Gains

**Fhrx** · 27-10-2003 05:28 PM

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.

**Fhrx** · 28-10-2003 07:34 AM

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?

**poid** · 29-10-2003 10:04 AM

Originally Posted by wynode

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

ops:

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.

**Fhrx** · 29-10-2003 06:05 PM

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?!????
:?