Ok, there is something that I am confused about when it comes to amps. An amp says that it puts out 1000 wrms, which rms (root mean square) in simple terms the average output of the amp, so i have heard. At what point is it actually putting out 1000 watts? Right before it distorts? Because obviouisly its not putting 1000 watts out when I have the volume at 3. So when my amp starts the clip and I can hear distortion in the subs, does that mean my amp is trying to put out more power than its rms? Just curious about how the power of the amp works. Thanks guys.
When an amp says 1000w rms. It means to get that power, you need to supply the needed input voltage. For example, if you set the amp for 4v input, then 4v from HU will cause the amp to output 1000w. Since you get 4v from HU at or near max volume level, you won't get 1000w until the amp gets the needed input voltage. As you know, lot of HUs will distort around 85%. That is probably why you start hearing distortion/clipping. Unless you own one of those fake 1000w amps (Sony/Pyramid/Pyle/Lanzar/Legacy/Boss), the problem usually lies with the HU.
Thanks for the reply Isaac. Will the amp start to clip sooner if I have the HU set on really high bass? I am trying to get my subs as loud as they can before they start to distort. Right now I have the bass on the HU set at highest. Depending on what cd im listening to, most songs I can hear distortion in the subs around 35 volume level on my HU. And my HU goes up to 60. I have a Xtant amp and subs, so I don't think it is the amp that is putting out bad power. I am however giving the subs only 160 wrms each, which they are 250 wrms subs. Does that have something to do with it? Should I try resetting my gain?
Bass boosting circuits on the HU will cause the signal to distort that much faster. Normally you set it to flat and let the amp take over. If you're not getting enough bass, then you either need to get more powerful amp/sub and or parametric equalizer.
So your saying that I should set the bass on my HU to flat? I would hardly get any bass then at all. Unless I just turn it to flat an just turn the gain on the amp up. The only problem is that I don't want the subs to be booming all the time, like if I just want to talk to people in my car and listen to some music. In other words, I only want the subs to pound sometimes, not all the time. How do you have your set in your car?
BTW, I dont even know what a parametric equalizer is! LOL
On my unit, I have the bass at flat setting. Depending on the song, I sometimes can get too much bass, but most of the time, I get enough to rattle the car. I have my bass boost set to minimum also. I really depends on your sub and amp. If it's powerful enough, it'll supply enough bass to satisfy you. If you need bass with your current setup, then use the boost with caution instead of opening up the gain/level control. Parametric is like an equalizer but gives you much more control over the sound.
I don't have a button that says "bass boost" on it on my HU. I just use the built in equalizer. Is that the same thing? When you say that you have your bass boost set to min., are you talking about on your amp? I have mine set to about 1/3 on the amp. So in your setup, ,you basically have bass all the time? On my HU, I usually just switch between preset equailzer curves. I set it at "vocal" when I don't want a lot of bass. Then to "super bass" or "powerful" when I want alot. Its just a quick way to put the bass equalizeer from +1 to +6(highest). Thats not a bad way to do it is it?
I have remote bass boost on my amp. It's always at minimum setting. I also have equalizer on the HU. The low frequencies are set to flat. Songs sound best in my setup when the equalizer is set close to flat. I get bass if there is one in the original song. In fact, it sounds very "natural". The drums and vocals sound very real. You will notice that, as you go higher in SQ, things will sound better at flat setting. This is why one of the best amp (PPI white art series) come with no crossover, and yet it produces one of the best sound. Orion G4 is the opposite of PPI. It comes with lot of crossovers and still produces great sound.
KMARTXR
Unregistered guest
Posted on
bass boost is something you will see on the amp, probably not ur HU. a remote gain control may be something you should look for. keep ur HU bass flat and use the remote gain control to control it from your driver seat, whether you want ur ears to ring or just to allow a nice background music for conversation
I noticed that JL has a remote bass control. It seems to me a very convenient way to contol gain without fiddling with the HU. I am considering getting a JL mono amp, are there any downsides to adding the remote?
When you boost an equalizer, you are boosting the signal at a center frequency, and it effects a certain range of frequencies surrounding that, how wide that is depends on the type of equalizer used (graphic, parametric) and the Q of the equalizer, which is what determines the range of frequencies the EQ effects, in octaves. If you use bass boost on the amplifier, it is typically centered at 40 or 45hz. In the case of your HU, the bass boost with the preset EQs are around 60hz if I remember correctly. What I'm getting at is that you are forcing the amplifier to clip at those frequencies, but other frequencies around that will not be clipped. You get the distortion, but not the output over a wide bandwidth. Instead of using the EQ to boost subwoofer output, use the subwoofer level control that comes with your head unit, that way you can raise the subwoofer level without overemphasizing a certain bass region, effectively making bass seem louder since the component speakers aren't matched in output. Then turn the sub level down if you want a more balanced sound. When you boost an equalizer by 3db, it requires twice the level of power to produce that volume level. If you boost by 6db, you require roughly 4x the power over if the equalizer was flat. As you can guess, it is very easy to drive an amplifier into clipping when you use EQs, bass boost, etc, and even more easy if you combine them. About amplifiers, solid state amplifiers will produce their rated power right before they clip, then they clip HARD. You will get nasty distortion nearly instantly after you pass rated power output (unless you are talking about high end American amplifiers, which underrate their power output by a large amount). If you're wanting the subs to get as loud as they can without clipping, DO NOT use bass boost, equalizers, gain control, or other methods as a crutch. Proper gain setting is the key, you will get the output, you just won't be able to say "man, it's this loud and my volume is only at 20!". You'll have to turn it up a little more to get the output, but I'd guess you're already clipping much more often than you think you are. About equalizing, don't boost, cut surrounding frequencies if necessary to achieve a flat sound. Like Isaac said above, the best equalizer is none at all, best thing is to have a system that gives you the performance you want without using a lot of processing to accomplish it. Less is more in this case.
Thanks for the great reply Jonathan, I really appreciate it. With my HU, it has a "low pass filter", which can be set to 50, 80 or 125. Then you can set the level, which I think you were refering to. So I guess I will put everything on flat, and then just turn the sub level up and down when I want more bass like you suggested. I am probably going to have to readjust my gain on my amp then too. What would be the best way to ensure that when I turn the sub level up, that I am getting the loudest possible? Would it be best to set my gain while the sub level is maxed, that way I know when it will start clipping? Sorry, generally I'm not good at explianing things in type! Thanks again bro!
If you intend to emphasize the bass region (make it louder than the front components), then set the gain with the sub level flat. If you want to use the sub level only to cut, then set the gain with the sub level up. If you set your gain correctly, then you will be getting the loudest *clean* volume you can get. Most people don't set the gain correctly, so they drive the amplifiers into clipping often, and when you clip, you can actually get twice the power out of the amplifier, but it is very dirty power and can damage the subwoofer. That's why it seems much louder when you are clipping, plus the fact that you're getting more distortion, which creates more fatigue to the ears, the ear percieves excessive distortion as loudness. When you set the gain by ear, more often than not you're still driving the amplifier into clipping when you don't think you are, simply because it is more difficult to hear distortion in lower frequencies. The most accurate method is to use an oscilloscope, second best is a voltmeter.
money mike
Unregistered guest
Posted on
Im running 2 sony xplod 12" subs powered by an infinity REF7541A every time i go to blast my stereo the subs kick off and the protect light goes on on the amp what is wrong ???