Gain maxxed out.

[ultimate157 5,000+ posts]

Oh I know everything //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/rolleyes.gif.c1fef805e9d1464d377451cd5bc18bfb.gif. Anyway I really don't see how it matters. It might not be the cleanest signal and if it isn't, oh well, that can change. But since I can adjust the gain at my cross over, does it matter where the gain is at on the amp? I have a US Amps US-x3 //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/fyi.gif.9f1f679348da7204ce960cfc74bca8e0.gif

Ideally you want a strong, clean starting signal and amplify it the least amount possible to achieve desired levels before the transducers. This way you are minimizing the amplification through (multiple) units and minimize the possibility of abnormalities being amplified at the very end of the chain.

But obviously you have more tuning experience than everyone here so you're going to do it anyway.

 

[Grinder1989 5,000+ posts]

Ideally you want a strong, clean starting signal and amplify it the least amount possible to achieve desired levels before the transducers. This way you are minimizing the amplification through (multiple) units and minimize the possibility of abnormalities being amplified at the very end of the chain.
But obviously you have more tuning experience than everyone here so you're going to do it anyway.

Don't get your butt hurt, I never said I was a better than anyone at tuning my setup. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[MikeyB 5,000+ posts]

Ideally you want a strong, clean starting signal and amplify it the least amount possible to achieve desired levels before the transducers. This way you are minimizing the amplification through (multiple) units and minimize the possibility of abnormalities being amplified at the very end of the chain.
But obviously you have more tuning experience than everyone here so you're going to do it anyway.

/end of thread

 

[dipitydoo 10+ year member]

Maxing the gains isn't likely to damage anything. Depending on your source output voltage, you will likely end up with audible clipping well before the maximum volume level on your head unit. If you don't push your system well beyond this point, I don't see any reason for equipment failure. Some downfalls of unnecessary max gain: S/N ratio suffers, but this may not be an audible problem for subs. Also, you will reduce your ability to finely adjust your volume control in between each click. Instead of simply maxing out the gain, just use your ear to adjust. Yes, using instruments sometimes doesn't end up in the desired results. Its normal to have some amount of clipping, to account for the dynamics of music, if you are looking for maximum power from all your media.

 

[dragnix 5,000+ posts]

so is it better to keep the gain at the xover maxxed then adjust the gain on the amp?

 

[mokedaddy 5,000+ posts]

so is it better to keep the gain at the xover maxxed then adjust the gain on the amp?

No you set them individually. Ideally you want every component to clip at the same time.

 

[skateboardkid 10+ year member]

Not if the Crossover outputs are clipping themselves. Then you have smae problems only from different components. If the crossover outputs were super clean and you kept them at around 80-90 percent I would expect better sound. Find someone with an Oscope and set the crossover output as high as it will go with a clean waveform. This will give optimum sound in my opinion.

"No you set them individually. Ideally you want every component to clip at the same time" x2

 

[maldecido33 10+ year member]

I'd be willing to bet very few people in this thread know understand why clipping hurts a subwoofer...

 

[ultimate157 5,000+ posts]

I'd be willing to bet very few people in this thread know understand why clipping hurts a subwoofer...

increases the area under the curve, which increases the RMS for the same voltage. Higher heating effect = burnt VC.

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

Whats the difference?

The whole idea of a stronger signal voltage is for noise rejection. If you 'max the amp gains' and adjust everything from your preamp, you have in effect diminished your signal voltage going back to your amplifier(s) to the minimum. Im sure you can see the problem with this.

Ideally you want a strong, clean starting signal and amplify it the least amount possible to achieve desired levels before the transducers. This way you are minimizing the amplification through (multiple) units and minimize the possibility of abnormalities being amplified at the very end of the chain.

Not exactly. Contrary to popular belief, an amplifier is always trying to amplify the exact same amount.
Imagine an amplifier as a man pushing a large boulder up a hill. The amount of work created (watts) is how fast the man pushes the rock up the hill. The man (the amplifer) is always pushing with the same amount of force.

Now lets change the size of the rock, it is now double the original size. This is the same as doubling the impedance shown to the amplifier. When you double impedance, output power halves, and people think the amplifier is pushing half as hard. Its not, its pushing the rock with the same force. But work created (speed of rock being pushed up the hill) is halved because the rock size (impedance) is now doubled.

This shows that no matter the impedance placed on the amplifier, it is still amplifying (pushing) the same amount. Now lets discuss when you turn the volume up and down.... signal strength.

When you turn your h/u's volume up, amplifier output goes up. Again the amplifier is pushing with the same force, but as you turn up the volume you increase signal voltage, thus the amplifier has more voltage to amplify. Same pushing force (amplification) but higher starting voltage means higher output voltage (system volume increases).

So as you can see, an amplifier is always trying to 'amplify' with the same force, the only variable that change are merely the input signal strength, how much signal there is to amplify, and the resistance on the circuit (speaker impedance). To further emphasize my point, as I believe I said earlier in this thread... what happens when you change h/u's to one with a higher signal voltage? You adjust the gain down accordingly. You do not want a higher signal voltage so your amplifier has to 'amplify less' (implying it works less), its simply to increase the distance between the signal level and the noise level. No other reason, none.

Hope that clears things up.

 

[TPABlazer 10+ year member]

Did anything happen in this thread?

 

[Grinder1989 5,000+ posts]

The whole idea of a stronger signal voltage is for noise rejection. If you 'max the amp gains' and adjust everything from your preamp, you have in effect diminished your signal voltage going back to your amplifier(s) to the minimum. Im sure you can see the problem with this.

So all I'd be worried about is noise. I would have posted what you said below this quote but I didn't know how to explain it. That's what I was told (along those lines) in the first place. But is the difference in noise problems really going to matter in a setup that grounded properly etc.......

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

So all I'd be worried about is noise. I would have posted what you said below this quote but I didn't know how to explain it. That's what I was told (along those lines) in the first place. But is the difference in noise problems really going to matter in a setup that grounded properly etc.......

Whether or not the noise will be an audible problem is anyone's guess. The point is, you payed good money for a h/u with a hot signal voltage (presumably) and yet you will be setting it up so that it will use almost none of it in the run back to your amps.
Let me ask you this, if your gains were to be set in the middle (just for this discussion's sake), do you really think its a good idea to run one gain in the signal chain at max, and the other at its minimum to make up for it? Does this sound like a reasonable way to set up a signal chain? Why are you so afraid to just set them the right way?

 

[richierich75 10+ year member]

just fvckin do it all ready and post your results

 

[richierich75 10+ year member]

Whether or not the noise will be an audible problem is anyone's guess. The point is, you payed good money for a h/u with a hot signal voltage (presumably) and yet you will be setting it up so that it will use almost none of it in the run back to your amps.
Let me ask you this, if your gains were to be set in the middle (just for this discussion's sake), do you really think its a good idea to run one gain in the signal chain at max, and the other at its minimum to make up for it? Does this sound like a reasonable way to set up a signal chain? Why are you so afraid to just set them the right way?

he's all ready said why - cause he can...