What sub do I have??

[Grabber 0]

Hello all,

I purchased a Q12 years ago and unfortunately for the life of me cannot remember if it is the dual 2 ohm or dual 1 ohm. There doesn't seem to be any markings on the sub or coils...how can I tell what I have? I could have sworn it was the dual 2, so I wired it in parallel to put a 1 ohm load on my amp. It sounds great, but the amp is going in protection mode when I turn it up. The amp is 1 ohm stable. So I pulled the sub out, wired it in series...which would put it at a 2 ohm load (if it was in fact a dual 1). No matter how much I turn it up, it stays on just fine. Problem fixed, right? Wrong. The sub sounds like crap now! As if the polarity is wrong or something...the bass is all muddled and quiet. It is also in a small sealed enclosure (1.10ft^3).

2nd question...are the voice coils on the Q12 unique in how they're setup, or are they normal? In other words, the positive and negative on one side belong to one coil, and the + and - on the other side bleong to the other, right? I have seen subs that are split differently, but they are usually labeled.

Someone help! lol

[BIG_ROJAS 0]

If you look inside where the coils are you should be able to see it written in black marker. You might have to use a flashlight. Or get a cheap ohm meter from home depot and see that way.

[Kanaworm$ 292]

get a DMM and measure the DCR of each coil and then you will be able to tell the impedence.

[Grabber 0]

Oh its written?? That would be awesome! I'll look tonight. I put my DMM on the coils and they range from .6 to 1.0 ohm depending on where exactly I touch the coil. I just didn't think I could trust a DMM when it came to impedance? If I can, I guess that means I have the dual 1 ohm? Dang, why the heck did I buy that?? lol

[Grabber 0]

So that means when I wired it in series, it would have been a 2 ohm load...which means 1000w RMS from the amp. Should have sounded great! What could be the cause of this? I ran the + wire to the + on one coil, then the - wire to the - on the other coil. I then ran a jumper from one + to the other -. That is how I would wire it in series, correct?

[backyardbass97 0]

So that means when I wired it in series, it would have been a 2 ohm load...which means 1000w RMS from the amp. Should have sounded great! What could be the cause of this? I ran the + wire to the + on one coil, then the - wire to the - on the other coil. I then ran a jumper from one + to the other -. That is how I would wire it in series, correct?

this should help you on that part