tips and suggestion to tuning amp by ear

[theothermike 10+ year member]

Hey guys, i just curious to hear what ya'lls suggestion is when tuning the amps by ear. I tuned by dmm and it just doesnt sound loud or right. My speakers are so quiet when tuned by dmm and my sub is not as loud as it once was.

Just wanna get a few pointers.

Mike

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[luvinthebass 5,000+ posts]

turn the gain up till the sub sounds like it's a wobbly sound that means you're clipping then back it down a tad till the sound is a clean bass and there ya have it, that's what i have always done with my setups but iwth music you're hittin in the -12 to -6 db range most of the time i've noticed so it won't be as strong and loud as the tone you were usin, just gonna have to accept it

 

[n2audio 5,000+ posts]

I would isolate the speakers you're setting, possibly be removing the other rca's from the amp, or fading away from the other speakers.

Make sure x/o's are set at a reasonable point - appx. 80 hp/lp.

Set the gain to its highest voltage (quietest)

Put in a cd typical of what you normally listen to - no burnt stuff, a good original recording. Turn the volume up to appx 3/4 full volume.

Slowly increase the gain until it starts to sound bad, then back it off a few degrees.

 

[luvinthebass 5,000+ posts]

with a song you can do it also N2?

 

[n2audio 5,000+ posts]

If the gain isn't being set with a DMM I don't think there's any advantage to using tones vs music. I've been setting up amps for ~15 yrs and only started using DMM/tones in the last couple - never damaged a speaker.

 

[luvinthebass 5,000+ posts]

i agree N2, especially if ya want the most out of your music, by ear prolly the best as long as you know what clipping sounds like

 

[theothermike 10+ year member]

another ?

My headunit has to have the fader at rear 4 because i have kick panels and only front speakers so my fader is like my left - right. My right hits my ears first in drivers seat because of my leg in the way. should i set my gains at fader 0 then turn up the fader after (when doing with dmm and tones) could that solve the loudness problem?

Second when doing the formula for finding out the voltage of your amp. I have a 4 channel amp which does 325 - 330 @ 4 ohms when bridged. I have 2 gain knobs for my amp too 1 is for chan 1 & 2 and 1 is for chan 3 & 4. Do i do the formula like so Sqrt(4 * 330) = volts or sqrt(4 * 660)

Mike-

 

[theothermike 10+ year member]

Anybody?

 

[T3mpest 10+ year member]

what tone are you using to set your gains? If you use a tone similar to musical content, you'll get more power from your amp WHILE gaining the safety that a dmm will provide. A -6 tone that is max voltage at 3/4 hu volume will give you a chance of clipping, depending on the track and volume knob, but realistically, it'll simply give you better performance from your equipment especially for tracks recorded at a low volume. The clipping should be short and sweet at the most demanding points in actual music.

 

[luvinthebass 5,000+ posts]

makes sense now