Breaking in subwoofers

[expo5.0]

he doesn't do that to avoid blowing the sub...

i never said that subs do not "break in" over time, just that you don't need to do anything to them with respect to a break in procedure or period. notice that he said "lets the woofer perform as though it had months of in-car play time" not "lets the woofer not blow, or not be somehow permanently harmed"

 

[hydroxy]

I have to agree about the excessive time... I mean if all you have to do is play it at normal levels for that amount of time to break it in, why dont they do that before they ship them out? If it was really that big of a concern then they would do that. They could just say that to try and get people to not push them for a couple weeks and hope that it breaks after 30 days or so. (30 days being probably the full refund timeframe).

But look at this mixed response from people. I didn't even know subs had to be broken in. Does the average person who buys 'em know they need to be broken in? I think not... If I'm going to spend $$$ on that I want to enjoy it.
"The things you own end up owning you" - Fight Club.

Anyways - do what you want to with your subs - you dont have to convince people of your way of thinking.

 

[draft]

Amen hydroxy.

 

[EricM]

alright ericm mr know it all please enlighten me with ur wisdom..im waiting with baited breath =)...ur one of those guys that tells me there 1 audiobahn flame Q can out hit my 15s because the flame Q can "handel" as much power as both of my subs arent u

Um, no, I'm just a guy with some basic common sense who once again doesn't know how what the hell you're talking about has anything to do with this:

lowering the gain DOES NOT lower the output from the amp

That statement is flat-out incorrect, and that's really all I wanted to point out, so I'll leave you to your childish arguments now.

 

[expo5.0]

actually it is not incorrect.

IF you set the level of your hu at a certain level then turn the gain down THEN the level out of the amp goes down AT THAT level of output with the hu.

IF your hu or equalizers are properly matched to your amp. ie- the amp is designed for a 4 volt imput and the hu or eq can produce that. then all the gain does is adjust the slope of how the amp gets turned "up". the only time the gain can actually control the volume output is if your hu simply doesn't have enough voltage to properly match the amplifier.


think you know more than me? what titles do you posess with respect to car audio and electronics? what have you built yourself? got anything to back up yourself designed for a 4 volt input and the hu can produce said input. then all the gain does is adjust the slope of when the amp is turned all the way up. this is the ideal situation, and this is what i meant. I know other than calling an argument your a part of childish?

 

[EricM]

actually it is not incorrect.

This is really getting ridiculous.

IF you set the level of your hu at a certain level then turn the gain down THEN the level out of the amp goes down

Right. That should be the end of this discussion, since that's the opposite of "lowering the gain DOES NOT lower the output from the amp"...

IF your hu or equalizers are properly matched to your amp. ie- the amp is designed for a 4 volt imput and the hu or eq can produce that. then all the gain does is adjust the slope of how the amp gets turned "up". the only time the gain can actually control the volume output is if your hu simply doesn't have enough voltage to properly match the amplifier.

Let's make this real simple. If you properly set the gain on all your amps, THEN decide you want to underpower your sub, what should you do? Turn the gain down on the sub amp. For any volume on the HU you choose, you will have less output from the amp than you had before. At the volume on the HU where your other amps are making full power, your sub amp won't be.

Could you still get full power out of the sub amp without turning the gain back up? Maybe. If you set your gains with the HU volume substantially below the point where the pre-outs clip, then you almost definitely can. But if you turn the volume up that high (beyond the point where you originally set your gains for maximum power out of all your amps), your other amps are going to be clipping. You'll hear it from your other speakers, and it will be a clue that your being a complete moron and defeating the entire purpose of turning the gain down on the sub amp.

 

[expo5.0]

no, your not understanding what i'm saying.

your going to be adjusting the level from your hu as you drive correct? if the hu and amp are matched properly and the gain is set properly etc. then you turn the gain down- all that will mean is that the amp won't reach its maximum output as quickly as you turn up the level on the hu. if you crank up the hu all the way it will still reach the exact same output level.

when you say i contradicted myself- you need to read it and try to understand not just take it to mean what you want it to mean. you always going to be adjusting the hu level and not the gain to control the volume output of the car right? so in reality what i was saying there has NOTHING to do with a real world situation. in the real world situation changing the gain only changes how quickly it gets loud as you turn it up.

i'll try to explain in a different way-

your hu outputs 4 volts maximum, and the gain range on your amp is from .5-4 volts. when you turn the gain all the way down the amp needs 4 volts in order to output its full volume correct? or if you turn the gain up it takes less voltage in order for the amp to output its total volume correct? either way its going to get there! the difference lies in how far you have to turn up the volume level on the hu in order to reach it. with the gain turned up perhaps you only need to have the hu running at 60% in order for the amp to be outputting full volume, and with the gain all the way down perhaps you would have to crank the hu all the way to get the full volume from the amp. EITHER WAY YOUR STILL GETTING THE SAME MAXIMUM VOLUME.

as i said before this doesn't always hold true. if you have a pos hu that only puts out 1 volt from its preouts you can see how turning the gain down could make a situation where the amp never gets driven very hard.

i hope that helps

 

[EricM]

no, your not understanding what i'm saying.

Yes I am, it's just irrelevant.

your going to be adjusting the level from your hu as you drive correct? if the hu and amp are matched properly and the gain is set properly etc. then you turn the gain down- all that will mean is that the amp won't reach its maximum output as quickly as you turn up the level on the hu. if you crank up the hu all the way it will still reach the exact same output level.

But if you crank the HU up all the way, then the amp(s) running your other speakers will be clipping, because you set their gain to deliver max power at some lower HU volume. If you're just using HU power, you'll probably clip even sooner, because most HUs clip the speaker outs at a lower volume than the preouts. Most people have a volume they don't go above - the volume they set their gains at for full amp power. If you continue to stay below that volume after lowering the gain (and I don't know why you wouldn't), your sub will never see the amp's max power.

So again, if underpowering the sub is your goal, and you still want to listen to your system, turning the gain down on the sub amp is the easiest thing to do. Yes, if you're dumb enough to turn the HU volume up way beyond the volume you used to set gains, you'll get full power out of the sub amp. You'll probably blow your other amps and/or your speakers too.

 

[expo5.0]

but by turning the gain down, you didn't turn the output of the amp down did you?

if you have enough control to do it the way you just suggested why not leave the gain where it is and not be abusive with the volume control?

 

[mhn3773]

Yes I am, it's just irrelevant.

Yes, if you're dumb enough to turn the HU volume up way beyond the volume you used to set gains, you'll get full power out of the sub amp. You'll probably blow your other amps and/or your speakers too.

u just proved him right..sigh full volume on the HU is going to get full volume from the amp NO MATTER WHAT thats what u just said..and if ur subs cant handel it then u didnt match them properly

u should be able to run ur volume to full if u can stand it w.o having anything fall apart or break

id also really like to see u blow an amp by turning it up to loud since that would mean the amp would have to try and push more then it could..which it cant ( confused yet? i hope so..i like to watch u stew) cheers mate

 

[Ru Dawg]

Here is what I found at Crutchfield.com

Q: How do I fine-tune my amplifier's gain and bass boost settings?

A: Setting the "gain" or input sensitivity control is an important adjustment common to all amplifier installations. Proper gain setting helps reduce noise and distortion and allows for the widest possible dynamic range. Here's how to do it:


Turn your amplifier's input level controls all the way down.

Put in a tape or CD or tune in a radio station. Turn up your receiver's volume control. You'll begin to hear music at faint levels. (Audiophiles and sound competitors may want to use a dedicated test disc.

When you start hearing distortion, lower your receiver's volume control until the distortion disappears. At this point, you have as much signal as possible passing from your receiver into your amp. (This gives you maximum signal-to-noise ratio, so you'll enjoy clean sound and your system will be less prone to engine noise problems).

Now begin adjusting your amp's input gain. Turn the input level controls up until the system is as loud as you can stand it or until you begin hearing distortion — whichever comes first. If you hear distortion, decrease the gain settings slightly.

By following this procedure, you'll optimize your amp's performance at the receiver's maximum volume level, so you can crank your system almost all the way up without amplifying any distortion, or damaging your speakers. Keep in mind that this adjustment does not affect the power output of the amp — you're simply setting the amount of input signal needed for optimum sound quality from your system.

Car stereo competitors sometimes employ a technique called "gain overlap" to wring some more dBs out of their rigs while keeping distortion out of the audible range. Many amplifiers have a bass boost function. In most cases, it is a variable control — you simply dial in the amount of boost you'd like to hear. Bass boost levels can range from +6dB to +18dB, depending on the amplifier. As you experiment with this adjustment, you'll notice that the boost is centered at a given frequency, so you'll still experience some bass boosting at frequencies above and below that point. Make sure that your system is turned off or operating at low volumes when you engage or turn up your bass boost control — boosting bass at high volumes can damage your speakers.

 

[Ru Dawg]

Now I have a question...If your HU has subwoofer volume control, should the woofer volume AND the HU volume be the highest you want them without distortion when you set your gain?
What does the subwoofer volume control do? Does it vary the pre amp output voltage?

 

[mhn3773]

the sub volume control does just what it sounds like...it is a volume specific to the sub pre outs so like if u have aa song that is way to heavy on bass u can turn down just the sub to kinda level it all out..or when u are just plain sick of the headachs lol

 

[hydroxy]

I play music. I listen to music. Music is good. Good music good.

 

[expo5.0]

good thing crutchfield agrees with me