Tips for setting gains and freq on new sub?
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Tips for setting gains and freq on new sub?
I got my ED 10" sub in William's enclosure yesterday. I finally installed it today and it went in great. (OK, getting the trim back in right was a PITA, but that could have happend just trying to change a rear lightbulb.)
My amp (MTX Thunder 4405) has two settings. One for gain and one for Freq on the sub channel. Any suggestions on how to tune those settings? There are no marks to indicate what freq the amp is set to. The manual says that the Bass EQ has up to 18 dB of boost centered at 40 Hz. (I have no idea what that means.)
Oh yeah, one more quick one. I swicthed the amp to 5 ch mode (duh.) There are also switches for the front and rear channels marked FR or HP. I assume that is Full-Range or High Pass. I also assume that now that I have a Sub, I want to enable the HP filter, right?
My amp (MTX Thunder 4405) has two settings. One for gain and one for Freq on the sub channel. Any suggestions on how to tune those settings? There are no marks to indicate what freq the amp is set to. The manual says that the Bass EQ has up to 18 dB of boost centered at 40 Hz. (I have no idea what that means.)
Oh yeah, one more quick one. I swicthed the amp to 5 ch mode (duh.) There are also switches for the front and rear channels marked FR or HP. I assume that is Full-Range or High Pass. I also assume that now that I have a Sub, I want to enable the HP filter, right?
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From: Mesa
I prefer to do it at the HU so that you have control for varied types of music.
So - If your HU has a SUB output channel keep your amp channel on full range at about 50% gain. Set your SUB output on the HU to about mid-range (my HU sub channel goes from -5 to +5 dB) and start at 80Hz for your low pass setting.
Put in something that has decent bass but is still somewhat musical - I like to use 311, Cake, or something along those lines. With the volume at about 70% Increase the sub gain until you get some distortion and then back it off until it is clean again.
At this point leave the amp alone and make the rest of your freq and gain adjustments from the headunit until you get it where you want it.
Also note that you should have your trunk closed during this process. You are adjusting for you and your listening pleasure - not the folks in the cars around you.
Hope this helps.
So - If your HU has a SUB output channel keep your amp channel on full range at about 50% gain. Set your SUB output on the HU to about mid-range (my HU sub channel goes from -5 to +5 dB) and start at 80Hz for your low pass setting.
Put in something that has decent bass but is still somewhat musical - I like to use 311, Cake, or something along those lines. With the volume at about 70% Increase the sub gain until you get some distortion and then back it off until it is clean again.
At this point leave the amp alone and make the rest of your freq and gain adjustments from the headunit until you get it where you want it.
Also note that you should have your trunk closed during this process. You are adjusting for you and your listening pleasure - not the folks in the cars around you.
Hope this helps.
Registered User
Joined: Oct 2002
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From: Baton Rouge, LA
to answer your question...
the Bass EQ setting is really just a boost... like a single EQ slider centered at 40 hz.
you probably don't want to use it, it will really just weird out your sound.
the Bass EQ setting is really just a boost... like a single EQ slider centered at 40 hz.
you probably don't want to use it, it will really just weird out your sound.
Registered User
Joined: Oct 2002
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From: Baton Rouge, LA
personally? i'd turn the boost all the way down. set the gains and the crossover like William stated above.
play with it some if you like, but if you start dialing it up a bunch, you'll need to reset the gains to make sure you don't damage the speaker.
play with it some if you like, but if you start dialing it up a bunch, you'll need to reset the gains to make sure you don't damage the speaker.
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Registered User
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From: Baton Rouge, LA
Originally Posted by Tom Jr,Apr 5 2005, 03:14 PM
Zero boost is what you're going for, if you want an accurate reproduction of sound. Box and cabin gains aside, you want your frequency response as flat as possible, without boost or attenuation. Whether zero is at the bottom or the middle of the range, that's really the way to go. Of course, everyone has their own tastes when it comes to tuning, but it's good to have a solid starting point.
EDIT:
I found this online. If you look at the specifications on page 9, the boost range is 0 to 18dB at 40Hz. For a flat response, turn this all the way down to zero, at least as a starting point.
Also, it looks like the high pass and low pass filters in the amp are fixed at 85Hz. Your headunit likely has better control of this, so it's probably a good idea to set for full range and use the HU controls. Just my opinion.
EDIT:
I found this online. If you look at the specifications on page 9, the boost range is 0 to 18dB at 40Hz. For a flat response, turn this all the way down to zero, at least as a starting point.
Also, it looks like the high pass and low pass filters in the amp are fixed at 85Hz. Your headunit likely has better control of this, so it's probably a good idea to set for full range and use the HU controls. Just my opinion.
generally speaking bass boosts just color your sound really badly by putting an abnormal peak in there. the bassheads love it because it gives them more 'boom', but it ruins any sound quality, as it puts a large unnatural peak in your bass response. it will generally really color the sound, and make normal music (vs basshead stuff), sound weird and unnatural.
if you've ever heard a poorly tuned ported box, it can generate a similar response.
all in all, unless you're focused primarily on songs with the word Bass in their title, by bands with the word Bass in their name, on CD's with the word Bass in the album name....
well, you'll want to leave it off.
and even then, sometimes those guys hate the bass boost knob b/c they like a smooth bass response across the songs...
