How conservative does a test tone make things?

[Jakeeck 10+ year member]

i was just wondering how conservative it is to set my gains according to a test tone.. i set my gains with a dmm to 48v with the 50hz test tone.. then i got curious and i put in a regular cd and played "put on" and looked at the dmm for about 45 secs and i didnt see it go over 15v compared to the 48v the test tone was putting out..

so am i safe to go a little farther if i want?

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[Turbo Travis 10+ year member]

i was just wondering how conservative it is to set my gains according to a test tone.. i set my gains with a dmm to 48v with the 50hz test tone.. and then i put in a regular cd and played "put on" and looked at the dmm for about 45 secs and i didnt see it go over 15v compared to the 48v the test tone was putting out..
so am i safe to go a little farther if i want?

I think the test tone method ***** for the very reason you said. Just set it by ear, or maybe try it with a music CD with a song that has a consistent bass (A Milli by Lil Wayne, for example).

 

[Jakeeck 10+ year member]

I think the test tone method ***** for the very reason you said. Just set it by ear, or maybe try it with a music CD with a song that has a consistent bass (A Milli by Lil Wayne, for example).

ya it seems pretty conservative.. i guess itll make ur **** last forever but i was thinking i could definitely get away with more and still be safe

 

[tacovic 10+ year member]

I think the test tone method ***** for the very reason you said. Just set it by ear, or maybe try it with a music CD with a song that has a consistent bass (A Milli by Lil Wayne, for example).

ya great idea to set it by ear. that way you can clip the **** out of your amp and ruin your subs. make sure to set the bass boost all the way too.

setting the gain with a dmm helps you set the amp so that it doesnt throw out a clipped signal. dont set it by ear man. try setting the gain again and redo everything and see if that helps. also make sure you did everything right.

 

[shaneb 10+ year member]

ya great idea to set it by ear. that way you can clip the **** out of your amp and ruin your subs. make sure to set the bass boost all the way too.
setting the gain with a dmm helps you set the amp so that it doesnt throw out a clipped signal. dont set it by ear man. try setting the gain again and redo everything and see if that helps. also make sure you did everything right.

Lol, so because I chose to set my gains by ear, they are incorrect and I will blow my subs?

Wow, what a judgmental statement. You must have had some bad experiences?

What if I told you my gains are set to zero or all the way left on all my amps? Basically not using them at all?

 

[lincolntc690 10+ year member]

try a tone recorded at -3db, you may have a tone recorded at 0

 

[Turbo Travis 10+ year member]

Lol, so because I chose to set my gains by ear, they are incorrect and I will blow my subs?Wow, what a judgmental statement. You must have had some bad experiences?

What if I told you my gains are set to zero or all the way left on all my amps? Basically not using them at all?

He's right-impossible to set gains by ear

Like I said, I think the best thing to do would be to use a bass heavy song with a constant bass line (A Milli, Brass Monkey, whatever) and adjust the gain using a DVM. Or, use the same music with a scope. Either way, I think 0DB test tone is simply too loud as compared to regular music.

 

[shaneb 10+ year member]

He's right-impossible to set gains by ear
Like I said, I think the best thing to do would be to use a bass heavy song with a constant bass line (A Milli, Brass Monkey, whatever) and adjust the gain using a DVM. Or, use the same music with a scope. Either way, I think 0DB test tone is simply too loud as compared to regular music.

Impossible meaning? Cause I believe it's very possible to set a gain without blowing a subwoofer, or a front stage.

If you can prove me wrong, go for it.

What kind of DMM are you using? A cheap one from home depot? I mean really.

Prove to me I cannot set my gains without a DMM and not blow my subs, or get full desired output without blowing them.

 

[lincolntc690 10+ year member]

iirc most rap is recorded at -3 and most rock at-6

 

[tacovic 10+ year member]

if you set your gain by using a bass heavy song then you would be getting your desired output on that song only. plus bass heavy songs can be at different frequencies. yes it will be fine with that song but i personally like to listen to more than one song. 50 hz tone is a universal frequencies that people with daily drivers use to set thier gains. a bass heavy song you could be setting your gains on a 30 hz tone. not as universal.

and i never said it is impossible to set it by ear. but if your like me and want to get the most power out of your amp without clipping then i trust a dmm more than my ears.

 

[Turbo Travis 10+ year member]

Impossible meaning? Cause I believe it's very possible to set a gain without blowing a subwoofer, or a front stage.If you can prove me wrong, go for it.

What kind of DMM are you using? A cheap one from home depot? I mean really.

Prove to me I cannot set my gains without a DMM and not blow my subs, or get full desired output without blowing them.

Um, I was agreeing with you man..

 

[shaneb 10+ year member]

Um, I was agreeing with you man..

Word. Sorry dude, I was too worked up,.

 

[Notloud00 10+ year member]

ya great idea to set it by ear. that way you can clip the **** out of your amp and ruin your subs. make sure to set the bass boost all the way too.
setting the gain with a dmm helps you set the amp so that it doesnt throw out a clipped signal. dont set it by ear man. try setting the gain again and redo everything and see if that helps. also make sure you did everything right.

you are an idiot //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/fyi.gif.9f1f679348da7204ce960cfc74bca8e0.gif

i set my gains by ear and my crossover and i have no smelly subs, **** they dont even get over warm, and it still wangs. of course im not an idiot.....

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

i was just wondering how conservative it is to set my gains according to a test tone.. i set my gains with a dmm to 48v with the 50hz test tone.. then i got curious and i put in a regular cd and played "put on" and looked at the dmm for about 45 secs and i didnt see it go over 15v compared to the 48v the test tone was putting out..
so am i safe to go a little farther if i want?

It depends on the level the test tone you used.

If you used a 0db test tone, then the gain is set pretty conservatively. You are setting the gain based on the "maximum" sustained signal level. How often does music reach this level? Rarely. It might spend milliseconds at a time at peak levels. Most music is going to spend a majority of it's time at a level much lower than 0db.

It's this reason many people use a test tone with a lower signal level to set their gain. The Autosound 2k guys used to recommend a 3:1 gain ratio for the amplifier to allow a higher average power level at the risk of the brief, transient peaks being possibly slightly clipped (depending on various factors). Their rational was that the period of time the music would spend at a level of 0db was so minimal that the clipping with be neither audible nor damaging to equipment and there would be larger benefits in having he higher average power output. They suggested the use to a test tone that was -10db. This is on the more aggressive side, however, and probably a little much if you listen to a lot of heavily compressed music or music intentionally recorded at high levels.

So you could probably drop down to a -3db or -6db test tone for an initial guesstimate, and then listen and see how it does. If you think it's a little aggressive back it off a little bit.

 

[GearGuy2001 10+ year member]

It depends on the level the test tone you used.
If you used a 0db test tone, then the gain is set pretty conservatively. You are setting the gain based on the "maximum" sustained signal level. How often does music reach this level? Rarely. It might spend milliseconds at a time at peak levels. Most music is going to spend a majority of it's time at a level much lower than 0db.

It's this reason many people use a test tone with a lower signal level to set their gain. The Autosound 2k guys used to recommend a 3:1 gain ratio for the amplifier to allow a higher average power level at the risk of the brief, transient peaks being possibly slightly clipped (depending on various factors). Their rational was that the period of time the music would spend at a level of 0db was so minimal that the clipping with be neither audible nor damaging to equipment and there would be larger benefits in having he higher average power output. They suggested the use to a test tone that was -10db. This is on the more aggressive side, however, and probably a little much if you listen to a lot of heavily compressed music or music intentionally recorded at high levels.

So you could probably drop down to a -3db or -6db test tone for an initial guesstimate, and then listen and see how it does. If you think it's a little aggressive back it off a little bit.

Thanks for this I set mine at 0dB I might try a -3dB tone