"Q" setting on amp

[mattyb425]

For people much more knowledgeable than I, this will probably be a stupid question... Ive been tuning my own amps for years, but have never had this explained to me in a way that made sense to me... BUT WHAT THE HELL IS THE "Q" SETTING DO??? and more importantly, how is it set properly? I have a general base knowledge of electronics and wiring, but no so much on sound waves and things of the sort... is this something that if set wrong could cause damage?

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[garychoffmann 10+ year member]

The q is the slope. How fast the volume diminishes at the given crossover setting.

 

[mattyb425]

how exactly would you determine the correct setting for something like that?

 

[VWBobby 10+ year member]

It's a personal preference setting. It helps you blend your subs or mids to your highs. If you have speakers that can play down low, you can run a lower slope setting (less drastic cut). If your speakers need a sharp cut crossover (12DB or more), you would run a steeper slope (more cut).

I would adjust it while playing dynamic music and see how it sounds to you. Generally, I don't use the Q setting on any amps.

 

[trumpet 5,000+ posts]

Q is the width of the spread of frequencies around a center frequency. The smaller the Q the wider the spread. On a subwoofer amp that would be your bass boost.