Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Audio Using a single voice coil of a DVC sub?

I noticed in another post the possiblity of using only a single voice coil of a DVC sub in a free-air application.

Do you short the second coil or leave the circuit open?

Does this have any longevity/reliability issues?

What are the benefits?

Dave? Knu? Anybody?

uh oh....just trying to stir things up, eh?

In a free air application, you can use a POT across the unused VC. This allows you to basically dial in the Qts to the value you want. A highish (.5-.9) Qts is desired as the system Q mimics the Qts of the driver in a free air application as opposed to be determined by the enclosure size. This wiring method is one of the most valuable uses of a second VC. Otherwise, it only offers flexibility when wiring.

No longevity issues or reliability issues will result from this method. Just keep in mind that the power handling is cut in half.

BTW, you can run the other VC open, or short it. They are all viable methods, but only the pot can really offer any performance gains over using both VCs.

Knu will be along shortly to refute the reliability claims I made, but he will be wrong so don't listen to him.

Uh-oh, it looks like somebody's head is swelling with their newfound moderator status.

BTW, POT = ???

And where would I find one besides Mr. Mullet with his '87 Camaro?

i'm just messing with Bill. We had a long winded debate about this in the past.

POT=variable resistor.

Here is a good read about the use of one VC. Scroll to the bottom.

http://www.adireaudio.com/Files/ShivaWhitePaper-V2.PDF

I remember. I think I finally fell asleep on the third page or so.

Thanks for the link.

I was thinking of using a mono sub for my 4ohm DVC 8s, so I could use the rear channels of my 4ch amp on the 6.5" mids in my rear doors.

So, I'd want to use just a single VC of each sub in series to the mono amp for a total 2ohm load. And, since they're free-air I remembered some of your earlier comments about changing woofer specs with the undriven VC.

Any easy ways about figuring what resistors I'll need or should I attempt to tune by ear?

BTW, thanks for the link. Good info.

No problem. I assume that there is some sort of reasoning for they size resistor to use, but I don't know how it works off hand. I will shoot off an e-mail to Dan to see if he can provide me with the calculation.

nice, thanks dave.

:rolleyes: LOL, I merely support the facts that JL would void your warranty for doing so. That and other than the use with the POT, its just silly to not use both.

I'll leave it at that for now