powering components with big amp

[noob with an RS 10+ year member]

hey i have a set of infinity perfect 6.1 components and i just got a hifonics nx600 to power them but the thing is, the amp puts out 150 watts x 2 in 4-ohm and the perfects are rated at only 100 watts RMS. i read the gain setting tutorial thread and i c that the voltage number with the amp would be 24.49 . should i set the gain so that it puts out 24.49 volts with a test tone even though the components only call for 100 watts RMS?? i dont want to distort my components without knowing or even worse, fry them. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/banghead.gif.8606515f668c74f6de0281deb475b6fd.gif can someone please advise me with what to do??

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[substandard 10+ year member]

well, i don't know a whole lot about setting gains by measuring the voltage output. But, I do know that the volume knob is a pretty significant source of control over how much wattage is actually going to your speakers. By that I mean the amp will not give you 150 watts until you turn the volume way, way up. There are a lot of theories out there about what will blow speakers, and I won't pretend to fully understand any of those theories. But, the 100 watts your speakers are rated at is just a rating; it's not a requirement or a ceiling. Basically, the more power your amp puts out, the better. This is because it will give your speakers the power they need without becoming stressed, and subsequently distorting the signal. I once hooked up a JL Audio 300/2 to a pair of 35W rated kencrap coaxials and they sounded great for what you'd expect from a pair of $30 speakers. Anyway, hope that helps.

 

[Diplexers 10+ year member]

You can do it the old fashioned way...

Turn the amp gain ALLL the way down. Crank the deck all the way up and then SLOWLY turn up the gain on the amp until just before distortion occurs. Now be careful, some amps will still smoke those components with the gain all the way down if you crank the volume........so slowly crank the deck volume so as not to smoke your hard earned toys. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

 

[radel2dope 10+ year member]

I am powering my Pioneer 6x9's rated at 120 RMS a piece, and Im using a 1200 Watt amp that I used to use for my sub. I turned EVERYTHING all the way down, and turned my HU to the loudest I would ever have it turned up. I then put on the song with the most bass I could find. Then I slowly turned my gain up until I heard distortion and then turned it down a smidge. Been working great for 3 months.

 

[noob with an RS 10+ year member]

I am powering my Pioneer 6x9's rated at 120 RMS a piece, and Im using a 1200 Watt amp that I used to use for my sub. I turned EVERYTHING all the way down, and turned my HU to the loudest I would ever have it turned up. I then put on the song with the most bass I could find. Then I slowly turned my gain up until I heard distortion and then turned it down a smidge. Been working great for 3 months.

how much do u have the gain up?? mine is between a quarter full and half-way. i used the technique of playing a 1khz test tone (since its for components) and turned the gain up until i got a 24.5 voltage reading. 24.5 volts because

it is the square root of the amps rated POWER times its rated OHMS.. SQRT OF(150x4). it sounds GREAT and does not distort. but i'm afraid that having it past the quarter mark is too high.. is this ok?

 

[substandard 10+ year member]

i'm the world's most stupidest friggin moron when it comes to the volume knob and gains and just installation in general. Yet, I have never blown a pair of speakers. I'm beginning to think that doing so is either a result of speaker manufacturing defects, or just kamakaze-style gain setting - the latter seemingly the last thing you'll ever attempt. Speakers love lots of clean power. Go to town with it. You'd be surprised just how much punishment they'll take. If, by some crazy chance you actually do some damage, then you have a great excuse to buy another pair.

 

[Diplexers 10+ year member]

i'm the world's most stupidest friggin moron when it comes to the volume knob and gains and just installation in general. Yet, I have never blown a pair of speakers. I'm beginning to think that doing so is either a result of speaker manufacturing defects, or just kamakaze-style gain setting - the latter seemingly the last thing you'll ever attempt. Speakers love lots of clean power. Go to town with it. You'd be surprised just how much punishment they'll take. If, by some crazy chance you actually do some damage, then you have a great excuse to buy another pair.

no no no... no blowing speakers, they have feelings too. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/tongue.gif.6130eb82179565f6db8d26d6001dcd24.gif

 

[substandard 10+ year member]

but seriously though...

I guess you could say I'm between installs right now. I was pretty happy with my Alpine SPX F17M set being fed by a JL 300/2, but then I needed some money and I had to put it all on ebay...the EQ, the Cap, Subs, and sub amps. So, right now, I just have a pair of Infinity Reference coaxials up front with some boston acoustics in the rear with a clarion 4 channel on duty. The Infinity Refs are rated at 60 RMS. The amp is rated at 80 watts/channel. I have the gains up about halfway with the hi-pass set at 55hz. These speakers just couldn't sound better, given their limitations as low-end coaxials. So, what does that tell you? It tells you that specs (like those that are listed on the box) really don't amount to jack squat in the overall scheme of things. Don't look at your speakers' 100 watt rating, then at your amps 150/channel rating and say "I've got too much power". Infinity aren't the greatest speakers out there, but they certainly aren't crap. It would be pretty **** hard to do major damage with the amp that you have. Moreover, that 150 watts is probably a "dynamic" rating. This means it's the power the amp produces when getting the full 14.4 volts from your battery. On average, unless you beefed up your electrical system, the voltage going to your amp will be around 12.5V-13.5V. This means your amp is not producing 150 watts/ channel. Furthermore, The volume knob is always what ultimately controls how much power your speaks are getting. Unless you have it cranked so loud that deafness is working its way through your eardrums, 150 watts -again- is nowhere near what is coursing through speaker wires. You paid $$$ for some nice speakers. That doesn't mean you need to treat them like they're priceless artifacts. Set your amp loose on them. That's what they're made for. We're not talking Lanzar or Kencrap here.

 

[noob with an RS 10+ year member]

but seriously though...
I guess you could say I'm between installs right now. I was pretty happy with my Alpine SPX F17M set being fed by a JL 300/2, but then I needed some money and I had to put it all on ebay...the EQ, the Cap, Subs, and sub amps. So, right now, I just have a pair of Infinity Reference coaxials up front with some boston acoustics in the rear with a clarion 4 channel on duty. The Infinity Refs are rated at 60 RMS. The amp is rated at 80 watts/channel. I have the gains up about halfway with the hi-pass set at 55hz. These speakers just couldn't sound better, given their limitations as low-end coaxials. So, what does that tell you? It tells you that specs (like those that are listed on the box) really don't amount to jack squat in the overall scheme of things. Don't look at your speakers' 100 watt rating, then at your amps 150/channel rating and say "I've got too much power". Infinity aren't the greatest speakers out there, but they certainly aren't crap. It would be pretty **** hard to do major damage with the amp that you have. Moreover, that 150 watts is probably a "dynamic" rating. This means it's the power the amp produces when getting the full 14.4 volts from your battery. On average, unless you beefed up your electrical system, the voltage going to your amp will be around 12.5V-13.5V. This means your amp is not producing 150 watts/ channel. Furthermore, The volume knob is always what ultimately controls how much power your speaks are getting. Unless you have it cranked so loud that deafness is working its way through your eardrums, 150 watts -again- is nowhere near what is coursing through speaker wires. You paid $$$ for some nice speakers. That doesn't mean you need to treat them like they're priceless artifacts. Set your amp loose on them. That's what they're made for. We're not talking Lanzar or Kencrap here.

thank you for your great explanation. it was the most informative and persuaded me the most. but when u say "Set your amp loose on them. That's what they're made for. We're not talking Lanzar or Kencrap here." do you mean "give those suckers full power but don't use a low-end amp.. such as hifonics??"

 

[BOOKER 10+ year member]

I'm only giving 30 watts rms to my Boston Acoustic components and they sound great, and they are rated at 60 watts rms.

Like someone said before you don't NEED to give your comps 100 W, you will notice the difference at high volume levels, so if you are of those that like to play music for your neighborhood go on, but you don't need to.

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/peace.gif.2db28b618ed8d1964ebbe2f5021d2c39.gif

 

[substandard 10+ year member]

thank you for your great explanation. it was the most informative and persuaded me the most. but when u say "Set your amp loose on them. That's what they're made for. We're not talking Lanzar or Kencrap here." do you mean "give those suckers full power but don't use a low-end amp.. such as hifonics??"

actually, i meant to say legacy instead of lanzar. anyway, what I'm trying to say is that , from my experiences, infinity speakers - especially the perfects- can take a serious beating. I'm not recommending that you drive around with your gains so far up that you're just blaring a bunch of distortion. What i'm saying is let your ears do the judging, not your eyes by looking at specs. If you feel like you need to turn the gain up higher, or that you just simply could turn it up higher, go ahead and do so as long as the music still sounds good. As I was saying earlier, If your speakers sound good, it is very, very unlikely they're being damaged. That's just from my experiences. I'm not a professional installer; nor have I installed countless speakers and countless amps. But, I have been through quite a few of both and never blown a set of speakers regardless of what their rating is in comparison to that of the amp's.

There's a term to describe when you have more power than you really need. This term is "headroom". The more "headroom" you have, the more ability you have to crank it up while still getting clean sound. In fact, damage is more likely to occur by trying to push an amp with less power because the amp will be stressed and will be sending your speakers what's called a "clipped" signal. "Clipped" signals create more heat, and heat is a big factor in blowing speakers. Not only that, but "clipped" signals are commonly identified by "distortion" in your speakers. For instance, when you get distortion in your speakers by turning up your head unit too high, it's not because they're being overpowered. It's because the head unit is being pushed too hard and is sending a "clipped" signal to your speakers. But, clipping isn't always audible - especially at low levels.

Anyway, there's a lot more to that whole deal than what I described - a lot more than what I understand.

But, what I do understand is that there are a lot of people who are terrified of getting the full potential from their amp because they think they will blow their speakers. Believe me, a majority of the time, the problem will be the other way around: you'll never have a enough power.

and make sure that there is an airtight seal where the speaker is mounted. Basically, make sure there are no gaps between the speaker and the mounting bracket. And, if you can throw a layer of sounddeadener on the doors, that will help out big time as well.