APA4320 gain and bass extender/boost settings

[DIGIDIGIBOMBO 10+ year member]

Hi, i have 2 clarion 15"subs DVC and two APA4320 amps to power them. The installer crancked my gains to full 100% and we still were not satisfied with results, well i know my HU preout voltage is very low.He doesnt uses a DMM etc....i used to use a DMM, and now i found that by ears its better. I told him i dont want to set the gains to 100%, we then set them to about 80% and crancked the bass extender/boost to about 25%, it goes from 0 to 15db. The bass was great, it is really extending the bass time....should i turn bass boost off? While off, results are changing a lot, is it dangerous to keep it like that...? thx

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[DIGIDIGIBOMBO 10+ year member]

Oh one more thing, My HU is shutting down while if i turn up the volume( bass hits, lights dimm). HU do shut down when voltage drops? oops sorry just read similar posts to HU shutting down. thx again

 

[DIGIDIGIBOMBO 10+ year member]

Anyone:S

 

[DIGIDIGIBOMBO 10+ year member]

I would like to thank all of the guys who have replied and helped me a lot with ur answers.

 

[lifted95blaze 10+ year member]

as long as the amps are running fine and everything there's no problem with your settings there, as for the h/u shutting off mine used to do the same thing, after a while of bumpin the amps in my batt would drop so low that the alt couldnt keep up and for some reason the h/u is the first to go.......... do the big 3 if you haven't allready and if you have upgrade your batt and you might have to get your alt upgraded as well

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

I would like to thank all of the guys who have replied and helped me a lot with ur answers.

No problem, that's what we are here for //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/tongue.gif.6130eb82179565f6db8d26d6001dcd24.gif//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

Oh one more thing, My HU is shutting down while if i turn up the volume( bass hits, lights dimm). HU do shut down when voltage drops? oops sorry just read similar posts to HU shutting down. thx again

Yes, HU's can shut down if the voltage drops too low.

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

Hi, i have 2 clarion 15"subs DVC and two APA4320 amps to power them. The installer crancked my gains to full 100% and we still were not satisfied with results, well i know my HU preout voltage is very low.He doesnt uses a DMM etc....i used to use a DMM, and now i found that by ears its better. I told him i dont want to set the gains to 100%, we then set them to about 80% and crancked the bass extender/boost to about 25%, it goes from 0 to 15db. The bass was great, it is really extending the bass time....should i turn bass boost off? While off, results are changing a lot, is it dangerous to keep it like that...? thx

Without you using a DMM or an o-scope to measure the output of the amplifier, there is no way for us to know how bad the amplifier is clipping, or if the amp even is.....

One possible result that could happen if you are clipping the amplifier hard is that you could kill the subwoofers.

 

[DIGIDIGIBOMBO 10+ year member]

Dammm, i hate the DMM method i always have very poor output when using it, specially when it comes to subs.It will barely move. Thx guys

 

[DIGIDIGIBOMBO 10+ year member]

Dammmmmmm, i just was so worried about bass boost and gains set to 80%, i went and opened my trunk, and heard the subs doing a strange sound. While the cone was pumping outward it was doing a sound at the end of its excursion ( like when we hit two pieces of wood together, toc toc toc toc...like that), dunno if that means i am exceeding its mechanical limits, this sound only went away when i reduced bass boost to 0 and lowered the gains to 50-55%, the bass is smooth now, but its not powerfull i have 2 clarion xw-1500DVC,15" in my car, after the last gain settings the bass is not that powerfull:S shitttttttttttt

best way is to set gain with an Oscope, it means signal wont be distorted, but i still can exceed mechanical limits of sub too right?lets say the enclosure was too large for example, so even if signal is clean, it might be too strong for the sub.

thx

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

Sounds like the problem here, plain and simple, is that those subwoofers don't have enough output for your taste. And you are therefore pushing them (and the amplifier) to their absolute limits to produce the output you are desiring.

Sounds to me like the only fix is to buy new subs with more output and a more powerful amplifier.

 

[DIGIDIGIBOMBO 10+ year member]

Dude, we do nothave more powerfull subs in my country, i also tried the pioneer ts-w12prs, people said wooowwwww this subs is great etc....i dound it to be way less than what i wanted...then the installer told me, we still have one more option, 2 clarion DVC 15" subs, 600rms each, and my amplifiers can provide 500rms to every sub, no more money to change them. He said the only only option is to buy 2 18" rockford+ their amplifier, that way i would have to pay more than what my car costs Just tell me guys, is it possible that those subs are not enough in a small hatch back car??? the installer always crancks the gain he looks at the subs and tells me, i will stop increasing gain when the cone seem to push very hard( he sees how much it is going to the outside)....but there was a toc toc sound, thats y i lowered the gains

 

[johnson 10+ year member]

Bigger cone area does not necessarily mean louder. You have only Clarion and Rockford Fosgate subs in the country?

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

Dude, we do nothave more powerfull subs in my country, i also tried the pioneer ts-w12prs, people said wooowwwww this subs is great etc....i dound it to be way less than what i wanted...then the installer told me, we still have one more option, 2 clarion DVC 15" subs, 600rms each, and my amplifiers can provide 500rms to every sub, no more money to change them. He said the only only option is to buy 2 18" rockford+ their amplifier, that way i would have to pay more than what my car costs Just tell me guys, is it possible that those subs are not enough in a small hatch back car??? the installer always crancks the gain he looks at the subs and tells me, i will stop increasing gain when the cone seem to push very hard( he sees how much it is going to the outside)....but there was a toc toc sound, thats y i lowered the gains

Are there any other shops in your area? I'm not sure what the car audio hobby is like in your country //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

If possible, I'd try to find another shop.....sounds like the one you are going to isn't too bright, honestly.

 

[DIGIDIGIBOMBO 10+ year member]

well, we mostly have pioneer, clarion, sony, we do not have kinds like: orion, directed,MTX,kicker..//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif, well have u an idea about the pioneer TS-w12prs and the clarionxw-1500? u should know if 2 of these clarions must be very good in a small hatch back car:S. What sub can i use instead? well the bass is ok, but not as much as i expected.what are most powerfull subs? i am gonna try to buy an Oscope too, in order to set my gains accurately, thx