 channel amp, you hook up left positive and right negative. You might assume you are simply wiring it as a mono amp, which in a sense you are. The important difference that is often overlooked is when you bridge an amplifier, the amp sees half the impedance at the terminal which means that 2 channel amp would see only 1 ohm. This is extremely low for a 2 channel amplifier, it would be unleashing a lot of more power than it was designed to along with very little control which would in turn cause the amplifier to heat up very quickly and shut down going into protection mode. Over time this will damage the amplifier.For a 2 channel amp to work properly bridged, it needs to see an 8 or 4 ohm load at the terminal, this will ensure the amplifier will work properly and not overheat and shut down.If you own an amp and you’re in the market for subwoofers, make sure you know what final impedance your amp needs to see.
And vice versa, if you own subs and you’re in the market for an amp, know what impedance your subs are so that you purchase an amplifier that will give you optimum performance. It helps to talk to your local independent car stereo shop, but if there aren’t any in your area, just email me at [email protected] and I’ll make a recommendation for you. Taylor Parker6th Aug 2012 I've been wanting to put car audio wiring into my car before I start college in the fall. I've been wanting to do it myself, but when I started to, I got concerned because there were so many wires, and I didn't want to mess up all of the wiring that connects to the other parts of the car.
I've decided that it would just be best to just let a professional install my car audio wiring. What should I expect to pay for that to be done to my car?
Ravi20th Jan 2014 Hey i read ur article and find it to b very interesting. However i'm in the market for a single 12'sub, something to compete with the average street single 12 car on my area. Btw i'm grom trinidad. So i stumbled across the VM audio 12'ECW120, 1500rms on ebay and was wondering if this sub is suitable. Single2ohm, double4ohm.
I have the 3000watts boss blade amp to run. I guss i'am asking for ur opinion, since i hardly knw anything abt VM audio and their performance. Please reapond, thanks.
Updated on February 14, 2018When talking about subwoofers, we usually come across the word ohm (symbol: Ω). But what does it actually mean?
Why is it important and why do we have 2 ohm and 4 ohm subwoofers? In regard to quality, subwoofers will have a recognizable difference in loudness and even durability because of their varying impedance (resistance offered by an electric circuit of alternating current A/C). Regarding pricing, brand will always be a factor but usually 2 ohm costs a little bit more. Definitions A sample of a 4 ohm subwoofer, the JVC CS-G1210 2 ohm SubwoofersWhen talking about ohm (international system of unit of electrical resistance) in regard to subwoofers, it mainly involves how much power it can accumulate and transform into sound. Generally with lower electrical resistance, (in this case the 2 ohm subwoofers), it will produce a louder sound.
Although it might be louder than subwoofers with higher resistances, it may however produce a lower quality of sound due to the power consumption.Depending on the size of the subwoofer and brand, a 2 ohm subwoofer is normally priced from $50 up to $200. 4 ohm SubwoofersWith 4 ohm Subwoofers, they would have a higher electrical resistance and would then produce a less loud sound in comparison to the 2 ohm subwoofers. Also, since power consumption is less, it could also mean that it will last longer compared to subwoofers with lower impedance. Having the said electrical resistance, it will also produce a more compact sound that may mean a better quality sound.Depending on the size of the subwoofer and brand, a 4 ohm subwoofer is normally priced from $20 up to $180. 2 ohm Subwoofers vs 4 ohm SubwoofersWhat’s the difference between a 2 ohm subwoofer and 4 ohm subwoofer? Technically, they differ in only just a few things and that’s how much resistance one can get, how much power will pass through your subwoofers, and of course how much dB (logarithmic unit to measure acoustics) they can produce.
![]()
Just note that with these subwoofers, it’s better to connect them with their corresponding amplifiers with the same impedance.To explain further, let us say you have two subwoofers, one being a 2 ohm and the other a 4 ohm. With your 2 ohm subwoofer at 2.83 watts, it can produce 93 dB, your 4 ohm subwoofer will then have 90.5 dB at the same wattage. With a difference of 2.5 dB, it will be noticeable if you’re an audiophile but if not, it actually is not that big of a deal.Now for the sensitivity, i.e. The quality of sound it produces, let us say the 2 ohm subwoofer will be at 86.4 dB at 1 watt and for your 4 ohm, 86.6 dB with the same wattage. Now at.2 dB difference, this actually is a very slight difference. The 4 ohm subwoofer may technically be producing a better sound quality but in truth, it won’t have that much impact.So to put it simply, the difference is not that great if say you are planning on having a few subwoofers. It will mostly produce the same sound if they are run at the same wattage and will make little difference to the sound produced, the main difference being maybe the price.
Comparison Chart 2 ohm Subwoofer4 ohm SubwooferProduces a louder sound (having the same wattage)Produces a softer sound (having the same wattage)Produces a slightly poorer sound qualityProduces a slightly better sound qualityCosts more than 4 ohm (brand prices vary)Costs less than 2 ohm (brand prices vary)Lower electrical resistanceHigher electrical resistance.
Comments are closed.
|
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |