What is the difference between 1 ohm and 2 ohm

June 3, at am. Aaron womack says:. March 21, at am. Scott Rain says:. July 5, at pm. Sandy burnett says:. July 5, at am. Chris says:. November 16, at am.

Hector Chinea says:. April 3, at pm. Lex Barringer says:. May 13, at pm. Erik says:. August 16, at pm. 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. 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 enjoyed reading this post, please spread the love. Tweet it, like it, stumble it, or use any other social sharing weapon of choice. Thanks for reading! I enjoy helping people. I've been in the business 21 years and hope my knowledge can help others out there. Besides mobile electronics I enjoy doing anything outdoors, composing music, creating art, reading and learning about everything in life that I possibly can!

Hi Annie, been out the game for a while, but getting back in because my son is becoming very interested and I am hooking him a car up for when he turns I am curious as to how much amp and what brand would be best for these subs. Willing to spend around or so on the amp. Thanks a lot and keep it thumping! As far as the Orion amp, all depends on the model and rated output.

For a new amp, I would go with something in the watt RMS range that has a regulated power supply based on the funky 3 ohm impedance of those subs. FYI most mono amps are only 2 ohm stable. Will these 2 subs and amp run good together as im guessing i should wire the subs together in parallel down to 1omh aond conect to one of the channels of the Amp?

Hi Erskine, I think that might be too little power for both subs. I think your subs are like or watts RMS each if I remember correctly. Thanks and great article. You could wire the subs in parallel then series for a final 4 ohm load. JBL says : Nominal impedance: 3 ohm and on the spec sheet Three-ohm voice coils help compensate for added resistance in thin-gauge factory speaker wire.

Compatible with all 4 ohm-rated amplifiers and head units. We sell the GX series which are even lower 2. I have a watt audiopipe class d 1 ohm stable I have it wired to 2 l7 12s at 1 ohm keeps getting hot and cutting off should be enough power right?

The amp lets out a ton of power without a ton of control and it eventually heats up and shuts itself to protect itself from overheating anymore. I would suggest a different configuration of equipment so that your final load at the amp is 2 ohm which is much more stable. If you want to stick with the equipment you already have, you could use one sub at wired at 2 ohms for a more stable performance.

Hi Annie, I have read through a lot of these comments and everyone seems to be asking about 2 subs and an amplifier. My question is about 1 sub and a mono amp. What would be the best way to run them? The amp will put out watts RMS, but it will be much cleaner and tighter than if we ran it in parallel for a 1 ohm load. I hope that helps! Hi Daniel — I would wire it in series for a final 4 ohm load and get a mono amp that has a regulated power supply such as an Alpine PDXM12 which will put out watts RMS regardless of whether or you have a 2, 3 or 4 ohm load.

Hope that helps! Hi again, thanks for the quick response! I guess my next question would be since the sub is rated rms at 2 ohms, and your recommendation is to series wire it to 4 ohms and use the alpine amp, would rms be ok at 4 ohms or could I go higher in RMS since the sub is rated to handle rms at 2 ohms?

The impedance ohms is just a measurement of resistance unrelated to the power the sub can handle, that has more to do with the amplifier response. Regardless of whether you wire the sub in series for 4 ohms or parallel down to 1 ohm the sub will always handle watts RMS. If you purchased an amp with an UNregulated power supply it would be important to pay attention to the RMS rating on the AMP based on the impedance, but as I said 1 ohm is an unstable load so even if you find an amp that puts out RMS at 1 ohm load, it will probably not do so for very long and will not be clean and tight in response.

So look for a regulated amplifier that puts out watts RMS regardless of impedance such as the Alpine I recommended. Hope that makes sense to you. How do I need to wire these to run all three subs off of this amp? Thank you! My question is since my subs are wired in parallel will the watts be cut in half to each sub? Should I opt D or the D? Hi Vic, you could really go with either amp since you need an amp that will push about watts RMS total at 2 ohms.

To err on the side of caution I would say go with the more powerful one and adjust the gains accordingly.

I have a GTX amplifier that is rated watts of RMS at an impedance of 4 ohms, watts at 2 ohms and watts at peak power. I am looking for a sub in a sealed box and I would rather the amplifier run cooler, safer, last longer than put out max power. Should I be looking for a 4ohm subwoofer?

Hi Sergio — yes, if you want to run the amp cooler and have cleaner output look for a 4 ohm subwoofer. I am amping 4 of my interior speakers with the final channel for the sub. My question to you is from the specs below, is my sub being underpowered? It is not hitting as hard as I thought it would..

Do you think the specs align? Also, if not, what other amp would you suggest to allow for my sub to hit harder with also amping the 4 interior speakers? Hi Joe, that appears to be a dual 2 ohm subwoofer so my guess is you have it wired in series for a 4 ohm load which then yes you would be under powering the sub as the amp would only produce watts with a 4 ohm load.

You would be better off with a dual 4 ohm version wired in parallel for 2 ohms. Excellent sound quality and output is x 4 to the interior speakers plus x 1 rated at 2 or 4 ohms as it is a regulated power supply so will put out the same power either way. What would be the best way to wire these? Hi Annie. I have a Rockford Fosgate pd4 sub with a watt rms peak and I was looking to get a new amp for it.

The one I was given is only good for watt rms so it keeps overheating and cutting out. I only have one side of the sub attached to the amp right now and I was wondering if I attach the two with a parallel connection to the amp would the ohms be at 2 or 4? And if it were 2ohms would the output watts of the sub still be at rms with the decrease of ohms? I want to make sure I get the right amp to go with the sub once I parallel connect the two sides of the sub properly.

Thank you!!! Hi Chris, you need an amp that puts out watts RMS at 2 ohm. Regardless of whether you wire it in series or parallel the subwoofer is capable of handling watts RMS. You want one that puts out watts RMS 2 ohms. Thanks for all the information on your site, its way helpful! Have a question about a build I am looking to do. Want to use a stock HU that only has front door speakers and will be replacing the stock speakers with aftermarket and adding a sub.

Looking at the Polk PAD In the manual for the amp, it rates the sub channel as W 1 Ohm. What are your thoughts? Any better options you can suggest for my situation? Thanks in advance! Hey Aaron, 2 ohm will be much cleaner.

Never been a fan of running subs off an amp down to 1 ohm. I just want to make sure I have my subs and amp matched up correctly. Wired in parallel series. Is this the right setup and will I be getting enough power from my amp?

It will put out watts RMS at 2 ohm or I think about at 4 ohm. Im looking more at the BB but dont want to have too much power and blow my subs, but i dont want to have to little power either, i also have a Pontiac Grand Prix and i believe i need a 4 gauge wiring kit but read somewhere that 2 gauge may be the way to go?

That is how you can then shop for the right amp. Hi Greg — they appear to be RMS each. Your amp will put out RMS at 2 ohms. If you have two of those subs you would have a 2 ohm load. They are 4 ohms each. I want to wire them to run at 2 ohms front and rear on a 4channel audioban amp. Please help!!! If you REALLY wanted to get down to 2 ohms, the only okay way to do that so you still have a proper left and right audio signal is to parallel your front left and rear left and then parallel your front right and rear right and then you could run that to the front left and right channels of your 4 channel amp.

My brother kicked me down 2 old school handmade zapco amps. Ran a standard parallel down to 1. Way too much bass. After 15 minutes of head pounding the amp Got so hot I could literally fry eggs on it and needless to say shut off. Research from reading many post on your kick ass site suggests I should series then parallel, is my assumption correct?

Rear facing in grand Cherokee srt in a sealed box, Amps Facing behind bench seats with no airspace. I also have a Pioneer GM-D amp. Before I purchased this sub I had the older model at 4ohm wired in parallel for a 2ohm connection. If I just hook up my new sub without running it in parallel do I have to adjust the gain settings? I have everything set correctly with a multi meter to make sure I am not clipping.

If I end up running at 1ohm would I need to change the gain settings? I would think yes and reduce the gain a lot since I will be running more output. Would running in 1 ohm cause problems due to the 8 gauge wire or can I get away with it? It has been running great now for years while running it at 2ohms. I think I got great use out of it.

Hey Randy, If you plan to run that amp at 1 ohm, definitely up the power gauge to 4 from the battery back and the ground would also need to be upgraded to 4 gauge. If you run it in series for a 4 ohm load you could probably leave the 8 gauge set up.

Either way you should re-tune because the efficiency will be totally different on the new sub regardless of whether your run it in series or parallel from your comment I gather you purchased the dual 2 ohm version of the new Type R. Hi annie, I would like to know how would be the best way to wire my subs.

Can you please tell me the best way to wire them for best performance. Two watt 2 channel orion amplifier and a watt for the horns and tweeters. Hey Mark, I replied earlier, not sure if you saw it. Ideally you return those subs for the 2 ohm version and then you could wire in parallel then series for a final 2 ohm load and have exactly the right RMS power from the amp. Someone even told me that I would start a fire with the wrong combination.

I am a fan of deep bass so how should I wire them? Hey Deatrick, Luckily you bought good quality equipment. So that amp will put out watts RMS regardless of whether it sees a 1. So you can wire your subs voice coils in parallel for a 2 ohm load each, then series the woofers thereafter for a final 4 ohm load and your amp will put out watts RMS and it will all be good. So I just acquired 3 dual 4ohm voice coil PG Xenon x10d4 subs. Will the amp be stable at that impedance and what will the amp see closest?

What will it run them at, 2ohm or 4ohm? Also will they be under-powered if the amp sees them at 2ohm and work efficiently putting out close to the rms 2ohms or will it really see the subs as a 3ohm load and not perform efficiently?

Or would I benefit more from bridging? Any help is greatly appreciated!!! Do yourself a favor and buy a quality amp for those quality subs. I would get that Alpine amp and wire your subs voice coils in parallel then series each sub for a final 4 ohm load. I think i need a new amp, any suggestions? Looks like your enclosure contains two single voice coil 4 ohm subs wired in parallel for a final 2 ohm load and each sub handles watts RMS.

Is it overkill to use the EQ or will the HU provide enough with a 4volt pre-out to tailor the sound as the pre-outs will be a higher voltage than the current HU I am running that only has a 2. Like what you see here:. Ok, thanks for the info. I will keep a lookout for one and hope too get it for a fairly reasonable price. Not a super big sony fan, but that HU sounds like it is awesome!

I am powering them with Alpine monoblock Mrp-m at 4 ohms. I have red article above and some of your answers. I think this is only solution for me. So the amp produces w of rms at 4 ohm, right? So if i have two subs wired like i have described, does it mean that each of them gets w of rms, or w of rms each?

Hi Darko, Yeah you are definitely giving them less power than they can handle. Well each sub could handle RMS alone, but it was tuned well, plenty loud and sounded good so I never put a more powerful amp on them even though they could have handled it.

Hi Annie! Paralleling them would bring em to 3 ohms which is an odd number. Hi Jay, Wait, what? So I bought this Pioneer EQ to boost my signal to my amps for components and subs, and did a test run. However, my question or concern now is the type of RCA cables that I am running and if they make a difference in signal flow from the HU to the amps, and if so what brand would you recommend and the length?

I want to get the cleanest signal and strongest signal that I can to my amps. I am going to upgrade my stock component speakers and upgrade the amp as well but also am looking at installing a Kenwood KDCU.

I know it is on the cheaper side but I am not rich either. I do feel I have enough knowledge to make what I have sound pretty darn good as is my question concerning the RCA cables and signal flow. I know current flow is a must for best amp performance and am sure the same applies for signal flow. So, yes RCA quality does make a difference and length — keep it to the length you need, no need to coil up extra cable.

And get yourself a head unit with a 4 or 5 volt pre-amp. Hi, I have a 15 inch kicker L7 sub, I really need to find the right amp and this car audio shop I went to gave me the run around.

I just need to find the right amp and how to hook it up my self. Please help? I have a Sony XM GS hooked up to it, just cause I had the amp laying around but it goes into protection mode after a while…. What I would recommend is wiring the sub in series for a 4 ohm load.

So the amp opens up and lets out a lot of power, but with very little control. Eventually it heats up and shuts itself or just burns out and never turns back on. The solution is to find an amp with a regulated power supply that puts out the same raw power regardless of impedance.

It will put out watts RMS whether you give it a 2 ohm, 3 ohm or 4 ohm load. With 1 ohm being so unstable, I think this is your best bet. This is a rock solid amp, very tight, compact and incredibly efficient. Just wire your sub in series for a safe 4 ohm impedance and enjoy!

I am looking at the set up and trying to figure out the ohms they had set up and if this was the optimum set up because after almost 10 years I finally blew one of my subs. They had each sub wired in series then going to the box connector then they had my positive wires connected together on the box connectors and negatives together going into 1 positive connection of one of the amp speaker groups and then the negative going to the other amp speaker group.

Please advise what ohm this actually was running at and if this was the optimal set up. Hi Howard, Kind of confused on your description, but it sounds like they had each sub set up in series acting as an 8 ohm sub each and then parallel for final 4 ohm load.

The JL Audio slash series amplifiers have a regulated power supply. That amp will put out watts RMS whether you have a 1.

Hi Annie, I am puzzled here. I a 98 mercury mountaineer with the big three upgrage on stock alternator and battery. I am running a alpine cda HU and an alpine mrp-md mono amp rated at rms 4ohm and rms 2ohm. Finally one day while driving, playing my music on a trip home the subs stopped playing. I hooked the subs to my 5 channel alpine amps sub output and the subs played fine.

Also, I have a capacitor in before the amp and fused blocks at the battery for power to amp and the big three, and fused block at the digital readout before the capacitor with amp fuses.

The ground is 4ga however grounded to a bolt storage area tiedown hook sanded to metal then to the capacitor, then to the amp. I am lost and am looking at shelling out another couple hundred for a new amp if I have fried this one.

I truly need some advice and info. Also what would be a better amp for those subs? They hit extremely hard at the 4ohms but I really would like to run them at 2ohms to truly see what the are capable of. Hi Jazzy — that is odd. The initial symptoms you described sound like a bad ground. In your set up I would make sure that amps and capacitors are all grounded to the same point in the vehicle, but each have their own separate ground cable. Hopefully towards the body of the car. Check your capacitor too.

You could always invest in an amp with a regulated power supply. Technically you could leave wired to 4 ohm and find a 2 channel bridgeable amp that will put out watts RMS when bridged to a 4 ohm load, but none come to mind.

Or buy a regulated power supply amp that will put out the power you need even at 4 ohms. Thank you Annie for your reply. After reading more blogs and doing some research and brainstorming, it was the ground wire to the amp that was giving me the problem. I also read that the amp has a current protector built in which is probably what saved this monster of an amp. I rechecked all connections and tightened and grounded the amp to the floor under the back seat and WOW!

I dodged that bullet! I really was not looking to shell out another couple notes for a new amp. I am very impressed with this amp as it really puts out clean solid power.

I may invest down the line in another one and run each sub at 2ohms to see what these puppies are really capable of. Do you think I should run these in a sealed box, ported or bandpass? I like the tight punchy bass, but also would like a little rumble as well. I am currently running them in a sealed dual 12inch box.

I am not sure if the specs. I adjusted the amp settings and have the subwoofer volume all the way down on my HU as well as the bass and it still performs above my expectations. I am mainly wanting to see what these guys do at 2ohms. I think these are power hungry monsters and can handle whatever you throw at them. Thank you for all your help, Thumbs Up!!! As far as boxes go, I personally prefer sealed. Help please. Check out the woofer wiring wizard.

Hi Annie, sorry if you have answered this question. I have one Rockford w 4 channel pushing 4 door speakers and 1 Zapco mono Stereo is Kenwood X The car is a VW polo with original alternator and a normal battery. Is it because the electric power is little for this set up or the sub is not wired parallel? What if the sub is wired correctly? Huh — W6 is a dual voice coil 4 ohm so you probably have it wired in parallel for 2 ohm which a safe load for any mono amp. But so can a bad ground.

If I recall correctly those Zapco amps can be pretty power hungry and not always that efficient. I would like to know if this setup is OK kind of in terms of specifications… I have a w dual voice coil sub and a 2-ch amplifier 2 x w at 4 ohm bridgeable1 x wRms at 4ohms …. Hi Andrei, Happy to help sweetie, can you tell me what your sub is? Dual voice coil 2 ohm? Dual voice coil 4 ohm? That will help me recommend the best way to set it up.

Did you even read the post? Your amp is not only 2 ohms. Most amplifiers have an unregulated power supply meaning it can put out a certain amount of power which varies depending one what impedance or ohm load the amp is given by your subwoofer. Your subwoofer is 4 ohms. Your amp may be 2 ohm stable which is the lowest impedance it can handle safely. Hello Annie. I just purchase a Hifonics BRX I going to Series Wire too a final of 2ohms.

I like the clean bass sound sealed box. So by me missing that extra 50 watt will i really notice any differents any by doing so does it extend the life of the subwoofer maybe? A mono amp will see whatever the final impedance is even if they give you two terminals — they just do that for convenience if you have a box with two terminals and want to wire them separately.

Umm — this one? I also check out CE Outlook and Mobile Electronics Magazine to stay current on the latest new products and innovations. Hope to get your input on wiring up a subwoofer for a friend. Amp claims to be 1 ohm stable RMS, so if I were to parallel the L7, that would put it at a 1 ohm load correct? Alternatively, it seems to be rated for RMS 4 ohms. Mono Amplifiers. Bluetooth Adapters. Universal Kits. Complete Car Kits. Wiring Kits. Bass Knobs. RCA Cables. Battery Terminals.

Classic Update Kits. Amplifier Wiring. Speaker Wire. Dakota Digital. American Autowire. When selecting your subwoofers and the amplifier to power them, there are so many choices. There are single 4-ohm voice coils, single 2-ohm voice coils, even single one-ohm voice coils. Then there are dual voice coil subwoofers with dual 2-ohm, dual 4-ohm, dual 8-ohm, or dual 1-ohm voice coils. The subwoofers you select and how you wire them determines the impedance or load, that the amplifier sees.

Usually, subwoofers are wired to either a 1 ohm or 2-ohm load in order to maximize the power output from the amplifier. But what do you do when the amplifier is both 1 and 2 ohms stable? In general, though, we will use Ohm's law to explain this.

As you can see, as you drop the resistance, the power output in watts increases, but so does the current. Now amplifiers are not all the same and the circuit design is not always linear. You might see watts at 4 ohms, watts at 2 ohms, and watts at 1 ohm. This is a situation where they limit the current draw in order to make sure that the amplifier does not overheat and burn itself out.

The short answer is, "Yes. But, it is going to depend on the subwoofers, the amplifier, your budget, and what you are trying to do. If you like loud bass, and you are trying to get maximum output for your money while also getting maximum output from your subwoofer s , get an amplifier that is 1 ohm stable, and select subwoofers that will allow you to wire them to a 1 ohm load. At 1 ohm, you will get more power output from your amplifier and your subwoofers will play louder than if you wired them to a 2 ohm load.

You can also save some money by wiring your subwoofers to a 1 ohm load. Let's say you have a Rockford Fosgate subwoofer that can handle watts. You could run a Px1bd at 1 ohm, or you could run a Px1bd at 2 ohms. The Px1bd will put out watts of dynamic power on the birth certificate, and you will have more than enough power. The Px1bd will put out watts at 2 ohms on the birth certificate. That is even more power than you need.

So, you can save some money with the cost of your amplifier by getting more amp for your money, if you will, when you power it at 1 ohm. When you wire your amplifier to a 1 ohm load, the amplifier is pushing it's limit with the amount of current it draws from your vehicle's electrical system.

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Please keep your phone line open. If you no longer wish to receive the call, please click the button to cancel your request. Cancel my request. It's your turn. See bio. We will be calling you. We're sorry. We have encountered a problem. Sorry, the call-back feature is currently unavailable. How wiring affects your sub's output. Meet Buck Pomerantz Close. More about Buck Started at Crutchfield in Completed our thorough in-house Advisor training, learning about the ins and outs of our various products Stays up-to-date by attending vendor training sessions for new products Earned MECP Mobile Electronics Certified Professional certification Designed and organized Crutchfield's subwoofer wiring diagrams Authored dozens of Crutchfield articles and hundreds of product presentations, primarily focused on car audio amplifiers and pro audio gear Answers the many customer questions posted in the comments on his articles Semi-retired soundman with decades of experience making other people sound good From to , also worked as a sidelines video camera grip for University of Virginia football and basketball games.

Comments Read comments. Jake, If you're asking will a watts RMS rated amplifier work with two watts RMS rated subs, the answer is no - the amp will probably blow them to smithereens. But without knowing precisely what amp and subs you're referring to, we can't help you with accurate advice. If you want a question answered about a system, you must identify the gear by brand names and model numbers so we can get the right information to you.

Anthony, It sounds like you need to talk to an Advisor about what you have, want, and what's possible for your sound system. To start with, sending watts to a speaker rated for will kill it. So there's no reason to describe how to wire them together.