Some what confused on gain settings

[dooski 10+ year member]

Ok I get the whole idea of using a dmm to set your gains with that equation and what not but when someone post "rated for 1500rms but can handle way more" doesnt that mean they are clipping or no? The sub im going to be using is a jl 10'' w6v2 but it says recommended is 200-600rms. It will be wired in a 2ohm configuration so do I use (600*2)sqrt ?

thanks

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[MANTI5 10+ year member]

If you use an oscope you can see when a driver clips. Using a dmm will get you to a safe place usually but an oscope can show more.

 

[dooski 10+ year member]

If you use an oscope you can see when a driver clips. Using a dmm will get you to a safe place usually but an oscope can show more.

Ah ok that makes sense, and also for using a dmm for setting up components do i use the same tone as i do with the sub or do i use a different tone?

 

[RSDXzec 10+ year member]

Ah ok that makes sense, and also for using a dmm for setting up components do i use the same tone as i do with the sub or do i use a different tone?

I use a 50hz tone when I set up subs and a 1khz tone to set up speakers. I am a novice though so you probably would want to wait until someone more experienced responds. I find that with speakers though I just set the gains with a dmm then change them to my liking because I find distortion on speakers easier to hear than on subs.

good luck

 

[rodneypierce 10+ year member]

Sorry, newb here, but what is a dmm? Only thing I can think of is a digital multi meter, but how would you use that to set gains?

***NVM, just did a google search and figured it out. Very simple and smart!***

 

[Kangaroux 5,000+ posts]

Sorry, newb here, but what is a dmm? Only thing I can think of is a digital multi meter, but how would you use that to set gains?

Yep dmm is a multimeter. With the meter you can measure the amount of voltage coming from your amp's speaker terminals. This voltage can be calculated using a simple formula: √(watts * ohms) = AC volts. "watts" is how much power you want the sub to see, and "ohms" is whatever impedance the amp is seeing. So, if you have a dual 4 ohm sub that is wired to 2 ohms and rated at 600w, and your amp puts out at least 600w, you would play a 50hz test tone, and turn your gain up until the speaker terminals read ~34.6v

 

[rodneypierce 10+ year member]

Yep dmm is a multimeter. With the meter you can measure the amount of voltage coming from your amp's speaker terminals. This voltage can be calculated using a simple formula: √(watts * ohms) = AC volts. "watts" is how much power you want the sub to see, and "ohms" is whatever impedance the amp is seeing. So, if you have a dual 4 ohm sub that is wired to 2 ohms and rated at 600w, and your amp puts out at least 600w, you would play a 50hz test tone, and turn your gain up until the speaker terminals read ~34.6v

**thread hijack on**

Thanks. Super simple, and makes perfect sense. How I wasnt aware of this before I have no clue. Guess I really am a newb. LOL.

Looks like my subs will be set to 22.36, front speakers to 14.14, and rear speakers to 15.5. Awesome. Thanks!

**thread hijack off**

 

[bubbagumper6 5,000+ posts]

Ok I get the whole idea of using a dmm to set your gains with that equation and what not but when someone post "rated for 1500rms but can handle way more" doesnt that mean they are clipping or no? The sub im going to be using is a jl 10'' w6v2 but it says recommended is 200-600rms. It will be wired in a 2ohm configuration so do I use (600*2)sqrt ?
thanks

No, setting your gains has more to do with your amplifier then your sub. When they say a sub can handle more that just means you could possibly use a bigger amplifier on it. You NEVER want to set your gain so high that you're clipping, that will be the end of your speakers. What is the rms output of your amplifier? You'll want to use that number for your gain calculation, not your sub's. (The only exception to that rule is if you're running a very large amplifier that can supply way more power than your sub can handle, in that case you would want to use your sub's rating because you will not want your amp to run at full potential)

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

If you use an oscope you can see when a driver clips. Using a dmm will get you to a safe place usually but an oscope can show more.

It's the amplifier that clips, not the speakers...

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

**thread hijack on**
Thanks. Super simple, and makes perfect sense. How I wasnt aware of this before I have no clue. Guess I really am a newb. LOL.

Looks like my subs will be set to 22.36, front speakers to 14.14, and rear speakers to 15.5. Awesome. Thanks!

**thread hijack off**

Except, it's really not that simple. The impedance that the amp is seeing isn't the same number as the coils are wired to - the enclosure plays a huge role in what the actual impedance seen by the amplifier is. To measure that, you need to clamp an ammeter on the speaker leads to read current.

And even then, it doesn't tell you if the waveform is clipped, as mentioned by other posters.

 

[dooski 10+ year member]

No, setting your gains has more to do with your amplifier then your sub. When they say a sub can handle more that just means you could possibly use a bigger amplifier on it. You NEVER want to set your gain so high that you're clipping, that will be the end of your speakers. What is the rms output of your amplifier? You'll want to use that number for your gain calculation, not your sub's. (The only exception to that rule is if you're running a very large amplifier that can supply way more power than your sub can handle, in that case you would want to use your sub's rating because you will not want your amp to run at full potential)

Ok the amp that i have is a mmats 1100d that i bought from spooney. specs say its 600rms @2ohm 1100 @1ohm but spooney was saying that someone clamped that amp pushing 990rms @2ohm not sure how accurate that is but w/e //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[Why So Cereal? 5,000+ posts]

Except, it's really not that simple. The impedance that the amp is seeing isn't the same number as the coils are wired to - the enclosure plays a huge role in what the actual impedance seen by the amplifier is. To measure that, you need to clamp an ammeter on the speaker leads to read current.
And even then, it doesn't tell you if the waveform is clipped, as mentioned by other posters.

I've always wondered if ppl took box rise into account when they did it...like instead of using 2 ohms in the formula use 2.8 or whatever they get on the DMM after rise (even though I don't use the DMM method)

 

[MANTI5 10+ year member]

It's the amplifier that clips, not the speakers...

Yes, sorry I mispoke and should have reread that. I should have made it more clear by saying you could see when the driver was being sent a clipped signal.