Dual Voice Coil Speakers

What are Dual Voice Coil Speakers?

For classic vehicles built before 1960, customers face a common problem when trying to achieve a balanced stereo mix in their vintage vehicle. Vehicles made before 1960 were manufactured with only one speaker location, most commonly in the dash, which leaves classic car fans with two unfavorable options: Modifying the car by installing additional speakers or adding clunky speaker boxes on the back deck. 

To keep a stock look and the need for balanced stereo imaging in our classics inspired RetroSound to create a line of dash speakers. These speakers have been engineered from the ground up so that every component works together to deliver rich, balanced stereo sound from a single speaker location.

Before we can explain what dual voice coil speakers are, you first have to understand what a voice coil is and how a speaker works. All speakers have what is called a voice coil. The voice coil is a coil of wire wrapped around a cylinder that accepts the current from the amplifier. This current causes the voice coil to react with the speaker magnet which moves that cylinder up and down.

The speaker cone is attached to the cylinder which produces air pressure when it moves creating sound. A standard speaker has only a single voice coil and are perfect for standard stereo setups using multiple speakers. These are called single voice coil (SVC) speakers. A dual voice coil (DVC) speaker is a little bit different. A dual voice coil speaker has two voice coils that allow a single speaker to output both stereo channels through one speaker, creating a stereo sound from a single speaker location. Many classic cars came with only one speaker installed in the dashboard.

Dual voice coil speakers are perfect for replacing a standard dash speaker, because they allow both stereo channels to come through from a single location. Another advantage that a dual voice coil speaker has over a standard speaker is more control of impedance depending on how you wire it. A standard speaker can only be wired one way, but with a dual voice coil speaker you have much more flexibility. For example, the standard wiring technique for a dual voice coil speaker is to wire with both channels in as left and right speakers – which uses both voice coils for a stereo mix:

RetroSound offers many different sizes of dual voice coil speakers.

RetroSound Triax Dash Speakers feature dual aluminum voice coils, each connected to their own flush-mount Mylar tweeter. The left and right channels connect to this single dash speaker to produce a balanced stereo mix.

They have designed their dash speakers to have an ultra-thin mounting depth without compromising the power they deliver, thanks to our unique neodymium magnet structure. These low-profile magnets allow for mounting in various vehicles that don't have the space required for modern speakers with larger magnets. In addition, the magnet structure is dip-cut, allowing the pole piece to have more room to extend without bottoming out and causing distortion

Standard speakers use Mylar tweeters, which tend to sound a bit tinny and abrasive. This effect is more noticeable in a dash location as the sound reflected off the windshield amplifies the sharp, unpleasant tones produced by standard tweeters. Our dash speakers use soft silk tweeters. The softer material creates a smoother and more natural tone to combat this effect and produce clean, natural-sounding mids and highs. A durable Santoprene surround and rigid pulp composite cone are used for maximum efficiency and superior audio reproduction.

These dash speakers also work great as a pair for vehicles with left and right speaker locations and can be bridged for a 2-ohm impedance that will deliver more power from an outboard amplifier. This isthe best option for keeping a stock look with rich, balanced stereo imaging, all from a single RetroSound Triax Dash Speaker.