Help my out on why my subs distort

 

Silver Member
Username: Rzarector

Coquitlam, Bc Canada

Post Number: 350
Registered: Dec-04
ok from what i understand is that subs start to clip when the amp is trying to draw more power than it is capable of.. i have to alpine type r's with the mrd 1001.. the amp is a current readout on it.. so when i turn up the volume i get to around 45 amps current draw and it begins to distort the enclosure is small so they should be able to take the wattage.. and i got an ho alternator so there shouldnt be any electrical issues from there all ground and power wires are 4 gauge.. so what is the deal?? the amp puts out over 1000 watts at 2 ohms which i have it hooked up at??
 

Silver Member
Username: Kd7nfr

Montpelier, ID United States

Post Number: 164
Registered: Apr-05
Try adjusting your EQ.
 

Silver Member
Username: Rzarector

Coquitlam, Bc Canada

Post Number: 354
Registered: Dec-04
what would the eq do for it??... i have bass comp turned on there are 3 diff settings although i cant tell the diff between any of them could that be the prob? another weird thing is that i have to turn the gain on the amp to +9db which is the max and turn the speakers down 6 db for there to be a good balance
 

Gold Member
Username: James1115

Wilton, Ct

Post Number: 3390
Registered: Dec-04
ok well if you are talking about your bass boost all the way up to 9db's then that is your reason for distortion. You have to set your amp gains according to the voltage that your HU puts out. If you have it too high your amp will clip at a much lower volume and the basss boost just add's to that. What HU do you have? how is your gain set on the amp not the bass boost?
 

Silver Member
Username: Rzarector

Coquitlam, Bc Canada

Post Number: 355
Registered: Dec-04
by turning the speakers down i meant the front speakers with the crossover on the hu (CDA 9835)
 

Silver Member
Username: Rzarector

Coquitlam, Bc Canada

Post Number: 356
Registered: Dec-04
thats the thing damn alpine amp isnt a simple knob to turn to the right voltage there is a switch from .1v - 2v or .5v - 8 v or something like that so i have it switched from the .5 - 8 since i have the 9835 and its a 4 v preout... but there under input on the amp there is "gain" ...il post later i gotta go to work lol
 

Silver Member
Username: Rzarector

Coquitlam, Bc Canada

Post Number: 358
Registered: Dec-04
k anyway like i was saying in the amp under the Input mode there are 3 sub categories "gain adjustable from 0db - +6db - +9db" then there is "Sel" under that u can choose Ch1+2 or Ch1 i have 1+2 selected and then there is "Level" adjustable from 0 db to -24db .. i have it at - 5db.. i turned of the bass comp .. i have the subs on a 12 oct slope as well
 

Gold Member
Username: Jonathan_f

GA USA

Post Number: 4117
Registered: May-04
What do you have your sub level set to? Alpine head units have weak subwoofer preouts. Set your sub level to 11-12 and then adjust the gain. Contrary to what most people think, the sub level is actually designed to cut and not boost. Don't use bass boost, it simply bumps response at a narrow frequency range. Head units clip, too, if you turn the volume all the way up and your amp gains aren't adjusted high enough (which is a rare case), then you'll also get distortion.
 

Silver Member
Username: Rzarector

Coquitlam, Bc Canada

Post Number: 359
Registered: Dec-04
on the hu i usually leave it around 9.. it goes from 0 to 15 i notice when i start to put it above 10 it starts to sound like crap... on the amp the "level" is at -5 db i did turn off bass comp and it sounded a bit better... i also polyfilled the .85cu ft (each chamber) box and i got some improvement on the lows.. its not so much it distorts on everything it plays but like when a long bass not is happening and one of those bass thumps goes while the long note is going it wont sound right.. its the thumpy bass that distorts if you get me lol
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