We’re often asked the question “what is better, a 2ohm or 4ohm subwoofer?” To answer that question, we’ll need to start by asking what’s the difference between a 2ohm subwoofer and 4ohm subwoofer?

Technically, they are different in only a few areas and that is:

  • How much they cost.
  • How much resistance one can get.
  • How much power will pass through your subwoofers.
  • How much dB (logarithmic unit to measure acoustics) they can produce.

2ohm

When picking subwoofers, you’ll look at the ohm, the SI unit of electrical resistance, this indicates to you the amount of power that the subwoofer will be able to hold and the amount of power it can transform into sound. 

A subwoofer with a lower electrical resistance produces a louder sound than one with a high electrical resistance, which means that 2ohm subwoofers are louder than 4ohm ones.

Although louder, 2 ohm subwoofers are also more likely to produce a poorer quality of sound due to its’ power consumption.

4ohm

4 ohm subwoofers will have a higher electrical resistance, use way less energy and will, therefore, last longer than subwoofers with lower resistance.

They also produce less sound in comparison to the 2 ohm ones. However, the sound produced could be described as being more compact so the sound you get from it is a much better quality than the 2ohm subwoofers but not so much as to be easily noticed.

Depending on the brand of the subwoofer you choose to purchase, the price could range between $20 and $180.

What’s better, a 2ohm or 4ohm subwoofer?

The biggest difference is in their prices, but this also depends on the brand and size of subwoofers you choose. A 2ohm subwoofer would be pricier than a 4ohm subwoofer, a 2 ohm subwoofer would range between $50 and $200 depending on the brand you choose to purchase.

There is also a difference of about 2.5dB between a 2 ohm and a 4 ohm subwoofer which some may be able to notice while others may not. 

The difference between 2 ohm and 4 ohm subwoofers is not great and they will produce a similar quality of sound if run in the same wattage. Watts and ohms are all part of a series of mathematical formulas that put them together such that when one of them changes in value, the other often does too.

A brief explanation taken from Crutchfield: 

“Amplifiers provide the electrical pressure in a circuit; ohms measure the resistance, or load, against that pressure; and watts measure how much power is released as work. So, using one of those math formulas, an amplifier that provides 100 watts of power through a 4-ohm speaker, will produce 200 watts through a 2-ohm speaker, because it’s easier to push that reduced load.”


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