Should I upgrade my amp?

[kottke 10+ year member]

Hi all,

I've got an Image Dynamics ID10 sub in a .75 sealed box. I'm currently powering it with a Panasonic CY-PA2003U amp. The amp puts out 480 x 1 @ 4 ohms. I set the gains using a DMM and the gain tutorial from the forum.

I'm a bit inexperienced and still learning about all things car audio. What I'm wondering is if this Cadence amp, the TXA-3002, would make my sub sound a bit louder and cleaner than it does with the Panasonic, with all else being the same.

The TXA-3002 puts out 600 x 1 @ 4 ohms, so I know it has more power, but just as far as quality of amp, would it make any difference?

The ID10 can take 400 RMS so with either amp there is technically enough power.

I'm afraid I bought a crappy amp in the Panasonic because I didn't know what the heck I was doing. Plus I failed to research as much as I should have through you all.

Thanks for your input!//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

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[kev7706 10+ year member]

If the Panasonic can put out rated power without noticeable distortion, the Cadence won't sound any different, all things equal. My guess is that the IQ can handle a bit more power than it's rated for, so maybe the extra power of the Cadence will give better SPL.

 

[wesl56 10+ year member]

"Should I upgrade my amp?"

the answer is always, "yes" //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/cool.gif.3bcaf8f141236c00f8044d07150e34f7.gif

as far as sound quality from amps go, ive heard some people swear that all amps will sound the same, and ive heard people say they all sound different.... ive only had experience with a handful of brands, but i believe each brand does have its own "sound"

i guess the only way is just to try it out...

 

[kottke 10+ year member]

If the Panasonic can put out rated power without noticeable distortion, the Cadence won't sound any different, all things equal. My guess is that the IQ can handle a bit more power than it's rated for, so maybe the extra power of the Cadence will give better SPL.

This sort of leads me to another question. I have to turn the gain almost all the way up on the Panasonic to get it to put out 400 watts. Is keeping the gain turned up like that all the time hard on the amp? Would this be another reason to upgrade? I don't want the amp to blow after a year because I've had it cranked up all the time.

 

[KickerSoItBump 10+ year member]

As long as the amp isn't clipping you should be fine, but technically the lower the gain is set, the less stress on the amp, which will lengthen the life of it. But technically as long as its not clipping you will be fine.

Personally though I would upgrade the amp.

 

[Prowler573 5,000+ posts]

This sort of leads me to another question. I have to turn the gain almost all the way up on the Panasonic to get it to put out 400 watts. Is keeping the gain turned up like that all the time hard on the amp? Would this be another reason to upgrade? I don't want the amp to blow after a year because I've had it cranked up all the time.

What headunit do you run and what is its RCA preamp output voltage if you know?

 

[kottke 10+ year member]

What headunit do you run and what is its RCA preamp output voltage if you know?

I still have the factory HU, unfortunately. The combination of the fact that my boss...I mean wife, keeps an eye on my spending and that my car (2006 Honda Civic sedan) has the HU integrated completely with the dash have made it tough on a decision to upgrade the HU.

I do not know what the output wattage voltage is. I am using the speaker level inputs on my amp. The output voltage of the battery is 12 volts, however. I don't know if that helps or not.

Thanks guys for your help!

 

[kev7706 10+ year member]

This sort of leads me to another question. I have to turn the gain almost all the way up on the Panasonic to get it to put out 400 watts. Is keeping the gain turned up like that all the time hard on the amp? Would this be another reason to upgrade? I don't want the amp to blow after a year because I've had it cranked up all the time.

The purpose of the gain is to match the level of the amp with the level of the radio. Put simply, you want the amp to put out full power (400 watts) when the radio is at maximum volume without clipping the signal - usually 75-85% turned up.

As long as your amp isn't clipping, you've got nothing to worry about. As someone suggested, the voltage at the radio will determine where your gain needs to be. A properly set gain will not wear out an amp, regardless of how high it needs to be to match the level of the radio.

 

[kottke 10+ year member]

The purpose of the gain is to match the level of the amp with the level of the radio. Put simply, you want the amp to put out full power (400 watts) when the radio is at maximum volume without clipping the signal - usually 75-85% turned up.
As long as your amp isn't clipping, you've got nothing to worry about. As someone suggested, the voltage at the radio will determine where your gain needs to be. A properly set gain will not wear out an amp, regardless of how high it needs to be to match the level of the radio.

Alright, it sounds like I've got my gain set correctly then....I just didn't want to mess my amp up.

Also, what happens when you have a recording that is much more quiet than other recordings, therefore forcing you turn the volume up quite a bit higher, just to get normal volume output. For example, most of the time I don't need to turn the volume higher than 15 - 20(out of 40) on my head unit. However on a few albums, I've had to turn the volume up to 30, maybe even a bit higher. Since I set my gain by using the volume at 3/4 (test tone began to clip at 30), am I going to damage the sub or amp turning the volume up that high, even though the song isn't playing any louder than other recordings maybe do at say 15?

Sorry if that paragraph is confusing.

 

[kev7706 10+ year member]

Alright, it sounds like I've got my gain set correctly then....I just didn't want to mess my amp up.
Also, what happens when you have a recording that is much more quiet than other recordings, therefore forcing you turn the volume up quite a bit higher, just to get normal volume output. For example, most of the time I don't need to turn the volume higher than 15 - 20(out of 40) on my head unit. However on a few albums, I've had to turn the volume up to 30, maybe even a bit higher. Since I set my gain by using the volume at 3/4 (test tone began to clip at 30), am I going to damage the sub or amp turning the volume up that high, even though the song isn't playing any louder than other recordings maybe do at say 15?

Sorry if that paragraph is confusing.

Not confusing at all. Good questions. Since you know what a clipped signal sounds like, listen for it. As long as you're not clipping, you're good.

 

[kottke 10+ year member]

Not confusing at all. Good questions. Since you know what a clipped signal sounds like, listen for it. As long as you're not clipping, you're good.

Ok. Thanks for all of your help! I'm just really anal and am trying to make sure I'm getting all I can out of my setup without screwing something up.

Thanks again.//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif