Gain too high = loss of spl?

[benner410 10+ year member]

My friend and I are arguing over this... If you set your amp to its RMS power using a DMM with your HU too low, therefore causing clipping at a relatively non-ear-blasting volume on the HU, will your bass suffer?

I was thinking, and I start to clip at 20/33 on my HU. If I lower my gain a little, so I'm clipping at around 28-30, would my sub be louder at the same music volume as before?

Yes, this is very confusing to read. Sorry

**Example scenario...

So if I'm clipping at 20/33, then I lower my gain, so I'm clipping at 28 or so, would my SPL be louder at 16/33 in the lower gain or higher gain?

Click to read more...

 

[benner410 10+ year member]

bump

 

[dipitydoo 10+ year member]

higher gain means higher output at same volume level on your HU

 

[benner410 10+ year member]

so when i'm almost clipping, no matter which volume i'm at on the HU, that's the loudest my sub is going to get?

 

[Canaan 10+ year member]

so when i'm almost clipping, no matter which volume i'm at on the HU, that's the loudest my sub is going to get?

bingo.

 

[Etac 10+ year member]

edit: i re-read it but yeah.. thats what the gain does.. it just sets its level with the hu, and the reason you can change it is because most HU's send different voltages...

so if yours sends say 4 volts and mine 2 volts before clipping.. and some even less.. the gain basically tells it to make X pweor given Y voltage... but the amp will still be limited by how much power it can make internally...

but you want to find a balance.. sending too little voltage makes the amp work harder.. and introduces noise... setting it too high and you run the risk of clipping the signal even before it gets to the amp...

and it might sound louder but thats because say you're listening to a song... at 32hz the song is at at 0b's... and 40 hz say its playing -6dbs..... the 40hz still has room to go up... but the 32hz will start to clip... so 32 hertz stays the same volume and clips while 40hz gets louder ect..

 

[alvitae 10+ year member]

so when i'm almost clipping, no matter which volume i'm at on the HU, that's the loudest my sub is going to get?

That's what I figured out with mine. It's going to go x amount of db's and no matter what trick I try with gain up or down, bass boost up or down, settings on the hu. Don't matter.

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

1000w to a sub is 1000w to a sub.

Now there might be a perceived difference in loudness since (presumably) if you set the amp to "clip" (i.e. reach maximum output) at a lower volume level, then the bass will be louder compared to the rest of the frequency spectrum than if you set it to reach maximum power output at a higher volume level. This relative difference in output might skew the perceived loudness of the bass, making it appear "louder" when it's set to reach maximum power output at a lower volume level.

 

[--Navi-- 10+ year member]

Find out what volume/settings your headunit starts to clip, then adjust your gain on the amp starting at 0 until it clips.

 

[01 S 10 10+ year member]

Dont clip the amp or the HU!

 

[Ed Lester 10+ year member]

No No NO

It all depends on many factors.

What amp?

What nominal ohm load?

What frequency?

What is starting DC voltage?

What is DC Volt drop?

What is the AC signal voltage?

Some amps like soft clipping, some dont like clipping at all.

Some amps like high AC signal voltage, some like lower AC signal voltage.

Also, 1000w to a sub from one amp is not the same as 1000w to a sub from another. Has to do with current to voltage ratio to the sub. Depends on coil impedance, box rise, number of coils, and frequency.

100v x 50a = 5000w and so does 50v x 100a = 5000w but the higher current will create more heat through the coil.

Every setup will be different so you have to test test test. There will even be a difference in series and paralleling multiple coils.

If you have 2 4 ohm coils and parallel them to 2 ohms, you will get a different result than having 2 1 ohm coils and series wiring them to 2 ohms.

Just gotta find whats right for your setup.

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

Also, 1000w to a sub from one amp is not the same as 1000w to a sub from another. Has to do with current to voltage ratio to the sub. Depends on coil impedance, box rise, number of coils, and frequency.

100v x 50a = 5000w and so does 50v x 100a = 5000w but the higher current will create more heat through the coil.

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Hey genius, he was asking about simply adjusting the gain knob on the amplifier so that it reaches maximum power output at different HU volume settings. So your "point" is completely irrelevant to the topic at hand, as well as to my statement.

Good try, no prize. Read threads before responding. Kthnxbye.