tuning a amp

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I'm not sure wats really ment by tuning an amp...
My guess is you need to find the clipping point and set the sensitivity to match the max volume on your head unit. Other than that you can't actually tune it.
The box on the other hand you can... Finding the correct port length for your car is a long task. Start with a long port and get progressivly shorted to you find you needs, gert a second port and cut it to the right size incase you go past the point.
 
I guess first of all it depends on ya setup.

If you have front speakers and rear speakers, you generally want the gain settings so you can't tell where it comes from.

If you are trying to match speakers with a subwoofer, i aim to get it so its hard to tell that theres a sub there, ie it sounds like its a natural bass extension of other speakers.

I guess for highpass filtering normal speakers so they aren't doing sub bass, somewhere between 50 and 120 hz, depending where you have the sub, this would be a whatever sounds best mix i guess.

I haven't used bass boost or a parametric EQ.
 
I think as far as "tuning" an amp goes, it is basically whatever suits your tastes. Sure someone could sit in there and tune it to their own taste, and provided they know what they're doing, it should sound pretty god. But if you're a bass-head, then go ahead and set the bass level pretty high. If you arent, then put it somewhere in between. Basically, dont max out the gain, try to keep it at 75% or less, and turn your low pass crossover on at 120hz or below. Anything higher than 120hz wont really sound so great through the subs. If there is an adjustable slope on the crossover, mess with it and see how you like it. A lower slope is going to let more bass pass through than a higher one, relative to your crossover frequency setting.

Some amps have what's calld a prametric EQ, and if you arent familiar with tuning amps very much, I'd just go ahead and leave that one alone. But just so you know, a parametric EQ will allow you to find a certain frequency, or range of frequency that you want to boost or cut, and do so. The freq adjustment selects the frequency to adjust, and the Q selects the width. The width affects how far on each side of the selected frequency you are going to affect, ie, a q of 1 might do 10 hz either side of your center freq, but a Q of 4 might do 35hz either side of your center freq. and then the level controls how much boost or cut you apply to the selection.

Hope this better explains what all the knobs on your amp does. Basically, it will be pretty hard to mess anythign up by turning knobs, and I'd just recommend messing with them until you like the way it sounds. That's who it's supposed to please anyway.
 
I know that at the shop my brother works at, they just tune it by ear. That means the gain and crossover point. I know they judge based on the kind of customer that walks in though. Like if someone walks in that doesn't know very much and just keeps talking about loud, they give them the loud and sloppy bass that they are asking for. And vise-versa of course.
 
hey guys thanks for all your help.. i learned alot actually.. and i just had my cusin's friend to my amp for me today.. he knew what he was doin.. and i'm jus glad you guys were here to help me and pretty much inform me... another quick question thou...


Everytime i turn off my radio my subs just sit there and hummmm... it jus continues to hit.. i dont kno what the poblem is.. and not sure why they do that.. the power on the amp is still on.. but the music is not.... i really would like to know what the porblem is and how it can be solved.. i would really appreciate it.. thanks...
 
yea i think your right.. beacuse i have a stock headunit i needed a converter.. so in this case.. the amp would turn on when i turned the key on.. so i had to get a upgraded converter.... and this one works beautifully.. it senses any type of music.. and when it senses any music it powers on my amp.. and there for only powers it when sound comes on.. and turns of when i turn off my radio.. i had to do it the hard way. but it worked:wiz:
 
jdm5genlude said:
yea i think your right.. beacuse i have a stock headunit i needed a converter.. so in this case.. the amp would turn on when i turned the key on.. so i had to get a upgraded converter.... and this one works beautifully.. it senses any type of music.. and when it senses any music it powers on my amp.. and there for only powers it when sound comes on.. and turns of when i turn off my radio.. i had to do it the hard way. but it worked:wiz:


a switch would have worked just as well.. :p
 
ohh if your talkin about a kill switch that would cut the power of the amp... i tryed it.. and i didnt work very well for me.. one day my dad wanted to turn on the system and kept flickering the switch to on.. and off.. and on... and off.. and on.... the system didnt work.. and jus in a few seconds my car was covered in smoke.. the intire car and engine bay was filled with white smoke... it was terrible.. it turned out my negitive and positive wires on my remote wire fused togetha.. and negitive and postive dont go very well.. it burned my intire wire.. power wire.. and even left some nasty stains on my seat.. the roof.. and other places.. so thas why i wouldn never go for a kill switch..
 
jdm5genlude said:
ohh if your talkin about a kill switch that would cut the power of the amp... i tryed it.. and i didnt work very well for me.. one day my dad wanted to turn on the system and kept flickering the switch to on.. and off.. and on... and off.. and on.... the system didnt work.. and jus in a few seconds my car was covered in smoke.. the intire car and engine bay was filled with white smoke... it was terrible.. it turned out my negitive and positive wires on my remote wire fused togetha.. and negitive and postive dont go very well.. it burned my intire wire.. power wire.. and even left some nasty stains on my seat.. the roof.. and other places.. so thas why i wouldn never go for a kill switch..


ahh, you must have done it yourself.. :p please don't try anything like this again... lol
 
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