View Full Version : Gains
XXpl0Sive
06-10-2003, 06:49 PM
What are your gains set at?
AMP: 300rms/900W
I've got my Bass a bit past half way and Treble the same. Ive tuned the volume to max out at 30 (out of 35)
What are your settings?
What voltage are your preouts? If they are 2V that sounds about right
On the sub amp gains are a bit less than half, on the front stage amp they are minimum
At least you set them nicely, many people take gains to be like a volume control and blast it on full :lol:
wynode
06-10-2003, 07:59 PM
Mine are a few notches before it starts distorting :)
Mine's 1/3 for sub.
Front via HU :cry: need front amp!!
XXpl0Sive
07-10-2003, 09:56 AM
What effects will it have if you had the gains on max and your headunit volume on low? (eg. Tuned to a max volume at 15 out of possible 35)
LUD02C
07-10-2003, 10:37 AM
My gains on the amp are a little less then halfway for both sub and splits!
My H/U gains are set +3 Bass and +2 for Treble
Well your volume will go up in bigger steps :)
Having it set that way will most likely increase the THD from the amp...not sure whether you would hear it though. Its always best to set the gains as low as possible, if you need it louder get a more powerful amp :D
vti-2
07-10-2003, 10:43 AM
Having it set that way will most likely increase the THD from the amp...not sure whether you would hear it though. Its always best to set the gains as low as possible, if you need it louder get a more powerful amp
:thumbsup:
Never set gains too high, if you need more power, as poid said get a bigger amp!
Otherwise you will end up frying all your speakers.
XXpl0Sive
07-10-2003, 11:32 AM
If gains are high, and HU volume is low, then physically, the speakers wont get fried. BUT...is it right to say that the amp is working hard still (tyring to amplify a smaller signal)?
vti-2
07-10-2003, 11:59 AM
BUT...is it right to say that the amp is working hard still (tyring to amplify a smaller signal)?
Yep, and this usually means that you can fry the amp! Either way, high gains are not that good for your system. You will either fry speakers or electrical components.
yuh thats right, i knew there was something i forgot here...its that setting the gains way up high would be increasing the chance of the amp clipping. If you have a decently powerful amp clipping the signal then it'll be generating way more heat than usual, and also sending way more power (and dirty power at that) to the speakers.
Hence risk to the amp itself, and a good chance of blowing speakers...like should you forget that you set the gains on volume 15 and turn it up to 16
Whats clipping? How can u tell if ur amp is clipping?
Sound waves are naturally round and smooth flowing.
Clipping is when the amplifier can no longer sustain that smooth wave (when the volume is too high) so it begins clipping the top and bottom of the wave off. The reproduction that is clipped sounds distorted and generally dreadful.
Just for the record, my gains are set at next to nothing.
Remember that the gains are a sensitively controller, not a volume knob. The higher the sensitivety, the more interfierance, hiss and whine make its way into the system as well as sound. :(
wynode
27-10-2003, 07:48 PM
Clipping is more likely to kill your speakers/sub much quicker than putting too much power into a sub/speaker.
As said, clipping is when the amp can no longer provide enough power to the load.
Spot on!
Just to get a little more technical: Basically, a clipped soundwave is one where the afore mentioned gentle rolling peaks and valleys of the AC audio wave are instead sliced off or clipped, to yield what looks a lot like a square or alternating DC wave. Now the problem is that when DC is applied to a speaker the voice coil has no means of propelling itself (relative to a constant magnetic field).
Rather, it can only convert the incoming current to heat, and ultimately burns up. :(
bumthology
29-10-2003, 02:55 AM
i have like... 7 volts going into my amp using an equalizer.
gains are at like 2%.. or all the way down..not really sure.
but yea
gains doesnt mean anything... its not a volume control, its to match your voltage sensitivity with the signal coming from your deck..
before i had my equalizer, gains were up 3/4
wynode
29-10-2003, 09:28 AM
gains are at like 2%.. or all the way down..not really sure.
but yea gains doesnt mean anything
:?:
Gains should be at around the 80% mark or more. No point having an amplifier if you're not going to do any amplifying with it!!!
Amplifiers provide a clearer signal than the shitty amp in your head unit. So its better to do your amplification with the amp in the boot rather than have your HU giving a distorted signal.
At the end of the day, I trust my amp to provide a better signal to the speakers than the crappy amp in the HU.
vti-2
29-10-2003, 09:37 AM
Gains should be at around the 80% mark or more.
Why?
Gains should be at around the 80% mark or more. No point having an amplifier if you're not going to do any amplifying with it!!!
Amplifiers provide a clearer signal than the shitty amp in your head unit. So its better to do your amplification with the amp in the boot rather than have your HU giving a distorted signal.
At the end of the day, I trust my amp to provide a better signal to the speakers than the crappy amp in the HU.
Nope, gains should be matched to the input voltage that the amps are getting, or set so that there is no clipping at the highest volume on the deck that is unclipped.
If i had the gains on my amps set at more than 80% my sub would have blown by now, and my old splits would have blown as well, at the volume i use on the deck.
Having gains low doesnt mean the amp wont be putting out its full power
wynode
29-10-2003, 12:03 PM
I said 80% as a rough number :oops:
Ok I think you said it better poid
set so that there is no clipping at the highest volume on the deck that is unclipped.
:thumbsup:
Like I said, gains are sensitivety controls, not volume.
If your gains are up around 80% then you can bet the amp is not only picking up the incoming audio signals, but also all the hiss, whine and other interfierance that is induced into the line and amplifing it too. :(
bumthology
30-10-2003, 06:46 AM
Yes..
my gains are at 2% because its bloody loud at that point..
if i put it any louder than it'd be too loud for my other speakers (splits)
however, i also like it this way. because when i turn up my volume 32/35 none of the speakers distort.. but if my gains were any higher , then i bet u they would distort !
your gains are 80%..? maybe ur amp is not powerful enough or... ur amp isnt getting a strong signal ?!?!?
and.. someone said gains should be 80% or more??
whats teh reason behind it?!????
:?
The gains should be a low as possible (but they have to be matched to the head unit). See my reply above for reasoning.
wynode
30-10-2003, 09:29 AM
I'll check what I've got my gains set to when I'm there next ;)
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