Does lower voltage output affect gains?

[528hz 10+ year member]

I've been reading some posts about people installing the Alpine CDA-9887 and

having to crank up the gains on the sub amp to get sufficient sound. I've had this

problem with the CDA-9883. It's only a 2v output and most other decks are 4v (I know the 9887 is 4v but..).

Would this cause for you to have to turn up the gains higher in order to compensate?

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[adam71 5,000+ posts]

I've been reading some posts about people installing the Alpine CDA-9887 and
having to crank up the gains on the sub amp to get sufficient sound. I've had this

problem with the CDA-9883. It's only a 2v output and most other decks are 4v (I know the 9887 is 4v but..).

Would this cause for you to have to turn up the gains higher in order to compensate?

Of course it will. ANYTIME you have lower output on the pre out end you have to compensate on the amplifier (gains) end. No amp or head unit is immune to this logic.

 

[redcalimp5 10+ year member]

If you've got a 9887, and a JL 300/4 bridged running a set of 2 way components passive, is it ok to use the 'low voltage' setting on the 300/4, and adjust the gains from that point? Or might you run the risk of damaging the speakers?

 

[GrnZ28 10+ year member]

yes you do. low voltage preouts ftl

 

[redcalimp5 10+ year member]

yes you do. low voltage preouts ftl

Got it....so it's better on the 300/4 to switch to the high output setting, then adjust the gains?

 

[groundpound4200 5,000+ posts]

I would... to start anyways

 

[528hz 10+ year member]

Thanks a lot Adam. This explains why I need my gain at nearly 3/4 for it to

match. But let me ask this too; if I have a factory amp in my car and I want to

run a Pre-Amp HU, will I need to run RCAs for it to work on the highs and

mids? The amp is connected to the factory wire harness and just plays

through the signal from the HU. It works fine on this 9883 Alpine, but I'm

fixing to change to a different deck. Anyone??

 

[tee 10+ year member]

I don't really understand what you're saying. If you run an external amp, just use the preout RCAs on the deck to the RCAs on the amp.

 

[Ptown_TSxxx 10+ year member]

6v preout ftw, kind of miss my premeir 960 because of it.

 

[528hz 10+ year member]

I don't really understand what you're saying. If you run an external amp, just use the preout RCAs on the deck to the RCAs on the amp.

Sorry, maybe I should have worded this different. What I'm referring to is this: I have a factory amp in my car (powering Bose factory speakers) o.k. It is hooked up to the deck via the wiring harness and NOT RCAs even to the stock deck to begin with. Now, my current Alpine 9883 puts out the 18w x 4 or whatever it is from the internal amp. My question is, since I want to install a Pre-Amp HU, will my factory amp still work even though no power (internal amp on the HU) will be coming from the Pre-Amp HU?

 

[adam71 5,000+ posts]

Sorry, maybe I should have worded this different. What I'm referring to is this: I have a factory amp in my car (powering Bose factory speakers) o.k. It is hooked up to the deck via the wiring harness and NOT RCAs even to the stock deck to begin with. Now, my current Alpine 9883 puts out the 18w x 4 or whatever it is from the internal amp. My question is, since I want to install a Pre-Amp HU, will my factory amp still work even though no power (internal amp on the HU) will be coming from the Pre-Amp HU?

If you're going to change HU's you have 1 of 2 options. You're either going to have to stay with the speaker level outs on the deck into the harness to use the factory amp. OR You're going to have completely bypass ALL the factory wiring and run new RCAs back to a new aftermarket amp.

 

[528hz 10+ year member]

Thanks once again Adam. Yeah I'm officially a dumbass. The 9883 Alpine does have the Power IC to turn ON/OFF the internal amp. I guess all the new Alpine can do this since mine is one of the lower end decks. I tried it last night, and when I turn off the internal amp from the deck, my highs and mids WILL NOT play, but the sub will. So I guess you do have to be using the RCAs for it to be effective.

Now, instead of running new wires from the new deck (RCAs and Remote) could I run RCAs from my Sundown amp to a new highs amp (not my stock amp) and jump a remote off it as well? Will the HU read the highs amp just the same? I just don't want to anything else from the front to the back. This is in a Mercedes CLK and I don't want to tear it up too much. My battery comes factory in the trunk so it makes things hella easy for power and ground.