I have two kicker comp cvr's 400 watts rms and 1200 watt super class D amp wondering what i sould set gain to?

Question

i want the best bass i can get out of my subs i have the gain half way and the other setting im a little off on if i turn the gain up to high i get this wierd smell from the subs i think from the voice coils. i think i also need a bigger box. im going to but it on u tube and see what people think and if i need to do these things. but i would like some help also.

Answer 1

if you send too much power to your sub, you risk damaging it. The cone of the speaker and the mechanical parts that make it move may break under the stress. Surprisingly, too little power can also damage your subwoofer — in fact, it's actually more common than damage caused by overpowering.

Even the toughest sub, however, can be damaged by excessive distortion from a clipped signal.

When the volume is turned up and the amp doesn't have enough power, the signal becomes distorted, or "clipped." This distorted signal can cause parts of the speaker to overheat, warp and melt. Not good!

You don't have to match speaker and amp wattages exactly. An amp with a higher output than the speaker's rating won't necessarily damage the speaker — just turn the amp down a bit if you hear distortion from the sub and don't run the speaker at extremely loud volumes for lengthy periods. Likewise, you'll be OK with a lower powered amp if you keep the volume down and don't feed a distorted signal to the sub

to maximize clean signal strength from your amp, you need to adjust the gain or input sensitivity settings. Here's how:

Set the input sensitivity controls of your amplifier to their minimum level (counter clockwise).

Put in a CD and turn the receiver's volume control up (you might have to raise the amp's gain just a bit to hear the music).

When you hear distortion, stop. Turn the volume down until it disappears. As much signal as possible is passing from the receiver to the amp. This maximizes the signal-to-noise ratio, and leaves your system less prone to engine noise problems. Keep the volume setting here.

Now turn the gain controls on the amplifier up until it's as loud as you'll play it. If you hear distortion, slightly decrease the gain settings.

Now you've optimized the amp's output with the receiver's volume set near maximum. You can turn the volume almost all the way up and not damage your speakers or amplify distortion. If you're hooking up a subwoofer, a test disc (or bass-heavy CD) is helpful for making final adjustments.

Answer 2

The purpose of the gain is to match the signal volts RMS coming from the source (CD player, etc.) to the input of the amp to prevent clipping (damage by over powering).

Here is a guide that will help you set the gain correctly http://www.datafilehost.com/download.php...

You'll need a multi-meter (AC voltmeter, $15 from Radio$hack), Microsoft Excel and a way to burn an audio CD from an MP3.

If you don't have Excel, use this link http://www.box.net/shared/nkkw1dhk4g

See my site for more info http://spkrbox1.spaces.live.com

Answer 3

Give me the Link to your youtube video and il see what i can do, But the smell is ya your runnin the Voice coils party hard. but as long as ur not smokin ur alright. Still i would try to keep them from the point to where u can smell them.