What does this k**b on the amp mean? its the one that say "level" and is numbered from 8 or 6 to 0.3V..

Question

on my amp, when i set this it to 0.3V, my woofer has more bass... and when i set it to 6, it has almost no bass... what does it mean when it is set to 6... and what does it mean when it is set at 0.3V ..... is it using less volts at 0.3V?

here is a picture with a similar k**b on the amp... its says "level" ..

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-11/485145/0-pca465b.jpg

Answer 1

That is the input sensitivity k**b, more commonly referred to as input level or gain. Those numbers are related to the voltage output of your radio/head units pre-amp/RCA output.

Some head units have a high pre-amp output, i.e. 8+ volts. Some have low outputs, i.e. 2 or less volts. So what the amp wants you to do is set it up for the output of the radio, not necessarily the sound you want out of the speakers.

Amplifiers are designed to put out there advertised wattage "at all times" I'll say. That is why car audio amps have a "Gain" k**b and not a volume k**b. Volume is controlled at the head unit, not the amp.

To put it another way gain is equal to how hard the amp is listening for signal. Set it too low and it won't hear what the radio is telling it. Set it too high and you'll get a sound sorta like someone screaming into a telephone.

The subwoofer is definitely going to move more if you set the gain high. But setting it too high means it's going to amplify every little piece of noise it picks up. This is how most people end up with distortion. If you think about a speaker, it should move in and out in a smooth wave. If you extend in and out to far, or move it peak to peak, the wave will begin to "square" and you will end up with distortion. This can happen with the amp input the same way. Set the gain to high, and the signal it picks up will not be a smooth wave because it's listening for something quiet, when it's actually getting a strong signal leaving you with that screaming into the telephone sound I was talking about. A lot of people buy amps that do not provide the adequate power, and then try to overcompensate by turning up the gain.

That's the complex answer for what that k**b is. Obviously it can be tuned by your ear, and for the most part that is the deciding factor. Just  be mindful of distortion. An amp can produce a square wave, or peak to peak effect, just by setting the gain too high. Even without reaching the physical limits of the speaker. Which is how speakers get damaged even when underpowered.

Answer 2

THat is your "gain" k**b. Best way to tune your amp is the turn your radio to three quarters. Turn your gain k**b al the way down. Then turn it up until just before your subs reach thier peak or start to distort...