Sundown sad-600d setup

[lose_money]

Quick question i recently bought a sa-8 v2 and had a custom box built tuned to specs provided. I also bought a saw 600d and set it up. I have a kenwood deck with preout of 4v. When setting my gain with a dmm i had to set gain around 75% to achieve the desired voltage at 3/4 volume on my HU. Is this normal to have gain so high on this amp? I don't want any clipping. Thanks!

Click to read more...

 

[Cliff459]

As long as the output waveform from the amp is not clipped, you should be OK. I'm not sure how you would use a digital voltmeter to accurately do a setup, I have always used an oscilloscope to do mine. Although the output voltage rating is a good guideline, it doesn't really mean that the head unit is putting out clean, un-clipped waveforms at that level if the amplifier input has a lower impedance than the outputs of the head unit are capable of driving. Perhaps voltage is a good rule of thumb to get you in the ballpark if you don't have an oscilloscope, I guess.

Also, when looking at the amplifier input setup controls, "gain" is perhaps not the right terminology to use when thinking about this. I prefer to think of what I'm adjusting as the amplifier's input "sensitivity" to signal, as the amp's actual voltage gain is a fixed number set by its design. A rough guess of what a 600 watt amp will do into a 4 ohm load is about 50V or so, according to the formulas presented at Amplifier Voltage Gain Explained

So, it really doesn't matter where you physically have to set the input sensitivity control at on the amplifier as long as it matches the input voltage of the head unit to what the amplifier produces it's cleanest output waveform voltage. I hope this helps you out!

 

[lose_money]

As long as the output waveform from the amp is not clipped, you should be OK. I'm not sure how you would use a digital voltmeter to accurately do a setup, I have always used an oscilloscope to do mine. Although the output voltage rating is a good guideline, it doesn't really mean that the head unit is putting out clean, un-clipped waveforms at that level if the amplifier input has a lower impedance than the outputs of the head unit are capable of driving. Perhaps voltage is a good rule of thumb to get you in the ballpark if you don't have an oscilloscope, I guess.
Also, when looking at the amplifier input setup controls, "gain" is perhaps not the right terminology to use when thinking about this. I prefer to think of what I'm adjusting as the amplifier's input "sensitivity" to signal, as the amp's actual voltage gain is a fixed number set by its design. A rough guess of what a 600 watt amp will do into a 4 ohm load is about 50V or so, according to the formulas presented at Amplifier Voltage Gain Explained

So, it really doesn't matter where you physically have to set the input sensitivity control at on the amplifier as long as it matches the input voltage of the head unit to what the amplifier produces it's cleanest output waveform voltage. I hope this helps you out!

Thanks man yea that clears it up a lil. I forgot to mentioned im wired for a 1 ohm load. I just was a lil unsure cause I see a lot of ppl saying keep your gains low

 

[ThatChevyGuy 5,000+ posts]

Does your kenwood deck have a sub volume feauture? At what volume did you set your gains? I know you said 3/4 but some decks make more power without clipping at higher volumes

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

Quick question i recently bought a sa-8 v2 and had a custom box built tuned to specs provided. I also bought a saw 600d and set it up. I have a kenwood deck with preout of 4v. When setting my gain with a dmm i had to set gain around 75% to achieve the desired voltage at 3/4 volume on my HU. Is this normal to have gain so high on this amp? I don't want any clipping. Thanks!

If its a medium to higher end kenwood deck then you should be setting it at around 90% max volume(give or take 5%). the 3/4 rule is for junk low tier head units headunits.

 

[lose_money]

Does your kenwood deck have a sub volume feauture? At what volume did you set your gains? I know you said 3/4 but some decks make more power without clipping at higher volumes

I set the volume at 26/35 with and all sub level control at 0 and bass at 0. What do you mean by more power at higher volumes without clipping. I also have been running everything at 0 since i set up. It pounds but I feel like it should pound a lil more from the videos and reviews I've seen on it. Considering it's getting 600rms at 1 ohm load.

 

[lose_money]

If its a medium to higher end kenwood deck then you should be setting it at around 90% max volume(give or take 5%). the 3/4 rule is for junk low tier head units headunits.

I would consider it a medium level deck. It's a Kenwood Excelon KDC-X697

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

I would consider it a medium level deck. It's a Kenwood Excelon KDC-X697

excelon head units put out clean signal way more then 3/4, boost up the volume on the head unit a lot higher then set gains again. Put sub level max and loud, bass boost off. If you have a 4 channel amp, you'll have to re-set the gains on that also.

 

[lose_money]

excelon head units put out clean signal way more then 3/4, boost up the volume on the head unit a lot higher then set gains again. Put sub level max and loud, bass boost off. If you have a 4 channel amp, you'll have to re-set the gains on that also.

Sub level on max when setting gains? And then bring them back to 0 after? My amp is a monoblock my door speakers run off the deck

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

Sub level on max when setting gains? And then bring them back to 0 after? My amp is a monoblock my door speakers run off the deck

Always keep the subwoofer level max or else you aren't gonna get any power out of that amp. If you have it at 0, thats probably the main reason why you have to set your gains so high up right now. Raising sub level is perfectly fine, its not harmful like bass boost, you need to use it in order to get good pre out voltage to the sub amp.

 

[lose_money]

Always keep the subwoofer level max or else you aren't gonna get any power out of that amp. If you have it at 0, thats probably the main reason why you have to set your gains so high up right now. Raising sub level is perfectly fine, its not harmful like bass boost, you need to use it in order to get good pre out voltage to the sub amp.

So could this be why it doesn't seem like my sub is reaching its potential beacause i sent my gains high due to my preamp output being low because of my sub level being at 0 on hu?

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

So could this be why it doesn't seem like my sub is reaching its potential beacause i sent my gains high due to my preamp output being low because of my sub level being at 0 on hu?

yes you need it all the way up man. That's how you properly set your gains anyways.

 

[lose_money]

yes you need it all the way up man. That's how you properly set your gains anyways.

Alright thanks I was just hesitant to do that because it goes from -15 to +15 so I thought the 0 point would be normal preout amp voltage

 

[rodrigobiz]

So how is the sub now?