How to Connect Two or More Subwoofers in a Home Theater

For self-installation, it will be enough to purchase the necessary components and familiarize yourself with possible connection diagrams, and you can save on visiting a car service center. If a passive design is used, each of the system devices can be selected according to the specified characteristics. If it is necessary for the subwoofer and the radio to be turned on simultaneously, then use the corresponding positive wire. How to connect two subwoofers of 2 and 4 ohms. If your amplifier or active subwoofer does not have such an input, what should you do in this case? How to connect a subwoofer (series and parallel speaker connections)


The LPF knob is a low pass filter. Now you just need to see at what resistance your amplifier produces how many watts, and connect.


Then we pass the wires together with the power cable through the interior. If you have two similar speakers, you can simply connect them in series or parallel and get the desired impedance.


When connected in parallel, the resistance will be 1.3 Ohms, and when connected in series - 6 Ohms. Connecting two 2 Ohm subwoofers. Acoustic equipment in a car must be mounted conveniently and securely. On domestic cars it may be missing, as well as the hole itself.


Naturally, the resistance of the coils must correspond to the operating load of the amplifier in a bridge connection and the GAIN controls must be at the same level. Parallel and serial subwoofer connection

Connecting two car amplifiers

Well, let's all go in order: 1 What is a 2-channel amplifier. Ready-made sets of interconnect wires always include a control cable. A fuse is installed along the power circuit to protect against short circuits and possible overloads. Some people connect subs to class D amplifiers in series. Let's move on to the next point directly to the connection diagrams. Now we have come to the final stage, after connecting, we need to configure the 2-channel amplifier with the adjustment controls. Well, let's all go in order: 1 What is a 2-channel amplifier. Do not forget to check at what resistance the amplifier provides such power. His role is as follows. One of the advantages of an active filter is the ability to fine-tune frequency cuts. A two-coil subwoofer, as well as two, three or more subwoofers, can be connected in four ways: each coil separately, parallel connection of coils, serial and combined. An option would be a high-level adapter, which is a signal level converter. connecting an amplifier to a subwoofer

Amplifier power

It is taken directly from the car battery terminals. Other power connection options are undesirable, as they will lead to unstable operation of the bridge amplifier and other devices powered from the same circuit.

If the generator and battery cannot handle the high power demand, then power shortages will occur. The lights will blink when listening to music at high volume. A larger battery and a more powerful generator should be installed to ensure proper power levels.

Question about connecting a 2-reel sub to a 4-channel

One of the advantages of an active filter is the ability to fine-tune frequency cuts. It is connected to the radio and various speaker systems or a subwoofer can be connected to it as a load, but first things first. The technique is the same as in the case of connecting two 2 Ohm subwoofers. One of the difficult steps is laying the power cable to the amplifier. Connection diagrams for two amplifiers in a car are performed in several variants; let’s look at each of them in more detail. For example: if we connect two 4 Ohm coils in parallel, we get a total resistance of 2 Ohms, if we connect two 2 Ohm coils, we get a total resistance of 1 Ohm. Using the available space, we put the element on the bend of the tunnel, then add an element that was also the wall of the tunnel and the chamber with the electronics. Only high-quality wires are used for installation. If the amplifier supports a resistance of 1 Ohm, then you can safely make a parallel connection. Such simple recommendations will allow you to get high-quality sound, and you won’t have to doubt the fire safety of your car.

Simple homemade products for a car, tips for car enthusiasts and do-it-yourself diagrams


If your amplifier or active subwoofer does not have such an input, what should you do in this case? Such filters can be built into the acoustics or form a separate unit. Therefore, to power the amplifier or active subwoofer, separate wires are routed from the battery. Connecting a passive Let's consider a sequential algorithm for installing a device.

As in the previous situation, you need to look at the resistance of the amplifier and then think about how to connect it. Next, insert the wire into the ferrule sleeve and crimp it carefully. The program showed a length of exactly 50 cm, but they couldn’t hold it for that long, so they tilted it.

But in this case, appearance does not play any role. Subwoofer connection diagram 2x2 Ohm, 4x4 Ohm, 1x1 Ohm. How to properly connect an amplifier! Connection diagrams!

Connection to radio

There is a corresponding connector for connecting to the radio. Among the main recommendations:

  • The signal wire resembles a tulip. It is often called Input.
  • Blue insulated wire for connection to REM contact.
  • The red wire is powered by 12V.

When carrying out work, you need to pay attention to the fact that if you mix up the black and red wires, you can burn the equipment being installed. Therefore you need to be careful.

How to connect 2 amplifiers in a car

Here are some of the most common subwoofer connection diagrams. Only with a serial connection we get 8 Ohms, and with a parallel connection - 2 Ohms.

Basic principles. There are many connection options, but the principles are still the same. If you need a lot of loud bass, then turn it to the minimum that the amplifier can provide, and if the overall sound quality of the system comes first, then it is 2 Ohms or 4 Ohms, depending on the power output.

Using the available space, we put the element on the bend of the tunnel, then add an element that was also the wall of the tunnel and the chamber with the electronics. Let's be clear about what we can connect as a load to a 2-channel amplifier, and what we absolutely cannot. It's a completely different matter if the subwoofer has two voice coils or two or more of them.

Ready-made sets of interconnect wires always include a control cable. They will be able to withstand W.

Read more: Connect the site to electricity

Terminology:

The process of creating the perfect audio system is constantly evolving, so hobbyists resort to clever tricks to achieve their goals. Connecting a passive Let's consider a sequential algorithm for installing a device. Connection diagrams for two amplifiers in a car are performed in several variants; let’s look at each of them in more detail.

Here are some of the most common subwoofer connection diagrams. To strengthen it, we will tighten the speaker chamber with a T-shaped element. A prerequisite for any method remains the installation of a fuse, the fuse link of which is designed to burn out when the maximum current increases by 1.2 -1.3.

Need help!!! connecting a 2 ohm sub!

There are a great many connection options, it all depends on the number of subwoofer speakers, the resistance of the subwoofer voice coils and the capabilities of the amplifier. If you have already connected a subwoofer, connecting speakers is not possible!

Basic principles. If you did not apply a frequency filter, then a signal from the entire frequency range would be supplied to the dynamic heads - from low frequencies to high frequencies. After purchasing a subwoofer or amplifier, check the quality of the standard wire included in the kit. I hope everything is clear with this, let's move on. Typical car audio system circuits: two-way (two-way audio system)

Connecting a two-coil subwoofer

The double winding of the sound system allows the subwoofer to be connected in several different ways:

  • Consistently
  • Parallel
  • Regardless

Each connection method has its own advantages and disadvantages. In electrical circuits, it is rare that if one electrical parameter is improved, other characteristics will also improve. So, with increasing power, distortion will definitely increase. This also applies to the connection of the windings of the dynamic heads. Distortion increases as the resistance of the audio winding decreases. Many note that as the resistance decreases from 8 ohms to lower values, the power increases, but the low frequencies become somewhat smeared and the bass loses its clarity. The connection diagram for a subwoofer with two coils to one amplifier has only two options.

When connecting the inductances of the dynamic head in series, the resulting resistance will be 8 Ohms. The acoustic power will be reduced, but the nonlinear distortion factor will also decrease. You can connect a sub with 2 coils in parallel. Two windings connected in parallel will have a resistance of approximately 2 ohms. At the same time, the current increases, and, consequently, the power.

Why do you need two or more subwoofers?

How to install two or more subwoofers in a Home Theater system.

Step 1: Select subwoofers. There are always a lot of questions when it comes to choosing subwoofers when it comes to multi-subwoofer configurations. We recommend choosing the same subwoofers, no matter whether there are two, four or more. This reduces possible problems with room resonances, since different models produce different signal amplitude and different phase response. You should not mix, for example, an expensive subwoofer with a 15-inch driver and an amplifier servo circuit with a cheap subwoofer with a 6-inch driver. Also, you should not choose a subwoofer based on its appearance, how it will look in the room - what is required from a subwoofer is not external data, but good performance for its intended purpose. Always consider buying only those subwoofers that can do the job well on their own.

Step 2: Determine the best installation locations. One of the most common places to install a pair of subwoofers is along the front wall, at a distance of one-fourth of its length, to the left and right. Another good option is to place two subwoofers in opposite corners of the room diagonally.

Fig.1. Front wall (very good).

Fig.2. Diagonal arrangement (good).

The best option for placing two subwoofers is considered to be the middle of the side walls, or the middle of the front and rear walls. For four subwoofers, the best places are the four corners of the room, or the middle of all four walls (in a cross).

Fig.3. Along the middle of the side walls (very good)

Fig.4. Along the middle of the front and rear walls (best location)

Between two and four subwoofers, the difference in the amount of bass, of course, is not double, but it is clearly noticeable. Here the matter is different. The bass seems to become invisible, there is no feeling that it is coming from some point or plane. In general, truly well-executed installations of personal cinemas always operate with at least (!) four subwoofers. If it is not possible to arrange the subwoofers, as in the diagrams indicated above, try to maintain symmetry in their arrangement. This improves bass quality and causes fewer problems with room acoustics than with random placement.

Step 3: Determine the type of switching to the subwoofers from your processor (receiver). If the processor/receiver has several subwoofer outputs, then the task is greatly simplified. Connect all subwoofers to their own separate outputs, remembering to configure the subwoofer location (front wall/rear wall) in the setup menu, if it has such an option. If your processor/receiver only has one subwoofer output, you must use special splitter cables called Y-divisors. One output in such a cable is divided into two connectors, and direct cables from subwoofer modules are directly connected to them.

Step 4: Configure subwoofer settings. The next thing to do is go to the processor/receiver menu and set the correct settings for the subwoofers.

Speaker size and crossover frequency setting. In most cases, you can first set the size of all speakers to small, and select a crossover frequency of 80 Hertz from the menu. If you are an experienced user, you can set other settings according to the room and type of speakers.

Distance from the listener to the speakers. Try to measure the distance to each speaker from the listener as accurately as possible, and enter them into the appropriate cells of the processor/receiver. If your processor/receiver allows individual settings for each subwoofer output, then set the actual distances for each subwoofer. If you are using a single output with a divider and the subwoofers are at different distances from the listener, use the average value to enter the cell. For example, if one subwoofer is five meters away and the other is three meters away, set the value to four meters.

Step 5: Adjust the Sound Pressure Levels (SPL). For this procedure, a special device is usually used - an SPL meter. It is installed at the listening position, approximately at the height of the ear of a sitting person. Using the front pair of speakers as reference values, set the level for one speaker to 75 decibels. Then set the same level for all other speakers. Subwoofers are configured sequentially, one after another. Disable all subwoofers except one and configure that first. Then turn off the configured subwoofer and set up the next one. At the end of the procedure, connect all subwoofers and reduce the volume level at the subwoofer output of the processor by approximately 3 decibels. This is necessary to eliminate the room resonances that arise when operating not one, but several subwoofers, if they operate in the same frequency range and are configured as the only one in the system.

Step 6: Evaluate the work completed. With all the recommended settings, only the final result for the listener is important. It is necessary to listen to the system on various materials - movies with pronounced low-frequency effects, and music recordings with good bass, as well as at different volume levels. As a rule, movie soundtracks have more bass in their recordings than two- and multi-channel music recordings. Adjust the bass levels on your subwoofers if you feel there is too little or too much bass.

What to do with auto-tuning, which is found in modern processors/receivers? We recommend, in most cases, that you perform the system auto-calibration procedure using the supplied microphone. However, you should not completely trust the results obtained, which may differ greatly from those you received, especially when determining distances to the listener, sound pressure level, speaker type and its phasing. In the vast majority of cases, it is necessary to manually fine-tune the parameters obtained by the autocalibrator. Always check the values ​​obtained and adjust them if necessary.

Translation from Audioholics.com magazine

A. Karpukhin

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