Most people only show you how to set it to clipping point instead of matchin the power to subs like this man does great job I know that's an old video but it continue to help people
Before watching this i was constantly setting the gain because the music sounded wrong and bad quality. Today i took the time to properly set the gain with this method, the difference is huge! No matter how loud i want to listen, it never sounds distorted and the actual music quality is superb! :)
Do you set the gain matching the ohms of the sub in general or the ohms your wiring it down to? I have for 4ohm but going to wire it to 2ohm. That is why I'm asking.
@Romi would you also happend to know if say I have a 1000 watt amp and I have 2 500 watt subs and I tune it to 1000 watts will that split the 1000 watts and give 500 watts to each subwoofer?
This video helped me out immensely! I used this technique to set the sub gain as well as the 4 channel with a 1kHz tone, and the results were phenomenal. The bass sounds great, but even more than that, my cabin speakers (all Type R) sound the best they ever have. I'm hearing details I've never heard before, and with all 4 set properly, there's a synergy and a chemistry between them and I believe I'm hearing them the way they were designed to be heard by Alpine. It's also a great feeling to be sitting in the driver's seat at the stereo controls and knowing that everything is set as it should be, and being confident in knowing how much headroom I have when listening to music recoreded at slightly different levels because I saw the DMM readings for myself rather than having someone else do the install for me. Thank you guys so much... you're the best!
When you do this, apply your amp changes when the car is running. A fully charged battery is only ~12.5v. When your car is running, you'll see ~13.4-14.4v, depending on your voltage regulator. DON'T use this method with the car off, otherwise when your car is on and you're actually pushing, say, 14v, for instance, you'll be over your RMS power goal. Also, check the actual impedance at the speaker wire ends. A wired 2-ohm sub may measure 2.4 ohms, or it could measure 1.7, etc. Use measured numbers instead of theoretical ones when you use the equation.
There is difference between resistance and impedance, how would you measure impedance? At what frequency? As general rule of thumb just use 2 ohm for 2 ohm sub, since impedance changes with change in frequency, also box rise can affect that too
What about setting gain this way on a set of NVX JAD 1200.1 amps. I know the master is where I will set all the gains, and the slave amp won't need adjusting. However where should I stick the Digital Multimeter leads and will it be the same formula as stated above. I do not have access to any expensive equipment just a multimeter.
Put the leads where your negative and postives wires for you subs go. turn to ac voltage , and your good to go. (play a 50 htz test cd and put gain from 0 to where it reads for your math)
These comments aren't lying bro. I've looked this up multiple times and couldn't understand a bit of it but the way dude explained it could not be simpler in my opinion
Thank you so much!!! THIS WAY TOO SIMPLE, I tuned my 5 channel amp using this method. tuned my sub to 40hz and my front/rear @1khz setting it to factory projected RMS with my deck set 0 accross the board. After that setting my internal deck x-overs became a SNAP!!! Crystal clear at max volume, without piercing my ears, was able to sing "ABC" at my normal speaking level and not hear my own voice. Kenwood eXcelon 998 Rockford Fosgate P1000X5 Focal access 165AS front/rear KICKER 40CWRT671 x2
Would you guys mind making a video about different test tones (0db, -3db, -5db etc. ), explaining the difference between them and explaining gain overlap. What it is and how we can use it. I'm sure it would be very helpful for a lot of people. By the way, great video!
this was the most informative video I've ever seen on this subject, I already knew the method intimately, but I've never been able to explain it, I'll just show this video, thank you
Alan I've become a fan and subscriber of the channel over the past year and its always impressive when a host will not only answer the question but "take it a step further" to test the theory and alleviate ALL doubt! Well done and keep up the good work! JMc from Big D!
I hated math when I was in school. Later in life I became a CNC machinist and now I'm learning how to properly dial in my amp thinking, yea I guess I did need to know the basics back then haha.
Just locked in on your vidz yesterday and your good at your craft no doubt. The whole game has changed since i was bump'n. I had 2 Punch 15's, 2 Three way sony 6x9's, 2 four inch Altecs with a punch 150 on the woofers and a punch 30 on the highs with a XV-1 cross over in a 1986 Toyota Tercel 2 door hatch back with a pumped up alternator and Maaaan i was bump'n ya herd me? Lmao! But now I'm older with a Kenworth W900L that came with a bunch of Memphis brand goodies but an old Audio Bahn amp. So i wanna make sure everything is matched up and running cool. I also have a 2005 Chevy Trailblazer that i wanna throw alittle sump'em in too. So thanks for doing these vidz. I'm not looking to do crank up's but i want my thump nice'n clean😎✌
Man!! You saved me the hassle of doing the math. The last(I was hoping you would do the equation) 600x2 equation and you made my day and night! Thanks so much. Usung my volt meter tomorrow to get 34.64 on my Xtr orion 1500.d
Great video, and thank you for explaining it. I was curious watching this, why there was a variation. The voltage was slightly low and the wattage was a little high, (it was 16% off). I then realized that wattage was amp dynoed at 13.2 volts, and the gain was set at battery voltage ~12 volts. When you take that 334 watts, and divide by dyno voltage to get your amps, then multiply the amps by voltage you set the gain at ~12 volts, it comes out exact.
Great video but what I have always done is turn the volume up on the head unit to just before distortion and then increase the gain on the amplifier until I hear the sub a start distorting and then back off The Gain Slightly
Yeah, but here we are trying to set amp to 50% of its max output (assuming 600w amp and 300w sub) to match the weaker sub. Otherwise, you're sending too much power to the sub and will overheat/kill it eventually.
Always hard to find good answers with visual proof. This video makes spending the money on a really good amp possible without breaking the bank on higher end drivers. (Can always upgrade later when you got the cash!) Really appreciate it!
Agree'd, but with loud bass not everyone can detect distortion lower than 30hz (which is what a lot of cars are tuned to here in the UK) and plenty of people think the gain knob is volume :/
fellow Guyanese here. (living in Canada now).. this method is a rudimentary way of approximating your gain settings on your amp. that's all.. to actually find the max level before clipping, you really should be using an oscilloscope. those SMD distortion detectors are great but really expensive and I personally believe they make their users stupid. because it doesn't do anything to improve the users understanding of gain and clipping.. it just lights up when it detects distortion.. no other indicators. makes the device become essential for setting gain. if you find yourself without your SMD distortion detector and have to set the gains on an amplifier, you wouldn't know where to start.
and maybe try playing something else just to double check. also the reason the wattage could be slightly more or less than your calculation has to do with your input voltage and how your amp handles that. most will put out more wattage when the cars running and your alternators pushing 14.4 instead of 12 when it's off.
I understand the whole process and how to set your gain using your voltage number. My question is will that number change when you mess with the crossover I know you’re not supposed to use it but bass boost and subsonic filter?
Shouldn't we first measure the speaker's Ohms/Impedance and use that precise number? I ask because my system is set-up to be 1-ohm but on my DMM it shows to be measuring at 1.4 Ohms so would it be better to use 1.4 in the equation rather than just the stock "1" Ohm? 5,000 x 1.4 = 7,000 sq rt = ~83.7 V versus 5000x1=5000 sq rt = 70 V resulting in a difference of 13 Volts which may mean the difference between distortion/clipping or clear power. Right?
Impedance is typically nominal, and the reason for that is the resistance of a coil (such as the voice coil in a speaker) changes as the frequency played changes. Another factor with voice coils is the magnet itself inducing voltage into the moving coil, further having an impact on resistance. So, no, not really. What you measure at DC with your multimeter is only accurate at the given moment while nothing is happening.
I would check for the Voltage at the battery when the car is at idle with headlights on, depending on the car's battery size and alternator output your voltage may vary.
Indeed, there is a novel and precise method for calibrating the gains on amplifiers using a calculator. While some individuals still rely on their auditory perception, as was customary in the past, the current technological advancements provide enhanced accuracy and reliability compared to traditional methods.
I used this video to match my gains, and it sounds great. But what i don't understand is why the gains setting was so different from setting it by ear ?
Very informative, Great video. Really appreciate Sonic electronics taking time to educate and helping the general people/public protect their investments. Great job guys very much appreciated
I just use my SMD DD-1, set the gains to 1%thd, and give my subs wayyyy more power than they are rated, but clean power for short periods works just fine for me :)
I knew about ohms law, just didn't know to use it in my installs. I don't have an amp fun, so I would have to hope the amps don't distort. Thanks for showing me man.
@@casey360360 soooo... if you have both subwoofers RMS at lets say 600watts, do you use 600watts for the equation? I have a Kicker 1600watt mono block amp with two kicker L7T12 2OHM peak at 1200 and rms at 600 wired both to 2OHM.
@@xXGusDaBus75Xx if I understand you right, you're asking if you use one subwoofers max RMS handling to set amplifier output for 2? So in a circuit, voltage is shared across all parts, power is shared. If you have 2 600 watt RMS subwoofers, your peak output needs to be a max of 1200 watts. When calculating this from the RMS voltage on the amplifier output, you're using the total resistive load of the circuit, which in your example is 2ohms. Let's say you're getting 50Vac at your amps output (with speakers connected) with a 2 ohm load, you're seeing 1250 watts RMS.
@@casey360360 I have two DVC 2ohm 12s RMS 600 and peak 1200watt wired together to a two ohm 1600watt mono lock. Do I need to add the rms together of each for the equation or base the equation off of a single subwoofer.
Thank you for this, I have a Memphis PRX-A1500.1 and have a CT Tropo XL coming in so I only need 1000RMS not the full 1500 this video is gonna be a masssssive help.
Mike Weber unhook the amp let it rest for like 2 days . Then hook it back up . If it still does protect mode then something is wrong with the install . Prob wrong speaker to the wrong amp .
Letting an amp sit for 2 days doesn't do a thing. When a amp goes into protect mode it could be a lot of things. Wired too low of ohm load than recommended, amp got too hot, blown resistor in the amp, not enough power to run the amp, etc. Does the amp have a odd smell like something burnt, does it turn on for a second then go off, or does it just go into protect mode soon as it receives power?
Great video! Very educational! I have a question for you: How long does it take for a stiffening cap to lose it's charge when left to sit disconnected?
This also proves the inefficiency going from 4 to 2 ohms; while the math shows double, in reality losses inside the amp prevent that/ I feel it shows you should err on the side of caution, as the first two were quite a bit over the target of 300, and depending on the quality of your speaker, you might not want to give it 15-20% more RMS than it is rated for consistently. A better idea would be to properly match your amp and speaker. Measure true impedance would give better maths, as you are calculating with more significant digits (ex: your '4 ohm' speaker might be operating at 4.2 ohm). In the video, the math says the 2 ohm test showing 334W @ 23.8V, the speaker has an operating resistance at that Hz of 1.7 Ohm. The 4 ohm test showing 345W @ 34.6V, would dictate the speaker was running at 3.47 Ohm; while the 600w result is almost spot on 2 Ohm. Since this was being run on a test bench ... it would tell me that it is not as accurate at lower power levels, either in its ability to detect wattage, or its ability to provide specific resistance levels; if there isn't information causing this we are not privy to. Understand the theory, then use logic and critical thinking skills to apply things practically for your set up. Every amp and speaker is different, adjust appropriately for yours by gathering as much information as you can and using it to your advantage.
guys you dudes have helped me so much , at where i live we are really limited on supplies but you guys and your shop , just awesome your job looks so awesome !!
Orlando Ramos I added my total watts, I have two 300rms subs at 4 ohms, so I did 600rms x4ohms =2,400 and square root of 2,400 is 48.98. Set my gains to match close to that in volts and it sounds really good. Not sure if it's what you're suppose to do. But I did and it sounds awesome.
blazethebong420 sweet, another question what do you touch with the multimeter, the positive and negative on the amp where the speaker wire connects to?
That pretty good for me. A friend gave me a dual 12inch box with amp but one woofer is gone. But since I got a small car I plan to buy a single twelve box. But now I know how or try it now with the existing 12 inch . Something funny my woofer is if I remember is a 300w RMS 4 ohm so I just have to use your calculations to use it with mine .... Many thanks
Amrit Sidhu the reason for that is 2000 is the peak wattage only what it might hit at its maximum RMS is half of that usually at a thousand Watts and only if it's bridged. If it's a dual-channel that thousand is actually split between two creating a 500 RMS per Channel. As a rule of thumb if you have a 2 Channel 2000 watt amp it's 1000 / Channel Peak 500 RMS. The fact that it didn't distort till 600 is a matter of quality
Greetings from Germany. Is this a good method? People in Germany think different. They say it´s very, very inaccurate! They say it´s only accurate with an oscilograph. But your version seams legit to me!
the frequency where your midrange speakers roll off at, usually 80-100 , tuning according to box would be for a sub hpf (half octave lower than port tuning)
Raymond Sheppard have u figured it out? I have a dual voice call sub at 4 ohms but when wired parallel its at 2 ohms so Iam wondering which i have to multiply by 2 or 4 ohms?
Allyn, thank you for explaining this for me. I will be sure and use this information, in all my future installs. Sent this link to everyone I know. #rockstarstatusnow
wwill the amplifier automatically know what ohms your trying to achieve once you plug in the speakers, or would you have to set the amplifier at the ohm you're trying to get? does that make sense?
Kurrent Event the amplifier will automatic adjust to the speaker ohm. it will be trying to produce as much power as possible , but something is in the way, the speaker . the more it has to struggle (resistance / ohms of the speaker) the less it can produce, the lower the struggle (ohms ) the more power it can produce. so actually an higher ohm speaker keeps your amp from working too hard. but a lower ohm speaker will say " hey buddy if you think you can handle it go right ahead knock yourself out ".
Sonic Electronix want to make sure I got this right. If I'm running two subs bridged to mono at 1 ohm and I want 800 to each sub I would use 1600 correct.
All of this is accurate, but one thing was overlooked, when using this method. The speakers RMS is 300, thus ~ 24 volts. But, speakers have impedance not resistance. Therefore, its impedance changes depending of the music and fluctuates from lower to higher during playing. Therefore, more power will go to the speaker when the Ohm drops say during 50hz bass, which then over does the amp and sends too much power to the speaker and damages it. The speakers sensitivity needs to be set to the amps sensitivity or vice versa. Higher end speakers have higher SQ by having leas variance in impedance when active. If that amps sensitivity is not properly matched to a speaker ... both will be damaged
rob h Which is exactly why the test soundtrack should be uncompressed 0dB on the same frequency as the subwoofer's resonance frequency is. When the track's frequency matches sub's resonance freq. impedance equals resistance because reactance is zero. Mathematically: Z = sqrt(R^2 + (Xl-Xc)^2), at resonance freq. Xl-Xc=0 therefore Z=R. (Z impedance, R resistance, Xl inductive reactance, Xc capasitive reactance).
Also, subs are designed to go past their continuous RMS rating, it's called peak RMS. As long as the subs dont pull a continuous wattage higher than the RMS or pull a wattage past the peak, it's fine.
Nektariini I have a kicker 400.1 amp and a s series 12" 500w bridged for 2 olms. How do I go about making sure all speakers are working together at there best?
I have a question for you guy,if you can help me out with this problem. I have a kenwood radio kdc-x797,and I have had this head unit for about 6 years. And I have an "hf error 68" on my unit,I have tried to rest it and the hf error 68 still appears on the screen. How should I fix it?
it means it can't communicate with your cell-phone. You should cycle the power switch, if the error still shows press the reset button on the control unit.
Good stuff! This helped me as I just finished up my install and while it sounds great and is powerful, I didn't check to see if my Pioneer HU was clean at full volume. I also assumed a couple of things; we know what assume means .... :) there are 9 speakers and 2 pairs are running at 8 ohms.... so I'll need to either parallel them or see if they have dual voice coils. My woofer and mid bass drivers are a series/parallel to give me a 2.6 ohm load so nothing to be done there. Thanks again.
Yes, it's the same. Just measure the ACTUAL impedance of your subs, and remember to use an amp which is rated for the right impedance, otherwise you could damage the amp. Closer to 0 Ohms=closer to a short circuit.
@@magnuswf I know this was a year ago but by actual do you mean if my sub is a dvc 2ohm and I wire it down to 1ohm I should use 2 in the formula instead of 1?
@@magnuswf ive got a kicker cvx 12 dvc 2ohm rated for 750w rms and a kicker cxa800.1 newest model, 800w rms (certified power sheet in box says 857) stable down to 1ohm. Ive already wired the sub to 1ohm in the box, Havent started actual install yet. done a few in the past but never knew how to set up the amp and this is my first factory radio install so I want to do as much research as possible. I appreciate the reply man
I heard guys explaining about setting gain on a car amplifier so that there is no clipping... but for that to be possible all the songs you play would have to be recorded at set Hz or volume..
No you need to have a Constant Frequency in order to get a constant voltage!if you just play a random song the voltage will be all over the place and you won't be able to set it up correctly. Around 50hz should be a good starting point,but different frequencies will require different voltage,some more volts,some less.
7 years later it's still super helpful. I have 2 harbour freight DMM and i couldn't get to read. I just saw that the red probe connects to the top slot. Edit i tried this method and still reads 0 to 0.2V on ACV. Don't know what I'm doing wrong.
Hi I know this thread is 2yrs ago but hope can still get a response :). In the video it was shown the HU vol was set to max. With the amp gain at minimum, the amp output already has 15+ Volts. Based on the equation the amp gain is increased till voltage reaches the target value => HU is matched to the amp. This, I understand. Now, we know that speakers should be operated at or near their rms power output levels to sound their best without distortion. But after making the HU match the amp, note that the HU vol was set to max - but we don't listen to normal music at this max vol of 35. Say we lower volume down to 17 which is comfortable. Question 1: Does the lowering of HU volume by half drastically reduces the amp channel output voltage such that it no longer meets the target matched value, meaning the speaker operates at much lower rms than intended? Question 2: Suppose I have a 4-ch amp that pushes 120W rms @ 4 ohm per channel. I connect it to four 4 ohm speakers rated at 50W rms. Based on equation target voltage is sqr(50x4)=14.1V per channel. Is it possible that, at minimum amp gain, the channel output voltage already exceeds the target voltage?
the reason why the head unit was turned all the way up is because once you set the game to the right level that's the make sure that when you turn it up all the way it don't blow your subs it will not hurt it after that if you only play your music at half way and yes it's possible for the ant game to be turned all the way down to be pushing over 14.1 volts are 15 volts
The Calculation is for the total Resistance only. For a single Resistance you need to calculate it via the voltage divider formula, which might be a bit complicated for most people.
Yes it's good, you can still use this formula to verify output on the amp, but it'd be more for verification rather than trying to actually adjust output.
Dam thanks a lot. I have a hifonics hifi1000.1d and I'm powering 2 kicker l7 @1000watts rms. I know I'm under powering them but anymore then that and I blow my alternator.. Having said that, I had my amplifiers gain half way up and I felt that at half way I was already a lil high... That was not the case AT ALL! Considering the gain was about half way or at 12o'clock, then it's fair to say it was about 3/5 of the way up. After doing the math, I needed to set the gain at 31.6 volts. After setting it at EXACTLY 31.6, the gain was approximately 4/5 of the way up... I knew that my subs felt a lil weaker than usually but wow... Thanks you so much sonicelectronix
So I followed exactly as you described. I have a 1500 watt rms skar zvxv2 sub its a dual 2ohm wired to 1ohm on a dc audio 3.5k amp. I set the gains doing the math 1500×1 and it was like 38v. When I set it that way and turned music on it would clip. So I had to turn the gains down again. Should I be using one Chanel of the amp? I've been bridging it. Thanks for the help
Nice explanation. It really helps to understand everything in detail. Can you also please tell us how to set gains, frequency and db level on an inbuilt amplifier. Also when you turn bass and treble to zero on the headunit before setting gains and after every setup you turn the bass and treble a bit up, does that make the subwoofer go crazy( when the setup is speaker level input). To be exact its pioneer wx-ts1210a inbuilt amp subwoofer. Thanks
I see what you've done there, and i understand the math. Sucks when for the last 20 years car audio guys have been telling you the gain setting does not adjust power output, it is used to match the amp input voltage with your head unit rca output.
When you look up on the internet does the gain lower the output of the amplifier it says no. But clearly you can do this method and lower the wattage with the gain.
Hey man I love the vids and you guys have helped me become a DIYer since I've been unemployed and finding ways to blow my money lol but on a serious note. I have the set of Kicker CompR 12" subs from Best Buy paired with their 1200.1 amp. My question is, during this video, you mention the person having "300 watts" so is that two subs combined or you're calculating per sub? I'm sorry if that sounds confusing but for my setup, I know it's advertised at 2000 watts max, but rms-wise it's 1000 with 500 per each sub. I don't know if I plug in '500' or '1000' into the equation. again, sorry if it's confusing. addy just kicked in...
I had 2 audio pipe 15’s wired at 2 ohms on a 1200w hifonics 1216D.1 amplifier that’s 1 ohm stable at 1200w. I was powering it with a 700w second battery that’s connected to my main battery . I was told that wiring the speakers at 1 ohm would increase there output and i did and they sound the same. Shouldn’t they be louder because there getting twice the power?
Probably the best video I have seen on this topic, but don’t understand one thing. I have set my front component speakers to 22volts ac to reach 100w . Only now to realise that the amp is rated at 60w per channel??
