Ok, I have looked all over the internet for a simple answer to set my gain properly. This is what I have come up with. By the way I am not running an amp on my front speakers. I have an amp on my 6x9s and an amp on my box. So what I have come up with is:
Unplug the box and set the 6x9s just under where they distort. Then plug in my box and set it so the bass matches or a little higher if you like bass.
That sound about right?
If so far so good my only question is where should the HU adjustments be at? Volume, Bass, Treble, and Sub settings? I assume Bass, Treble, and Sub settings should be at 0. The volume up to just under where the front speakers distort. All sound good?


[Modified by Tim89, 2:18 AM 8/5/2002]

 

Sound like you have the right idea, especially with the idea to match componets, so many have the misconception of the gain being another volume control. According to the MECP guide the HU volume should be at 3/4 max volume, if this is too much for the front speakers then to where they begin to distort, and levels should all be set to zero (bass, treble, balance. etc) for both HU and Amp.

 

After doing this you slowly move the gain control on the amp up until it clips and then back down to just below clipping. Repeat that process for all amped components individually. For the type system you have you should not have to touch the gains on the amp again. Just use the HU for volume a tone adjusting.

I do have a question for you though, what speakers do you have up front? If they are large enough and considering you do have subs, it might be better to amp the front speakers and let the rear 6x9’s run off the HU. However, that would only be a good idea if you have speakers of substantial size up front like 5.25” or larger. Or more than one set of speakers up front.

 

That is what I have done ...

 

The fronts are 5.25 Sony Explodes....they suck! Same for the rear 6x9s. I'm looking to replace them with Infiniti Kappa. If I use the amp on the fronts would I still be able to hear the 6x9s over the sub? BTW I adjusted the amps today. Got the 6x9s all set but the sub is a PITA. Still too much bass but if I turn it down just a little, not enough. The amp has a master gain and a low and high gain. I have the high all the way down and the amp switched to low. Then I just adjust the low gain and master gain. It's getting to be harder than it's supposed to be.

 

Yes, by all means, remove those Sony Xplode speakers and throw them far, far away! You will be happier with the Infiniti’s.

What kind of HU do you have? If you have a decent HU then you will not have a problem with the rear 6x9’s being underpowered or unheard (if that's what you really want). In fact, the 6x9’s will be just fine as rear fill off the HU. You don’t want too much mid and highs coming from the rear to overpower the front stage anyway. 5.25” in the doors will be fine. You may want to think about putting some plates or components in the dash though. Then you could power all the front speakers and subs off the amps and let the 6x9’s run off the HU. You would actually get pretty good front stage imaging that way without a lot of expense.

What kind of amp(s) and sub(s) do you have? Are the amp(s) 4-channel or 2-channel?

An amp usually only has one gain control per side (a 4-channel will have one gain for the front channels and one for the rear whereas a 2-channel will only have one gain. Some will have seperate gains for left and righ channels also, just depends on the amp). I’m thinking that “low gain” you are talking about isn’t a gain but the low pass crossover frequency settings. You are right to have the sub amp set to “low pass” but you could be screwing up your bass by adjusting the frequency incorrectly. Of course, this is only a guess on my part since I don’t know what brand of amp you have but that’s what it sounds like with the info given so far. Also, is your sub in a properly sealed enclosure (box)? Where do you have the sub(s) facing? Do you have one or two subs? What size are the subs? Are the subs firing in phase or out? What ohm are they running and are they running mono? The answer to these questions will help determine the frequency they should be set at.

As you can see, a lot of questions need to be answered before any decent advice can be given.

Don’t you just LUUUV car audio? :lol: :jester

 

You should have enough gain in your system to achieve full volume for all input sources and subject matter at moderate distortion. For example, some older CD's are recorded at very low volumes. For these CD's you will need more gain. Some radio stations have low deviations and thus you would need more gain for them too. You can always turn the volume control down for high level subject material, but it will be difficult to adjust the gain controsl higher once the system is installed.

 

I have an Alpine HU. When I get the Kappas I will amp the fronts and leave the 6x9s like you said.
The sub is an MTX with 2 10". Looks like its sealed ok. The amp is a Lanzar I think 400amps. I am planning on replacing that with a Rockford. The subs are facing the front of the car. I'm not sure about how many channels, I think 2. (I had a friend hook it up) Not sure about ohms or mono either. I think the subs are mono because they don't go back and forth, they hit at the same time. As far as the gains one says low frequency, another says high, and the main one says gain. As you can see I'm a beginner with this but it does sound decent. I had somone adjust it for me. It's a little high on the bass but with the HU bass down all the way and the trble up to +3 it sounds ok on most CDs. I can then bring up the sub if I want to with the control on the HU. I know it can sound better though and with less adjustments on the HU. Also my friend who adjusted it showed me on the HU I can adjust the frequency (?). The bass is at 60 or 80 and the treble is at 100. Any more advice?