Natban

I've just set my amp gain with the voltmeter method and a 5oHz 0dB test tone. Amp is claiming 400W and I have a 4ohm sub so I turned up the gain 'till I was reading 40VAC output. This method worked great for the midrange speaker (with 1kHz tone), but the sub is much too quiet to keep up with the rest. So I guess I'm going to "over drive" my sub. Should I leave the gain and turn up the Bass Boost (centred at 40Hz 0-18dB)? I don't really know the difference between Bass Boost and Gain.

JohnVroom

bass boost adds 40 Hz gain (like an EQ)
gain adjust adds gain across the amps entire frequency range (similar to volume adjust)

either the sub needs to be louder or the mids quieter

eharri3

Remember, EQ must be flat but sub volume at the max, zero boost before going for an optimal gain setting. Then Id try attenuating the mid/high amp to see if you can smoothing things out without taking things away from the front stage too much.

IF you set your gains properly and tried these other things and you're not happy, you could do boost OR gain overlap but you should make sure you understand how much you can safely do it by and how it affects things rather than just cranking till it sounds good. Maybe try setting gains again but with an attenuated tone, which would in effect set your amp to deliver the power earlier and make the sub louder sooner in the volume level. IT's a sort of more scientific way to safely use gain to get more loudness during normal listening levels.

MTT

iTrader: (17)

Listen to this guy!

if your gains are set properly, and you aren't happy with the output, you have the wrong equipment, sell it and upgrade now before you blow it up and have to replace it anyway.

this is where that stupid saying "not enough power blowing up subs" came from, it's very untrue, but it's the circumstances like the one you're in that leads to this.

eharri3

Absolutely right. I roll with eveything on the head unit zeroed out and my gain set textbook style, no boosts of any kind. Of course it took me a few thousand dollars and a few 'upgrade cycles' to get there. For someone who has what they have wants more without upgrading, the best you can do is show them how to use the bad stuff judiciously.

Natban

Yah, I hear what you guys are saying and I know that's exactly why the original 8" subs only lasted about 2 months. But I've got what I've got, I need room in the trunk for baby stroller etc. and of course thats why I can't be dropping lots of money into it right now (second baby is on the way). Besides had I spent the money when I built this thing in spring it would have been a waste due to lack of knowlodge. I'm no geniuss now but I'm startin to catch up, all the help from this site has been more than eye opening. I think I'll be resetting the gains with a weeker signal to the sub and just use that setting as my max volume. Quieter speakers but the bass ratio I'm looking for.

I think I got lucky with the first system I ever had, it was only 100w per 12" sub (lightning audio for $40 each at A&B Sound) in a sealed box but it was 2 12's in a hatch back and I've had coupes or sedans ever since. The next car will be alittle more stereo friendly, station wagon or something. I thought I'd outgrow this stuff but I'm only getting more into it.

So in the end if I want to run with a sealed box but want twice the volume do I just need four times the power with a sub that can handle the 1200W rms? The sub I have now is in the recommended enclousure size.

Natban

What is your music source? Sometimes my mp3 disc just sound like crap, how do you get around this? My Alpine has a MX button where it apparently "revitalizies" the mp3 recording (or something like that). Most of my hobbie money is spent on the equipment and none left to buy CD Albums.

Ya know, once you have a stellar stereo system it's obviously no good if the source recording sucks. How do you usually listen to your music? CD, MP3, ipod, usb drive?

eharri3

If the recording sucks the recording sucks, I live with it. But my system is good enough that even MP3s still sound decent, especially newer stuff. It seems to me like more gets lost when I put CDs on my IPOD than when I download stuff straight from Itunes, even in Apple Lossless. But in general I am not enough of an audiphile that the difference jumps out at me on newer stuff. Where I have a problem is my old-time blues CDs, some of those recordings are REALLY bad and I'm talking about the CD.

If I want to fully appreciate something I use a CD recording, I don't try to hard to EQ for something that just isn't there. Ive been curious about Pioneer's feature that restores SQ to MP3s though.

Natban

Well I think I'll be upgrading my deck in a month or two. Prolly to a Pioneer 880prs. At the very least I'll let you know how it compares with the Alpine MX feature (Media Xpander, available on CDA-9887 or unlocked on other Alpine deck with the Imprint Tuning).

Gervase Bret

when setting your gains on amps why cant you turn them all the way up.
and if you have them less then half way are you still getting the rated power of the amp. say if the amp is 1000w RMS are you getting that no matter what the gains are set too.....