An amp says "maximum input voltage 5V" Will it not work with my eclipse w/ 8v pre out

[cad_3326 10+ year member]

The first question is the title.

Part 2:

how much can the gain on an amp be changed to stagger the output over two channels> could I run a 150 x 4 amp at 150 x 2 and 80 x2 or is that just to much... I realize that there's a jl (450/4) that will do this but the son-of-a-***** is pretty steep..

Thanks.

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[cx-7heaven 10+ year member]

If your 4 channel amp has seperate gains for each pair of channels( I havent heard of one that doesnt) you can "turn down" the back pair if you want.

Also, the input voltage may, but probably won't be a problem. If the music sounds distorted, but not very loud, then you are probably overdriving the input stage of your amp. I have only had that happen once, and that was with an ancient RF series 1 amp.

 

[cad_3326 10+ year member]

And I should be able to turn it down, even to half the output?

Oh...and the first question?>the title

 

[IgnoreMe 5,000+ posts]

you will never reach into the 8V preouts on music anyways, so your 5V input only amp will be fine.

 

[cx-7heaven 10+ year member]

Yeah, you can turn it down all the way. As a matter of fact I would suggest you start with the amp turned all the way down, then crank the volume on th h/u to about 2/3-3/4. If itr sounds distorted you prolly overdriving the amp. If not, then just set your gains to where it is as loud as you want it to be on the front and rear. BTW, use a loud disc for this.

 

[cad_3326 10+ year member]

That's the most straightforward I've ever had some questions answered on here> Bravo gentlemen!

 

[cx-7heaven 10+ year member]

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/imdaman.gif.bc6c552e19aa4ad8c47461144f40eb1a.gif

 

[IgnoreMe 5,000+ posts]

That's the most straightforward I've ever had some questions answered on here> Bravo gentlemen!

i use an 8v eclipse on my 5v amps //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

 

[FoxPro5 5,000+ posts]

Get ahold of a 1Khz tone recorded at 0dB.

Make sure your speakers are not hooked up!!! Instead, take your multimeter and plug it in to any of the speaker outputs. Set the multimeter to AC voltage.

Take your remote back by your amps so that you can watch the voltage change as you turn up the volume on the HU.

Did it reach 8v??? //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

Now take the loudest music track in your collection and repeat the test.

Did it reach 8v?? //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

Great way to understand why it's virtually impossible to over-drive the sensitivity control (ie gain) on a power amplifier with real music.

If you analyze most modern music, you'll see that most of it is recorded at an average level of about -10dB RMS.

The point is....

Set your gains by ear. Use your mutimeter to confirm what you are hearing.

High preamp voltage combined with low output impedance is great for maintaining a high S/N ratio. It's also pretty lucrative for HU manufacturer marketing departments. But it's bad for the ill informed consumer. If you ever get 8v out of an Eclipse deck under normal listening conditions, your car is probably parked outside a nuclear power plant. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

I used an 8053 w/ 8V outputs with an amplifier that had a "maximum" input of 1.5V with no issues.

 

[RAM_Designs 5,000+ posts]

i use an 8v eclipse on my 5v amps //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

me too //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

 

[jerryrobinson 10+ year member]

my clarion is 5v & my kicker amps are turned all the way down . where should my bass knob be when setting & why ?? pm me