gain setting question

[teen 10+ year member]

i planned on picking up a DMM today and setting the gain on my amp. right now i have an optima red top, but im still using the stock alternator. my HO alternator wont be here until late this week or next week sometime.

should i hold off on this until i get the new alternator, or will it not make a difference?

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[SPL Blazer 10+ year member]

setting your amps gains has nothing to do with your alt. Setting your gains is all about the power of the signal coming from your HU to your amp. The lower the power in your RCA's the higher your gain needs to be set, but you need to set them with a DMM to ensure that you set the gains just below the level your signal gets clipped at.

 

[teen 10+ year member]

ok, i didnt know if it would effect the voltage reading id get when i test the amp or not. thanks

 

[jrwalte 10+ year member]

I may be wrong, but I don't think it does. My theory is your amp is converting the DC voltage into AC for your speakers, but if you have no speaker there, then nothing is continuing to draw power beyond the initial power the amp required to get to that ac voltage. It's like your amp is temporarily storing the electricity at that voltage waiting for something to release it.

 

[SPL Blazer 10+ year member]

I may be wrong, but I don't think it does. My theory is your amp is converting the DC voltage into AC for your speakers, but if you have no speaker there, then nothing is continuing to draw power beyond the initial power the amp required to get to that ac voltage. It's like your amp is temporarily storing the electricity at that voltage waiting for something to release it.

Your right, but what did this have to do with him setting his gains?

 

[jrwalte 10+ year member]

Your right, but what did this have to do with him setting his gains?

Because of his post right above mine:

"ok, i didnt know if it would effect the voltage reading id get when i test the amp or not. thanks"

I was letting him know the stock alt would not give him a different voltage reading than his forth coming HO alt for the reason I stated.