setting the subwoofer on level "+6"

[M@nJo 10+ year member]

im not sure if you guys might know what im trying to explain here, but most headunits that have subwoofer features; there is a freqency setting and another setting where it can go from -6 to +6. now, is it perfectly fine to leave it at +6 or a high level rather than forcing the gains to make the sub sound?

my gains are set properly, but when i leave it at +6, it hits real hard, but my manual doesnt explain much about it, so i just left it at +3 to be safe. but would i be fine going to +4 or +5 level?

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[MrSwiss 10+ year member]

yah my HU has +10 and -10 for bass, as well sor the sub woofer. both of these knobs conuse me lol. i just keep my bass boost off, leave my bass around 0, and adjust my subwoofer lvls as desired(tho i prefer to keep that around 0 a well).

 

[ngsm13 5,000+ posts]

I ALWAYS have my Treble, Mid, Bass zero-d out on my HU. I keep the actual sub-woofer out level at about half or 3/4 of max. I then set my gains with the maximum volume I'd ever listen to music at.

It IS much better to have the actual bass zero-d out...and then set your gains from there. So, in essence...opposite of what you said.

nG

 

[M@nJo 10+ year member]

my head unit does have a dedicated sub setting. im asking if it would harm my equipment by leaving the dedicated sub setting to the highest so the sub hits harder/louder.

i currently have it at around +3 when my lowest is -6 and my highest is +6.

my HU = pioneer premier p8-mp

 

[g30ffr3y 10+ year member]

my HU goes from -24 to +6... so when i set my gains i set them with the

sub level at -12 so i have plenty of room to go up and down according

to the music program without possible running the HU too hard with the

sub level up at +6 on really quiet bass songs...

the highest i ever have to turn it up is like -3... bear in mind im very careful

doing this... i run a volt meter up near the HU to monitor exactly what

voltage is being applied at any given time...

maybe im the only one who doesnt know what 1000 watts sounds

like... but this method keeps me safe and bumping to the max!!!

 

[M@nJo 10+ year member]

the last people who touched it were audio pros at some shop, they adjusted my amp when it was at 0 and 80hz. the sub dedicated setting that is.

i then left it on +3 as it lets my sub hit harder. am i harming my equipment? should i lower the gains if i plan to set it any higher?

 

[Raven 10+ year member]

Probably not. After you have this hobby for so long you can literally hear clipping, and you'll know how much your subs can take. Seing as it's DD, I don't think setting your HU on "gain happy" mode will too much until you start being a dumbass and showing off for friends with it that high.

 

[klassic 10+ year member]

I always set my amps gain with the sub level on zero. If its set where I like it most of the time at 0db I have the most range of adjustment when I need to turn the bass level up or down to match different recordings. Besides turning up the bass level is just increasing the voltage to the amp (like a headunit with 2volt RCA outputs vs one with 4volt output RCAs except with the sublevel its adjustable). There's no real noise floor advantage at those frequencies, the only real reason it would make sense to set your amp up with the sublevel maxxed out. you might as well set it up the way its designed to be set up (that being with the ability to adjust it up and down as needed). If your amp has a normal range of input voltage adjustments it will hit just as hard with the sublevel set at 0db as it will with the sub level set at 6db but with headroom to turn it up on tracks where the bass is recorded too low.