Gain Setting Tutorial

[n2audio 5,000+ posts]

14.1

 

[groggy23 10+ year member]

That's what I figured, just wanted to be sure. Thanks! //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[phyphoestilic 5,000+ posts]

That's what I figured, just wanted to be sure. Thanks! //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

Ya u want the voltage to go the max of ur amps output, not the speaker. Thats how most people blow their amps, by trying to make the amp put out more power then it can actually put out.

 

[groggy23 10+ year member]

Ah ok, defenitely don't want that happening with my Arc. Thanks for heads up //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[SAG3 5,000+ posts]

So like 1250 watts at one ohm would be like 36 volts, right?

 

[phyphoestilic 5,000+ posts]

So like 1250 watts at one ohm would be like 36 volts, right?

Ya, but I wouldn't set it more then 35V (i like to round down for my equipment's sake)

 

[unknownmotive 10+ year member]

So my amp puts out 480w RMS @ 4 ohms bridged.... If I want to put out 400w RMS@ 4 ohms do i set my gains so I get 40v [sqrt (400x4)]? I want to do this since my sub runs at 400w RMS @ 4 ohms.

 

[luvinthebass 5,000+ posts]

yup

 

[the727kid 10+ year member]

Do you use the equation with your nominal ohms or DCR ohms?

 

[theothermike 10+ year member]

i am running kick panels, and i need to have my fader at rear 4 to act as my balance left and right, should i set my fader at 0 when adjusting my 4 channel when bridged and adjust back to rear 4 which alters volts after? or just set gains at fader 4 ?

Mike

 

[stishdr 10+ year member]

ok, i followed the tutorial, i got the volts i needed "sqrt(800rms*4ohm)" and got 56.65 volts needed. i had my HU the way i like it(no boost), put the 45hz tone in got my voltage to 56.7....then when i put the music on i had almost no bass...what did i do wrong..? so for now i just turned my gain up a hair, and i have tons of bass now, anything i should do?

 

[groggy23 10+ year member]

My sub is rated at dual 2 ohm load, but when i test it with my multimeter it reads 3 ohm each coil giving me a total of 6ohm rather then the total 4ohm which its supposed to. I went ahead and set it with 180w rms since thats what the amp can put out to the sub. But I had to turn the gain up a little more. I did the equation with a 4ohm load though, should I set it with a 6ohm load instead?

 

[talon2nr7588 10+ year member]

Here's something I hope you can will all use to your benefits. As you may or may not have noticed, most equipment dies for one simple reason : Most people push their equipment beyond its limits. Whether its the amplifier or subwoofer or speakers, clipping is the number one cause of failure that I see. To prevent clipping, I've made this tutorial (Well, JL Audio did, but I've been doing this for years before they put it on their site).
Okay, before I post the links, there's just one problem that I have with the following guide. It says to use 75% of max volume. I don't agree with this at all because, with some head units, you can crank it up to full without distortion and with others, it may only be 60% ... To set your gains, use the MAX settings you'd NORMALLY use ... If the loudest you listen to your music at on a regular basis is 22/35 with bass @ +3 and treble @ 0 with MX on, by all means use those settings...

so it is ok to use all the EQ stuff and loudness as long as they're set before you gain match the amp?

 

[RIPw4 10+ year member]

Perhaps this is a dumb question. I will ask anyway..

If setting the amp for lets say..150 watts for a 12" sub with a 150 watt rms 300 watt max. Does that mean that now the amp will never produce above the 150 Watt mark even though the sub is able to handle more.

This confuses me!

So..amp is capable of 250 RMS and 500 Max. I only want 150 rms 300 max.

I hope I am not too confusing!

 

[bikinpunk 10+ year member]

I searched and didnt' find this here:

For a 4-channel amp.

I assumed that for channels 1 & 2, and 3 & 4, that the gain controls BOTH outputs. Therefore I set both my gains at about 12 volts (a tad under the calculated voltage).

My equation was:

40w * 4 ohms = 160^(1/2) = 12.6v

Should I have doubled the power since it's being split in two, or does the gain set that specific voltage for each of the outputs? For example:

40w *2 channels* 4 ohms = 320^(1/2) =17.8

Feel like such a noob, but couldn't find the answer.