I read on here to set your gain for 3/4 volume....If you do this and you turn it up on max will it blow or something? Can you set your gain for max volume?
*2000 Cavalier sedan*
The reason most tutorials say to set your volume at 3/4 volume is because over ~ that volume most headunits start sending out a clipped signal to you amplifiers/speakers.
Regardless of whether clipping originates from your HU, or from cranking your gains, it will kill speakers quite efficiently.
GAM (The Kilted One) wrote: if you think you're that much better than them because you're "correct" I hope your progeny don't turn out as screwed up as yourself.
just remember, gain is not a volume control.
Oh I know that. I just wasn't aware of clipping. I'm kind of new at this. I dont have a system yet, but hoping to get one in the near future. SO then if you set your gain at 3/4 volume, then your subs will be pounding hardest at 3/4?(without any clipping, and also what about distortion, does this help?)
*2000 Cavalier sedan*
Crap, I completely misread what you first posted.
Do NOT arbitrarily set your amp gains to 3/4. Set the VOLUME on your CD player to 3/4, and then set your gains *properly* with a digital multimeter (DMM).
IIRC, there's a tutorial stickied at the top of this forum.
I use the JL tutorial:
http://mobile.jlaudio.com/support_pages.php?page_id=143
For monoblock amps, the actual formula for determining what output voltage you need to adjust your gains to is:
square root of (watts rms x final speaker load (ohms).
ie: you have a 1000wrms amp, your final load will likely be 2 ohms (few amps enjoy 0.5 ohms daily, and I doubt you want to wire things in series to 8 ohms):
adjust your gains so that your output voltage (in this case, a 1000wrms amp) is:
SQRT (1000 x 2) = 44.7V
Just make sure your electrical is sufficient to handle whatever you end up buying. If it isn't, you can induce clipping at lower volume levels.
GAM (The Kilted One) wrote: if you think you're that much better than them because you're "correct" I hope your progeny don't turn out as screwed up as yourself.
Yeah I know lol. I just didn'y make it clear in my last post
so....
set hu volume to 3/4 and then set gain according to that tutorial. Got it. thanks lol
*2000 Cavalier sedan*
Yea, basically pretend that the 3/4 volume is your max volume, if you turn it higher than that you will probably end up clipping.
Now remember, if you have any equalizer on or bass boost on from the HU above flatline, you're probably going to clip from the hu just like you would with the volume turned up. From my experience, bass just eats your power, so as an experiment try turning the hi's up about half way to the top, turn the mid's to where ever you want them (I personally don't like hi mids since they usually trash my music), and drop the bass to half below flatline and tune from there. This way your HU isn't clipping on every bass hit at over 3/4 volume and if you don't have your fronts and rears amped then you get the most out of them without worrying about clipping them to death. I've seen more midrange/bass drivers go out than tweeters due to clipping, which means that if you send more mids and hi's to your fronts/rears and drop your bass almost alltogether (that's what you're subs are for, you'll reduce your chance of f'-in up a speaker. Anyway, just a tip to get you tuned. Good luck.
Thanks man. This is my setup to be soon hopefully. I'm pretty much broke so its not the best but will do for me. I'm not going to be running an amp for the front/rears, i'm just going to run them off the hu.
hu- panasonic w/ 5 volt pre-out.
front- pioneer 6's, or maybe 6x8's. Is there any way to stuff a 6x9 in there?
rear-pioneer 6x9's.
amp-mtx tc3001 (900 watt max)
subs- pioneer 12's. 1200 watt max.
box- not sure to go for sealed or ported. I may go sealed because it's gouing to be cheaper and also I think it sounds cleaner.
extras- one cap or 2 not sure. this will help with a a stock alternator wont it? would 4 gauge wire do it for this?
*2000 Cavalier sedan*
