Originally posted by SVT Colin:
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.
