Setting gain for fronts:

[psych0ticnemes1 5,000+ posts]

I have a JBL 180.2, which does 180x2 @ 2 ohms...

My speakers are 4ohm each...

Does that mean i am only getting 90 watts to each speaker?

If so, how do i go about setting my gain? Since it is two channel, do i put the dmm in one channel and calc voltage as if i were getting 90 watts or 180?

Thanks guys

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[Immacomputer 10+ year member]

I wouldn't set your gains with a DMM for a mids/highs amp.

Turn the amp completely down and turn up the headunit (with the eq flat for starting) to the max volume that you listen to music at. Then turn up the gain slowly playing a 0dB 1khz tone until you hear the sound change and become distorted. Once you reach this point, back off a little and play music and make sure it is not distorted. If it is, back off of the gains a little more.

 

[psych0ticnemes1 5,000+ posts]

I wouldn't set your gains with a DMM for a mids/highs amp.
Turn the amp completely down and turn up the headunit (with the eq flat for starting) to the max volume that you listen to music at. Then turn up the gain slowly playing a 0dB 1khz tone until you hear the sound change and become distorted. Once you reach this point, back off a little and play music and make sure it is not distorted. If it is, back off of the gains a little more.

it may be hard to tell when it is distorting because my doors may rattle a bit and make it sound distorted

 

[Immacomputer 10+ year member]

They shouldn't at 1khz. Using a DMM on your mids/highs amp will not always be accurate. In fact, I would never trust it and I have never seen it actually sound decent.

If you can't hear distortion in a 1khz tone, something is wrong with you.

 

[psych0ticnemes1 5,000+ posts]

They shouldn't at 1khz. Using a DMM on your mids/highs amp will not always be accurate. In fact, I would never trust it and I have never seen it actually sound decent.
If you can't hear distortion in a 1khz tone, something is wrong with you.

alright, thanks

 

[SlickCMRick 10+ year member]

Thanks that helped me a lot

 

[thch 10+ year member]

for a full range amp, you'd probably want to set the gains based upon what sounds good with the speakers in the car, instead of what maximizes the clean power output of the amplifier.

 

[Scroder2 10+ year member]

After setting the gains then, can you turn the loud and equalization back on the deck or should it remain flat?

Dave

 

[luvinthebass 5,000+ posts]

After setting the gains then, can you turn the loud and equalization back on the deck or should it remain flat?
Dave

whichever you decide

 

[luvinthebass 5,000+ posts]

I wouldn't set your gains with a DMM for a mids/highs amp.
Turn the amp completely down and turn up the headunit (with the eq flat for starting) to the max volume that you listen to music at. Then turn up the gain slowly playing a 0dB 1khz tone until you hear the sound change and become distorted. Once you reach this point, back off a little and play music and make sure it is not distorted. If it is, back off of the gains a little more.

that's the method i use for my mids/highs amp, it works great, but for subs it's harder to tell so i just use a test tone at 50 hz and set it to how many watts i want my amp to put out then i'm set for my sub amp.

 

[thatkidbob 10+ year member]

^ditto... i just finished an install on a friends car and set the gains with a 50hz -3db tone...

she's getting about 500 watts //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

as long as she doesn't **** with the EQ and the bass boost like i told her to haha

 

[Immacomputer 10+ year member]

that's the method i use for my mids/highs amp, it works great, but for subs it's harder to tell so i just use a test tone at 50 hz and set it to how many watts i want my amp to put out then i'm set for my sub amp.

For subs, I usually try to have my amp overpower them and then use tons and set my gains to keep me from overexcurting them. I will never use a DMM unless I'm using them to match gains from different amps.