How do I get the max bass out of my sub and amp?

Question

My sub is a 12 made by JL Audio and my amp is made by alpine. The amp has 3 knobs on it labled Bass EQ, Gain, and LP filter. The LP Filter ranges from 50-200, the Bass EQ ranges from 0db to 12+DB and the Gain ranges from min to max. I want to know where to place each knob so that I get the most deep and loud sounding bass possible.

Answer 1

I wouldnt put my Lp filter about 125Hz the bass eq is up to your personal preferance and the gain IS NOT A VOLUME KNOB the gain is there to adjust the amp so that when you turn your radio up 50% the amp is playing at 50%. Turn the gain all the way down and then turn the volume on the radio up as loud as your gonna play it, then go back to the amp and turn the gain up untill the bass is equal with the sound from the inside speakers. Go back to the radio and turn it down the bass should match the music through the full range of the volume. These settings arnt really going to change the sound of your bass that much just the volume if you want to change the sound more your gonna need a diffrent box. I susgest going to the site below and asking questions most of the people there are competitors and do their own installs,build their own boxes and just know dam near everything there is to know about audio systems.

Answer 2

Follow the previous suggestions of JeffyB then...turning your gain all the way up (to a higher number) actually decreases sensitivity. The idea is to match the voltage coming from your HU.

http://spkrbox1.spaces.msn.com/ for real "sound" advice.

Your system won't mean squat without a well designed box to put your subs in. Some manufacturers have recommendations as to dimensions of various types of boxes. It is best to find someone who builds boxes if you go with something other than a sealed box.

You should use a capacitor as well.

Recommend for every 500 watts MAX you use a .5 Farad cap
Example: 1000 watts MAX - 1 Farad cap

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So what your saying, puresplprix, is I can throw good subs in the wrong box and they will work. Hmmm..I'll have to NOT try that!!!

I don't want MY subs unloading at too low of frequencies.

Furthermore...

There have been many people who have said that the gain controls were not volume controls and they are right, to a point. Some amplifiers' gain controls are used precisely like a volume control (one end of the potentiometer connected to ground, the other end connected to the pre-amp signal and the wiper connected to the amplifier's front end). This configuration will allow you to reduce the output to nothing at the minimum gain position. These are not very common but they HAVE been used on some amplifiers. I know because I took the cover off of a few amps to see why they had absolutely no output (Doh!). Others are connected similarly but there is a small amount of resistance between ground and the formerly grounded terminal of the potentiometer. This small resistance prevents the gain control from reducing the output to zero output. These are very common on amplifiers made in Korea and China. There are other amps that use the potentiometer to pull the signal toward ground. The pot is the lower half of a voltage divider and may use only 2 legs of the potentiometer. This type of gain control was used on at least one brand of Japanese manufactured amplifier. You can also put the potentiometer in the feedback loop to control the overall gain of the amplifier. The point to all of this is... There are many ways to use a potentiometer to control the output of the amplifier. Some are used precisely as volume controls and others are not. You can not make a blanket statement such as 'gain controls are not volume controls'.

Answer 3

put your gain almost at max just to avoid any distortion that may occur and so you wont clip your amp then your bass eq can go to 12+db your LP filter around 100 so you can get the louder upper bass spectrum. also what kind of box are you using and is your sub dual voice coil some times a portrd box wiil be louder and make sure you have the right ohms presented to your amp rockfordfosgate.com has a wiring wizard in their site to help w the wiring of DVC subs and multiples

Answer 4

What you also want (most importantly) is "clean" bass. Distorted bass will fry your amp, ruin your sub, and hurt your ears. Most bass is well above 50 Hz anyway, so you might set the lowpass filter at 100, and try that. Try setting the bass EQ at 0, and then gradually trun it up until your happy. You don't want to drown out the rest of the music. Set the gain in the middle (or less), but no higher, or you may hurt your amp.

Good Luck.

Answer 5

Just turn up the gain all the way, the eq all the way, and the LP filter to the lowest hz. Also, it really all depends how you wired your sub up. Is your sub a DVC or a SVC, and how many channels/ohms is your amp...

Answer 6

Ignore most of the posts telling you to turn your gain nearly all the way up, they don't know what they are talking about. Treating your gain like a volume knob is a good way to introduce clipping. Other than that, the other settings are all personal preference.

Answer 7

you dont set gain to the level you want it you set gain to the voltage comeing from the head unit the lower the voltage coming fromt he head unit the higher the gain should be on the amp. check out basswhores.com you will learn alot

Answer 8

honestly that all will changer. when you listen to your music low or when you listen to it high! You will always be adjusting your settings to your tast and loudness of the music. that what i do and most others do.