Gain vs. Bass Boost, What's the difference?
01-24-2009, 08:42 PM
#11
500 Watt CAFz'r
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 723
Gervase, yes, in short, you'll still be getting the 1000WRMS from the amp, even when the gains are set below half.
Gain should be referred to as the input sensitivity. Your head-unit sends its signal to the amp with a certain amount of power. Some units are as low as 2V, while others (see Clarion, et al) can be as high as 6V, some even higher. Keep in mind that this signal isn't always 2V (or whatever), if the song you're listening to has a quiet interlude the voltage sent via the head-unit will drop accordingly, and the opposite can be said for a thunderous chorus.
Having said that, if your amp is being sent a signal from a head-unit at 2V, then chances are you're going to increase the amplifiers sensitivity to that signal so you can achieve your desired volume. Now, if you have an Alpine deck with a 5V signal, you will not need to set the input sensitivity as high to achieve the same volume, since the source signal is already 2.5 times as strong. The benefit of having a stronger signal, and therefore less gain, is that the amplifier will not create any residual 'noise' due to its high-gain operation. Which means your music will sound a lot better.
Chances are if you trying to get "more" out of your system by maximizing your gain setting, then chances are that you need a more powerful amplifier. Of course, its not always that simple.
Gain should be referred to as the input sensitivity. Your head-unit sends its signal to the amp with a certain amount of power. Some units are as low as 2V, while others (see Clarion, et al) can be as high as 6V, some even higher. Keep in mind that this signal isn't always 2V (or whatever), if the song you're listening to has a quiet interlude the voltage sent via the head-unit will drop accordingly, and the opposite can be said for a thunderous chorus.
Having said that, if your amp is being sent a signal from a head-unit at 2V, then chances are you're going to increase the amplifiers sensitivity to that signal so you can achieve your desired volume. Now, if you have an Alpine deck with a 5V signal, you will not need to set the input sensitivity as high to achieve the same volume, since the source signal is already 2.5 times as strong. The benefit of having a stronger signal, and therefore less gain, is that the amplifier will not create any residual 'noise' due to its high-gain operation. Which means your music will sound a lot better.
Chances are if you trying to get "more" out of your system by maximizing your gain setting, then chances are that you need a more powerful amplifier. Of course, its not always that simple.
10-12-2010, 05:34 PM
#12
Yankee
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 3,599
I have a pioneer deck with two twelve inch sub woofers. i want to increase the sub power but when i turn up the bass boost it blows my subs and im affraid the loudness will do the same if i turn it up.BMW Parts
So if you want to increase bass output turn up the gain (or buy a bigger amp), set it up so at max volume it doesn't quite cause bass distortion
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