DVC Mono or stereo
 

I've got a 4 ohm DVC, (eD 9Kv.2) and I'm not sure if I should run it mono or stereo.
I've heard people say that both coils need to receive the exact same signal which would make me think I should bridge my amp and series the coils together (200WRMS x 2 @ 4 ohms = 400WRMS x 1 @ 8 ohms . . . same power output either way).

On the other hand, I've heard others say that bridging an amp lowers the sound quality of the amp . . . Does bridging screw with the THD or the noise floor? Does bridging really combine both signals? I remember playing with an old cheapo amp that used only the left channel signal when bridged, and I don't want that . . . but I'm guessing that doesn't happen anymore.

Any thoughts or suggestions are helpful.

Thanks

Subs should always be run mono. Bridge the amp by running + from one channel and - from other channel to your sub. Look in the amp manual or by the speaker connections on the amp for the right way to do this. Then hook the + wire to the + terminal on both coils of the sub. Same thing for - from amp to - terminal on both coils and you will be good. This will give you a 2ohm load on the amp and will maximize the output of it. 200x2 @ 4 ohms will be approximately 100x2 @ 8ohms, but would be 400x2 @ 2ohms. As the resistance goes up the power drops down, less resistance = more power from amp. What amp are you running this on? As it needs to be 2ohms stable in mono for this to work for you. Let me know what amp and we can go from there.
Nick
P.S. my Mom grew up in Welland, still have some distant relatives there I think.LOL

Thanks for the information. The amp is pretty self-explanatory, right on the speaker connection terminals it tells me where the + and - are for bridging.

The amp is NOT 2 ohm mono stable, and I'm okay with that. I'll be running an eD 9Kv.2 off of it (small 8" sub) so I'm not looking for increasing the power, I'm looking to keep the power clean . . .

. . . I want the power to be as clean as possible because its a cheap a$$ amp - an Insignia NS P2000. This amp can't be bought on its own, but belongs as part of a "party pack" with two 8 ohm subs (to create 4 ohm bridged). I bought three of these amps "AS-IS" from ebay: one was working, and 2 others were blown. I used one of the blown ones as a parts amp and got the other blown amp working (just a blown diode - I'm guessing the original owner got + and - confused on the initial install). I tested all of the transistors and they all tested fine, so for a couple of bucks, I got a fair bit of power until I can save up for some high-end amps. But while I wait and save, I want to be sure that I keep the power as clean as possible so I don't hurt my sub.

That's why I'm wondering - will stereo keep the output cleaner than mono?
Something that has me curious is the manufacturers specs in the manual:
200 WRMS x 2 @ 4 ohm
300 WRMS x 2 @ 2 ohm
500 WRMS x 1 @ 4 ohm
I would have expected the bridged to be 600 WRMS considering 2 ohm stereo is 300WRMS . . . but it isn't . . . so I'm wondering if something funky happens when it gets brigded that causes it to lose power, and potentially add distortion etc.

That brings us full circle.
You mention that subs should be run mono - and I'm of the same opinion . . . but if mono creates a greater risk, is it all that bad to run a DVC stereo?

Thanks
Ryan