i was wondering, if i lower the volume of the amp, will it still draw the same amount of power, compared to higher volumes, and if it does draw less power, how much less
No Paul, at low volumes, it'll draw less current. The exact amount no one really knows cause it'll depend on the music. Your manual should list it though, one for idle mode, normal load, and full load. My amp did.
Help2
Unregistered guest
Posted on
Actually...If you set your amp with a multimeter, you should know exactly how much power youre using.
The gain control on the amp is NOT a volume control. You use the gain to match your amp with the signal from your HU...Not to make your stuff "louder"
but dont amplifiers have a volume control too.so im i have lets say a 1200 watt amp, and im trying to run with with two 400 wattt subs, that means that theres nothing i can do to lower the amount of watts the amp is putting into the subs (and the amount of power its draining).
that just means on your head unit you cant turn the volume all the way up. maybe 75% is really going to be 100% since your amp is 400watts over the needed 800 for the subs. also, most subs can withstand a good amount of power..way above the RMS rating, they just dont need the extra power or sound as good with it.
a "1200 watt" amp like the bp1200.1 is 1200 watts at full volume/output.
every time you audibly halve the volume from that point (-10dB) you are decreasing power output, and subsequently current draw by a factor of ten.
so.. at full volume, you'll put out 1200 watts, and 115A of current draw. at half of full volume, you'll put out about 120 watts, and 54A of current draw. at half of that volume, you're at a mere 12 watts..
this is why people with 1200 watt amps, who never really run the system at full blast for long, may get by with a stock alternator and never have a problem.
Hey Paul if you lower the gain on the amp, all you're doing is lowering the signal strength going into the amp. It has the overall effect of turning down the volume. That is not how the gain control should be used.