turn up H.U. or amp?

[iammiowngod 10+ year member]

Should you keep the gain on the amp lower and turn up the volume on the HU or should you turn up the gain and keep the HU low? i have an elclipse with 5 volt outs. (not using the HU amp at all)

thanks

-brian

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[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

The HU is your volume control. You want to turn it up. The amp gain should ideally be set as low as possible.

 

[iammiowngod 10+ year member]

ahhhh i see i figured as much but wanted a second opinion, thanks

-brian

 

[AFaceInTheCrowd 10+ year member]

since you are using a unit with a 5vrms preout, you should set your gains to the 5v position. this will allow your amplifiers to produce full power at full volume.

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

In theory. It doesn't usually work that way because most HUs start to clip their preamp outs befor they get to the advertised preamp voltage.

 

[AFaceInTheCrowd 10+ year member]

In theory. It doesn't usually work that way because most HUs start to clip their preamp outs befor they get to the advertised preamp voltage.

so just comphensate for the clippage. the preout voltages will usually clip at like 85-90% of the headunit's max volume. so turn the gain down just below the 5v mark.

 

[sumone 10+ year member]

but won't a less-sensitive gain and high volume mean higher distortion even at lower volumes?

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

Why would lowering the gain lead to more distortion? It will reduce noise in the system and reduce the chance of clipping the amp.

so just comphensate for the clippage. the preout voltages will usually clip at like 85-90% of the headunit's max volume. so turn the gain down just below the 5v mark.

Most amp are not marked as to the corresponding voltages that a particular gain setting is for. That being said you are better off setting the gain lower rather than higher. If you set your gain correctly there is basically zero chance of clipping the amp.

 

[sumone 10+ year member]

Cause I thought, for example, say I have a 5v preamp on the HU. If I set the gain on the amp to like 10v, and have the HU volume at 90-100%, say with bass boosts, that it wouldn't be as loud as it can be and the distortion (from the HU clipping the preamps) would be audible?

 

[iammiowngod 10+ year member]

yeah my amps arnt marked for voltegs. the HU is an eclipse witch is a tru 5 volts, so im told

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

Cause I thought, for example, say I have a 5v preamp on the HU. If I set the gain on the amp to like 10v, and have the HU volume at 90-100%, say with bass boosts, that it wouldn't be as loud as it can be and the distortion (from the HU clipping the preamps) would be audible?

If you are clipping the HU then it doesn't matter what the gain on the amp is set to, you will get audible distortion. I'm not talking about being way off on the gain setting. I'm talking being a fews tenths of a volt off on a 4-5V preout signal. It will, to your ear anyway, get as loud as the amp is going to get but you won't run the amp into clipping. Ideally you should have your amp set so your HU clips first and your amp clips never.

 

[iammiowngod 10+ year member]

can you explain clipping to me?

thanks

-brian

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

A quick use of the search function would have yielded this:

http://forums.caraudio.com/vb/showthread.php?t=55307

 

[iammiowngod 10+ year member]

ok so i read your frig'en book on clipping and it would seem that when i go to buy my next amp i need to get one that has the right multiplyer for the out put of my HU. or does the gain controle completly eliminate the need for this? do amp manufacturers provide there amps multiplying factor?

-brian

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

or does the gain controle completly eliminate the need for this?

If you had really red my post, you would have seen that this is the whole function of the gain control

do amp manufacturers provide there amps multiplying factor?

Gain control makes this irrelevant, but no.