How To Set Gain On Subwoofer

In this commodity... I'll show you how to tune your amplifier to get your subwoofers to sound but the fashion you lot want them to. Just follow these simple steps for great bass:

• Step 1. Remove the distortion
• Step two. Flatten the signal, open the low-laissez passer filter
• Stride 3. Adjust the subwoofer gain and low-laissez passer filter
• Stride iv. Adjust the bass heave and subsonic filter
• Step 5. Friction match the subwoofer level to the receiver volume

One of the things I similar well-nigh nigh subwoofers is that I tin feel the musical emotion directly with my trunk. The low frequency beat ofttimes forces me to trip the light fantastic around, or, at the very least, nod my head along with the rhythm. That'south why we all like music in the commencement place — it moves us.

Information technology can take a little time and effort to get the exact bass sound you want from your subs, but the rewards of a well-tuned subwoofer system are overwhelmingly cool and physically satisfying.

Before we go started...

If yous are looking for information almost buying subwoofers, please read our Subwoofer Buying Guide and check out our selection of peak-rated subwoofers, and then come back here to larn more than most setting them upwards to deliver great sound.

First, prepare your speaker level

Keep in mind, distortion is the enemy — information technology destroys speakers, subs, and eardrums. Distortion sounds like crackling, flapping, crunching, or hissing that interferes with the distinct sound of a musical instrument. If you ability your full-range car speakers with an amplifier, it is crucial that the amp'due south gain is properly set to prevent distortion.

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Stride ane: Remove the distortion

With the amp gain set low, play some music and turn upward your receiver's volume until yous hear the music distorting; so back off the volume until the music sounds clean again. Notation or marker where the receiver's volume is. This setting is the maximum book your receiver tin get to and yet play cleanly.

Now, turn the amp'south gain up until yous hear distortion again; then back off the proceeds slightly until the distortion goes away. The amp gain is now set, and so y'all can lower the receiver volume to a more comfortable level. Even if your speaker organisation does non accept an amplifier, yous still demand to find that maximum volume point on your receiver past turning it up to merely beneath baloney level.

Now you're fix for some bass

Step 2: Flatten the signal, open the low-laissez passer filter

Turn your sub amp'south gain to its lowest, most counter-clockwise position. Switch its low-pass filter on and set up it as loftier, clockwise, every bit it volition become. If it has a bass boost, turn information technology off. If it has a remote level command, set it to its middle position so, later, you accept the pick of boosting or cutting the bass on an individual vocal.

Adjust your receiver'southward bass tone control to its middle, naught, or "apartment" setting, whichever information technology's called on your stereo. If information technology has a subwoofer level control, set it, also, to its centre, or "no proceeds" setting. Sometimes receivers take a crossover, low-pass filter, or bass boost on their subwoofer output. Make sure those are all turned off, likewise.

Start by turning the gain down, and turn off your filters and bass boost.

Note: Do not use the low-pass filters, crossovers, or bass boosts on the receiver and the amplifier at the same fourth dimension. Use one or the other, but not both. The reason is that something called phase distortion generates around each filter or boost'southward crossover frequency, muddying up the sound.

Stride iii: Conform the subwoofer proceeds and low-laissez passer filter

Play music through your receiver at about one-quarter volume. Turn upward the gain of the subwoofer amp until the audio from your subwoofer completely overpowers the other speakers, without distorting.

Turn the proceeds up until it distorts, then back it off until the sound is make clean again.

While listening to the music coming out of your sub, slowly adjust the sub amp'due south depression-pass filter down until all the high- and mid-frequency notes disappear.

The low-pass filter eliminates the notes you don't want your subwoofer to play. Information technology likewise acts like a tone control to capture the "edges" of the kick drum's sound; the attack and release of its smash. Filter out the cymbals, strings, vocals, and guitars. Exit the bass and the low drums.

Footstep 4: Bass boost and subsonic filter

If you take a bass heave, try carefully turning it up to hear what the bass pulsate sounds similar when yous do. Applying just a little bass boost will bring upward the boot a lot. Be careful with the bass heave, if you cull to apply information technology — this is where distortion is ofttimes introduced into a system. If you hear distortion, lower the sub amp's proceeds until information technology goes away. Apply the bass boost to experience the beat in the air your sub moves.

Now play with the bass boost.

For ported subwoofers, apply a subsonic filter on your amplifier to tame whatever overly loud low notes. This will help subtract the levels of the notes at which the enclosure resonates. Fine-tune all the filters some more than to make the bass drum sound tight and dry or loose and reverberant, according to your personal sense of taste. I like reggae and soul, so my bass is enough loud, merely information technology'due south a flake drier than about people might like.

The important thing is to keep adjusting your system until you hear something you like. When y'all're satisfied with the tone of your system's bass and kicking, turn the subwoofer's volume down as far equally you tin, using the subwoofer level in the receiver's sound adjustment card or the remote bass knob if you have one.

Blending all the frequencies

Now that each piece of the puzzle is gear up, information technology's time to bring all the music into focus.

Step 5: Matching the subwoofer level to the receiver volume

Turn up the receiver'south volume to its maximum, distortion-gratuitous position. So slowly plough up the subwoofer volume until the bass sounds counterbalanced with the rest of the music. That should exercise it.

Run your remote bass boost or level control up and down a little to hear what it does. Because of the size of the audio-visual space in a car, subwoofers sometimes don't combine their sound constructively with the rest of a system's sound waves. If your bass has enough of book merely seems to lack punch, y'all tin sometimes help it by reversing your sub's speaker leads. This reverses the subwoofer cone's forward and backward movements, which might put all the sound waves together amend than the other way. Whichever style sounds best is the right manner.

Troubleshooting whatsoever problems

If you hear baloney coming from your subs, plow down the sub amp'south gain. If, at this point, you cannot become enough bass out of your subwoofer to keep up with the other speakers without distorting, and so you volition demand to get a bigger subwoofer and amplifier combination, with higher power-handling abilities.

Yous shouldn't lower the proceeds of your full-range amplifier to effort and match your lack of subwoofer volume. Doing and then could permit the amp to ship out distorted, clipped signals to your full-range speakers, defeating your goal for make clean, full audio, which is why you lot put in a subwoofer to begin with. More power, especially in the bass, is always better than non having enough.

Now you should exist able to enjoy the robust fullness and trounce of your music with your sub tuned up to match your system'south capabilities and your ear'southward preference. Just recollect to be polite, and turn your blast volume downwardly when information technology might bother other people.

Learn more most sound tuning

For more information on how to tune your car sound stystem, see Adding a 4-Channel Amp. To larn more about getting the all-time sound out of your amplifier, have a look at our Amplifiers FAQ and Glossary articles.

Source: https://www.crutchfield.com/ISEO-rgbtcspd/learn/car/subwoofers/tuning.html

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