system setup question

[J.W.]

i just put together my first car audio system together a couple weeks ago:

alpine cda-9827
memphis 16-st3004, 75x4
6.5" infinity comps
atlas 12 - 1.5ft^3 sealed

i'm pretty sure i set it up right, and i know every system is different, but i just wanted to run a couple questions by ya'll to get some feedback b/c i really dont have much experience.

is it normal to be able to turn up my volume all the way without any distortion? my HU has 4V outputs, the amp has 4V max inputs, however the memphis tech guy said it's really more than that and i've heard the HU doesnt actually put out 4V, but i still dont think i should set my gains more than a quarter of the way up so i've got them a little less than that right now. however, it seems like they could be up more. should i turn them up more? is there a way to set them properly with a DIMM?

also, i have to put the HU sub level all the way up, bass boost all the way up at +7, and the fader faded to the rear at -4 for my bass to keep up. is that normal? it's a great sub and not underpowered by any means, is that just all i can get from my sub? i could increase the input sensitivity on the amp but i dont want to damage my amp.

i know there's no cut and dry answer to setting up a system, but i just wanted to see if these are normal issues from some people with experience. thanks for all the help.

[Justin from Detroit]

Turn the volume on your headunit to 3/4 of full. Turn up the gain until you can hear distortion, then slightly turn it down a little bit. You have now set your gain.

[audiobass10]

NO BASS BOOST!! www.bcae1.com tells you how you can set your gains correctly. I'm sure they could go up a bit more. You definitely shouldnt have to boost the Sub settings and bass boost all the way up to get full output from that amp and with 4v pre outs from the HU.

[Ryan from Ohio]

3/4 way maximum is the general rule... Not 1/4 ;)

[J.W.]

awesome. thanks for all the help ya'll.


Turn the volume on your headunit to 3/4 of full. Turn up the gain until you can hear distortion, then slightly turn it down a little bit. You have now set your gain.

that's what the manual said, but being a rookie i was afraid i wouldnt notice the point where distortion began, especially with the sub. however, i have noticed that on some CDs when the volume is up all the way, there is some distortion so i turn it down, so i guess i'm learning to hear it better. having read how important it is not to set your gains too high to compensate for a lack of power, i'd rather err on the side of cautious rather than mess anything up, and with 4v output going into 4v max input, i thought the gains would need to be turned all the way down, but i'm glad to hear that it wouldnt hurt to turn them up some more. i'll try setting them by ear tomorrow. i've never been a big fan of bass boost on any stereo, seems like it messes up the SQ, and didnt think it should be set like that.
i can read all that i can (i've read good 'ole bcae1.com all the way through a number of times :) and the FAQ section on this site is outstanding) but you can't substitute that for experience. thanks again for the help. --j.w.

[William from NOLA]

awesome. thanks for all the help ya'll.




that's what the manual said, but being a rookie i was afraid i wouldnt notice the point where distortion began, especially with the sub. however, i have noticed that on some CDs when the volume is up all the way, there is some distortion so i turn it down, so i guess i'm learning to hear it better. having read how important it is not to set your gains too high to compensate for a lack of power, i'd rather err on the side of cautious rather than mess anything up, and with 4v output going into 4v max input, i thought the gains would need to be turned all the way down, but i'm glad to hear that it wouldnt hurt to turn them up some more. i'll try setting them by ear tomorrow. i've never been a big fan of bass boost on any stereo, seems like it messes up the SQ, and didnt think it should be set like that.
i can read all that i can (i've read good 'ole bcae1.com all the way through a number of times :) and the FAQ section on this site is outstanding) but you can't substitute that for experience. thanks again for the help. --j.w.
I have pretty much the same senario with the 4 volt output, 4 volt max on the amp. My RCA's are 20 feet long and probably have a bit of resistence in them, so I believe my voltage has dropped, but I cannot tell how much. You can test by unhooking the RCA from the amp and playing a 60 Hz test tone in the head unit at 75-85% of the volume. While that is playing, you can use a multimeter set at AC volts (200 or 750) to see the voltage. Like the speaker output on an amplifier, the RCA preouts' voltage goes up along with an increase in volume.

I've also read that you can unhook your sub from the amp, turn the gain all the way down, and measure the voltage that way. Not sure on if you play a tone or not.

[Justin from Detroit]

In all actuality your HU only puts out 4v at peak moments in th music.

[William from NOLA]

My dmm told me a max of 1.3 volts... Kinda discerning...

[J.W.]

ahhh...good to know. i though i had heard something about that before. thanks justin. do you really have 9 million posts?! :)

[William from NOLA]

ahhh...good to know. i though i had heard something about that before. thanks justin. do you really have 9 million posts?! :)
In actuality, he has about 2200 (+/- 100) posts. I think his original intention was that post count doesn't matter. I'd like to see negative posts :)

[GlassWolf]

post count is EVERYTHING man!!
it proves you have no life!!!!

[William from NOLA]

post count is EVERYTHING man!!
it proves you have no life!!!!
I don't need proof. :unwell011

[audiofreak12]

Me either, now that we have this handy little reputation counter, there will be no arguing over "I have more posts than you, so im better".

[William from NOLA]

Me either, now that we have this handy little reputation counter, there will be no arguing over "I have more posts than you, so im better".
Be quiet before I give you a bad reputation :tongue009

[GlassWolf]

same thing I said to my ex!

[audiofreak12]

Roflmao!