I'm a moron, I'll be the first to admit it when it comes to car audio. I recently got interested in these things and installed a system on my car, but now I need help adjusting the controls on my amp. This particular amp (hifonics brutus) is running a 12" JL sub, but I have no clue what any of the knobs do. Below are the knobs and their values.
1. Subsonic (15-35hz)
2. Bass EQ (0-18db)
3. Low Pass (35-250hz)
4. Phase (0-180 degrees)
5. Level (9-0.2 Volts)
If anyone out there knows what any of them do and the best setting for this particular speaker I would appreciate the help, thanks.
1. Subsonic (15-35hz)
2. Bass EQ (0-18db)
3. Low Pass (35-250hz)
4. Phase (0-180 degrees)
5. Level (9-0.2 Volts)
If anyone out there knows what any of them do and the best setting for this particular speaker I would appreciate the help, thanks.
ok!
subsonic is what is used to cut the really low frequency signal from the amps output, usefull for ported boxes that will be unloaded at these low freq's, it helps protect your subs, can be set by ear later on.
bass eq? sounds like a bass boost giving you up to 18db gain, use it sparingly
low pass is what freq your subs run from! eg if you set it on 35hz it would play only below 35hz, if its on 250hz only below 250hz, or if on 80hz everything below 80hz(probably the best spot but it can be ajusted when its playing to get the best spot!)
phaze is your phasing for the sub in this case it does the same thing as switching the wires around on the sub, normally it would be left on 0 but if for some reason it sounds bad or theres no bass or its been wired the wrong way just flick the switch and see if it sounds better.
level is the amps gain, it is not a volume control!! it is to compensate for your decks output or whatever is before it, it says .2 - 9v!, 9 volt is the maximum signal voltage the inputs can handle, .2 is the lowest it can use' if your deck had only a 4v output the level is to compensate for it not being 9v and it would be need to be turned up a bit, it you hade a very high volt deck that put out 9v it would stay at minimum.
its position needs to be set in acordence with the deck you have so you need to do the whole level setting procedure, hopfully someone else can explain that cause i have to go
subsonic is what is used to cut the really low frequency signal from the amps output, usefull for ported boxes that will be unloaded at these low freq's, it helps protect your subs, can be set by ear later on.
bass eq? sounds like a bass boost giving you up to 18db gain, use it sparingly
low pass is what freq your subs run from! eg if you set it on 35hz it would play only below 35hz, if its on 250hz only below 250hz, or if on 80hz everything below 80hz(probably the best spot but it can be ajusted when its playing to get the best spot!)
phaze is your phasing for the sub in this case it does the same thing as switching the wires around on the sub, normally it would be left on 0 but if for some reason it sounds bad or theres no bass or its been wired the wrong way just flick the switch and see if it sounds better.
level is the amps gain, it is not a volume control!! it is to compensate for your decks output or whatever is before it, it says .2 - 9v!, 9 volt is the maximum signal voltage the inputs can handle, .2 is the lowest it can use' if your deck had only a 4v output the level is to compensate for it not being 9v and it would be need to be turned up a bit, it you hade a very high volt deck that put out 9v it would stay at minimum.
its position needs to be set in acordence with the deck you have so you need to do the whole level setting procedure, hopfully someone else can explain that cause i have to go
Leave subsonic filter off or set to 15 Hz.
Leave bass eq off (zero)
Set lowpass to 80 Hz for starters. You can fine tune this later.
Like the guy said above, the gain cntrol sets the sensitivity of the amp and the maximum power it'll put out. There are tutorials on the web for setting that. The basic procedure is to play some heavy bass music with your HU at 3/4 volume and turn the gain up until the power limit is reached then turn it down a bit.
Power limit is when either the subs or amp can't do any more without distorting. If the subs reach their limits first, they'll make nasty noises when you go too far. If the subs can take the full power of the amp then you need to set the gain control for the amps rated output... JL Audio's web site has a tutorial on doing that with a DMM.
Leave bass eq off (zero)
Set lowpass to 80 Hz for starters. You can fine tune this later.
Like the guy said above, the gain cntrol sets the sensitivity of the amp and the maximum power it'll put out. There are tutorials on the web for setting that. The basic procedure is to play some heavy bass music with your HU at 3/4 volume and turn the gain up until the power limit is reached then turn it down a bit.
Power limit is when either the subs or amp can't do any more without distorting. If the subs reach their limits first, they'll make nasty noises when you go too far. If the subs can take the full power of the amp then you need to set the gain control for the amps rated output... JL Audio's web site has a tutorial on doing that with a DMM.
OK, i've been going over the instructions on the jl to set the gain but i'm not getting the whole voltage thingy. I downloaded a test tone off the net which was recorded at 50khz with a decible gain of -10. I then modified the decible gain on the sound file to be at 0db. The part i'm having trouble with now is figuring out the optimum voltage that the amplifier should be set to. How can i figure out that? According to the chart on the JL website there's two types of amps, "slash" and "e" series (i'm guessing those are the amps that jl sells). How could I know the values for my specific amp and speaker?
I personally would set the gain as follows:
- Use a voltmeter to determine the voltage of the input signal (your RCAs or speaker-level wires, whichever you are using).
- Then set the dial to that number. If it's 9v set the dial all the way to the left, if it's 4.6v set the dial right in the middle, if it's .2v set the dial all the way to the right, etc ... On a sidenote, it is generally a good idea to have the dial set a little bit lower (counter-clockwise) than the determined setting, so as to not over-work your amp.
Oh, and the phase can be used to fine-tune WHEN the bass hits. Generally it is a good idea to just leave it at 0, but if the bass from your subs is not hitting at the same time as your other speakers, try adjusting the phase. Really though, it is unlikely that you would be able to hear it; you'd have to really know what you're listening for.
2¢
- Use a voltmeter to determine the voltage of the input signal (your RCAs or speaker-level wires, whichever you are using).
- Then set the dial to that number. If it's 9v set the dial all the way to the left, if it's 4.6v set the dial right in the middle, if it's .2v set the dial all the way to the right, etc ... On a sidenote, it is generally a good idea to have the dial set a little bit lower (counter-clockwise) than the determined setting, so as to not over-work your amp.
Oh, and the phase can be used to fine-tune WHEN the bass hits. Generally it is a good idea to just leave it at 0, but if the bass from your subs is not hitting at the same time as your other speakers, try adjusting the phase. Really though, it is unlikely that you would be able to hear it; you'd have to really know what you're listening for.
2¢
Ok, I read the tuturial, but I still can't figure out how to calculate or know the output voltage of my head unit. I think I understand everything, matching gains on both head unit and amp, but to do that I must first know what my HU is outputting as it's voltage at around 75% it's power right? Once that happens, then I can start adjusting the gain on my amp to get it to match the HU, right?
You're on the right track now . .. Go to BCAE1.com to learn how to use a multimeter, and determine your voltage. I can not just tell you the best way to test them, as what you check will depend on how you plan to set it . . So, browse that site a little, and you will find the answers you are looking for . ..
to do proper level setting you need a occiliscope to get the unclipped output of your deck/amp!
seeing as not everyone has access to one a multimeter is ok but it dosent give any idear when clipping starts, so i wouldn't use one, better to just do it by ear, the general practice is as follows-
set your deck to 3/4 volume(an average unclipped volume, your deck may be more or less or not clipp at all but you dont know without a scope )
have the deck running and the amp gain set at the lowest point, im guessing with your amp but where it says 9v! with some music that is dynamic! not nessacarily bass heavy cause that may be at just one freq! what you want is a good representation of all bass freq
for subs you can use a 50hz tone if you want but its best left for the scope.
wilst playing bring the level up till an audible clipping is heard then back it of so its a clean signal' once that is done the levels are generally 90% right and will privide some level of protection for your gear
seeing as not everyone has access to one a multimeter is ok but it dosent give any idear when clipping starts, so i wouldn't use one, better to just do it by ear, the general practice is as follows-
set your deck to 3/4 volume(an average unclipped volume, your deck may be more or less or not clipp at all but you dont know without a scope
)have the deck running and the amp gain set at the lowest point, im guessing with your amp but where it says 9v! with some music that is dynamic! not nessacarily bass heavy cause that may be at just one freq! what you want is a good representation of all bass freq
for subs you can use a 50hz tone if you want but its best left for the scope.
wilst playing bring the level up till an audible clipping is heard then back it of so its a clean signal' once that is done the levels are generally 90% right and will privide some level of protection for your gear
I tried adjusting the levels by ear and there's no clipping on my sub at the highet gain possible (.2V). However, to me, when I arrive at around 3V all the way to .2V it sounds the same. That is, no matter where I have the gain set past 3V it sounds all the same to me. Should I leave the gain all the way up (.2V) or leave it down where I can't notice an audible difference (3V)?
I'd also advocate doing it by ear.
Faffing around with a voltmeter is pointless as you will not be able to see any clipping. Just set all your tone and levels (fader, balance, sub, etc) to zero/flat then adjust the desired levels with the amp volume controls. Takes a bit of fiddling but is the best way to guarantee even performance from all channels.
Faffing around with a voltmeter is pointless as you will not be able to see any clipping. Just set all your tone and levels (fader, balance, sub, etc) to zero/flat then adjust the desired levels with the amp volume controls. Takes a bit of fiddling but is the best way to guarantee even performance from all channels.
memito said:
The lower the setting, the safer the equipment will be .. .
richie00boy said:
Gain and Volume are two completely different things. Do not think of your gain as a volume control, unless you wish to damage your equipment .. .
In my opinion, it is important to have a fairly good idea of the input voltage when adjusting your settings. Though the amp may sound good, you may be running too much current through the amp, and ultimately shortening your amp's lifespan. ... I currently have four dead amps at my house. All of them were over-worked, all of them sounded great, all of them died early. So think about it, before you tune it the easy way ... . 2¢
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